Described as “Ziggy Stardust in America”, Aladdin Sane was the follow-up and sister album to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It was written, recorded, and released while the band continued to tour and its songs were included in The Spiders’ sets. Aladdin Sane was another Glam-focused album, but it was also a bit more experimental, due in no small part to the arrival of pianist Mike Garson, a vital collaborator who would contribute to many of Bowie’s albums and live performances.
The album’s cover is the most iconic of all Bowie imagery: Brian Duffy’s photo of Bowie with a red and purple lighting bolt painted across his face. The cover was printed in seven colors, rather than the usual three. This was an uncommon process, so they were sent to a company in Switzerland that was able do it. This minilander more specifically depicts the image shown in the gatefold where a full-body photo was painted over from the mid-chest down in monochromatic grey.