Of all the known glitter-rockers, David Bowie has the most significant writing talent. David's orange hair, pale makeup, outer-space mode of dressing, and self-confessed bisexuality have tended to obscure his genuine musical talents. He is unquestionably a master craftsman. He can write a genuine melody and a shrewd lyric, and he is thoroughly schooled in the art of arranging and record-producing.

These talents have been dissipated by Bowie on a series of immature fantasies dealing with a comic-book tomorrow land. "Aladdin Sane" however is a different story. This new release is a cruel report about the America the superstar saw during his first tour of the country. It is a collection of pessimistic, nagging, unpleasant images that have the power to depress and depress thoroughly. Accompanying these fragmentary lyrics are a series of Bowie's most dissonant, erratic, and unhinging melodies. Ultimately, "Aladdin Sane" palls because it is so...