The Man Who Sold the World

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The Man Who Sold the World
The Man Who Sold the World cover
Studio album by David Bowie
Released November 4, 1970 (US)
April 1971 (UK)
Rykodisc Reissue January 30, 1990
Recorded Trident and Advision Studios, London
18 April - 22 May 1970
Genre Rock, Heavy metal
Length 40:37
Label Mercury Records
Producer(s) Tony Visconti
Professional reviews
David Bowie chronology
Space Oddity
(1969)		 The Man Who Sold the World
(1970)		 Hunky Dory
(1971)


The Man Who Sold the World is an album by David Bowie. It was originally released on Mercury Records in November 1970 in the United States and in April 1971 in the UK. The album was Bowie's first with the nucleus of what would become the 'Spiders from Mars', the backing band made famous by The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972. Though author David Buckley has described his previous record Space Oddity as "the first Bowie album proper",[1] NME critics Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray have said of The Man Who Sold the World, "this is where the story really starts".[2]

Contents

[edit] Production and style

The album was written and rehearsed at Bowie's home in Haddon Hall, Beckenham, an Edwardian mansion converted to a block of flats that was described by one visitor as having an ambience "like Dracula's living room".[3] As Bowie was preoccupied with his new wife Angie at the time, the music was largely arranged by guitarist Mick Ronson and bassist/producer Tony Visconti.[4] Regarding the songs' composition, however, Bowie maintains that "I really did object to the impression given in some articles that I did not write the songs on man who sold ... you only have to check out the chord changes. NO ONE writes chord changes like that."[5] Despite his exasperation with the singer's working methods, Visconti would later rate The Man Who Sold the World his best work with Bowie until 1980's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps).[6]

Much of the album had a distinct heavy metal edge that stands it apart from Bowie's other releases, and has been compared to contemporary acts such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.[2] The record also provided some unusual musical detours, such as the title track's use of Latin sounds to hold the melody. The sonic heaviness of the album was matched by the subject matter, which included insanity ("All the Madmen"), children with powers beyond their parents' understanding ("After All"),[6] gun-toting assassins and Vietnam War commentary ("Running Gun Blues"), omniscient computers ("Saviour Machine") and Lovecraftian Elder Gods ("The Supermen").[2] The album has also been seen as reflecting the influence of such figures as Aleister Crowley, Franz Kafka and Friedrich Nietzsche.[6]

[edit] Cover

The UK cover of the first release of this album, on which Bowie is seen reclining in what he called a "man's dress",[4] was an early indication of his interest in exploiting his androgynous appearance. The original US issue employed a different, cartoon-like cover drawn by Bowie's friend Michael J. Weller (featuring the Cane Hill mental asylum)[7] while the 1972 reissue by RCA used a black-and-white picture of Ziggy Stardust as the cover instead of either of the originals. The 1990 Rykodisc reissue reinstated the original UK cover.

[edit] Singles

None of the songs were released to the public as singles at the time, though a promo version of "All the Madmen" was issued in the US in 1971 and the same song appeared in Eastern Europe in 1973, as did "The Width of a Circle". "Black Country Rock" was released as the B-side of "Holy Holy" in the UK in January 1971, shortly before the album. The title track later provided an unlikely hit for Scottish pop singer Lulu and would be covered by many bands over the years, including Nirvana. It recently featured on the reality show Rock Star: INXS, performed by Jordis Unga.

[edit] Release and aftermath

The Man Who Sold the World was generally more successful commercially and critically in the US than in the UK on its original release in 1970-71.[2] Rolling Stone called it "uniformly excellent", while Melody Maker and NME found it "surprisingly excellent" and "rather hysterical", respectively.[4] Sales were not high enough to dent the charts in either country at the time, however it made #26 in the UK and #105 in the US following its rerelease on 25 November 1972, in the wake of Bowie's commercial breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The album has been cited as influencing the goth rock, darkwave and science fiction elements of work by artists such as Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Cure, Gary Numan, John Foxx and Nine Inch Nails.[6]

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by David Bowie.

  1. "The Width of a Circle" – 8:05
  2. "All the Madmen" – 5:38
  3. "Black Country Rock" – 3:32
  4. "After All" – 3:51
  5. "Running Gun Blues" – 3:11
  6. "Saviour Machine" – 4:25
  7. "She Shook Me Cold" – 4:13
  8. "The Man Who Sold the World" – 3:55
  9. "The Supermen" – 3:38

[edit] Rereleases

In 1990, The Man Who Sold the World was reissued on CD for the first time. It had an extended track listing including "Lightning Frightening", a 1972 rerecording of "Holy Holy" (Bowie vetoed inclusion of the original 1970 recording which, as a result of this decision, is available only on the bootleg album Changesthreeandahalf).

In 1999 the album was reissued again, without the bonus tracks but with digitally remastered sound.

[edit] Bonus tracks (1990 Rykodisc)

  1. "Lightning Frightening" (Previously unreleased) – 3:38
  2. "Holy Holy" (1972 rerecording of A-side from 1970 non-LP single) – 2:20
  3. "Moonage Daydream" (1971 Arnold Corns version) – 3:52
  4. "Hang on to Yourself" (1971 Arnold Corns version) – 2:51

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Album cover variations

1970 US issue
1970 US issue
1971 German issue
1971 German issue
1972 RCA reissue
1972 RCA reissue

[edit] Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1972 UK Albums Chart 26
1973 Billboard Pop Albums 105

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story: p.78
  2. ^ a b c d Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: pp.37-38
  3. ^ Martin Aston (2007). "Scary Monster", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie: p.24
  4. ^ a b c Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: pp.260-265
  5. ^ David Bowie (17 December 1998). Bowienet Live Chat
  6. ^ a b c d David Buckley (1999). Op Cit: pp.99-105
  7. ^ Cane Hill Project
 v • d • e David Bowie
Discography
Studio albums
David Bowie | Space Oddity | The Man Who Sold the World | Hunky Dory | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | Aladdin Sane | Pin Ups | Diamond Dogs | Young Americans | Station to Station | Low | "Heroes" | Lodger | Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) | Let's Dance | Tonight | Never Let Me Down | Black Tie White Noise | Outside | Earthling | 'hours...' | Heathen | Reality
With Tin Machine
Tin Machine | Tin Machine II
Live albums
David Live | Stage | Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture | Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby | Santa Monica '72 | Bowie at the Beeb | LiveAndWell.com
Soundtracks
Christiane F. | Labyrinth | The Buddha of Suburbia | Lost Highway
Related articles
Tony Visconti | Brian Eno | Mick Ronson | Iggy Pop | Mike Garson | Reeves Gabrels
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