David Bowie
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
Mercury Records
Side one
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
Side two
1. "Running Gun Blues" – 3:11
2. "Saviour Machine" – 4:25
3. "She Shook Me Cold" – 4:13
4. "The Man Who Sold the World" – 3:55
5. "The Supermen" – 3:38
The epic two-part opener, “The Width of a Circle”, makes a clear and conscious declaration of a new, more comfortable and confident artist. That is the story of the album really; an every evolving artist, Bowie had made the first perfect mutation of his career with heavy metal foray “The Man Who Sold the World”. Its uncertain what made Bowie make this or any of the other transitions of his career and why this one worked so well. Perhaps it’s more then coincidence this progression coincided with the addition of guitarist and right hand man Mick Ronson. The key piece of Bowie’s Spiders from Mars band, along with Ronson Bowie would release several albums and the duo even produced a number of albums for other artists including Lou Reed’s “Transformer” a few years later.
As noted there is a noticeable tinge of heavy metal in place of the acoustic sounds of its clumsy precursor “Space Oddity”. The first two songs are perfect hard rock numbers that stand up to the giants of the time like Led Zeppelin and The Who. “All the Madmen” is my favorite track on the album; it’s a slow builder with an eclectic ambiance to draw from and the most notable of several tracks dealing with the albums underlying theme of paranoia, schizophrenia and insanity. The songs “Zane zane zane, open the dog” outro is a fantastic feet of lunacy. There are notes of Blues Rock and the Psychedelic to close out side one and opening side two more akin with what you’d expect from Mick Ronson then Bowie. Ronson’s major influences heavily including Jeff Beck era Yarbirds Rock & Roll. Still Bowie’s penchant for the unusual is irrepressible and evident in the dynamic side two second “Savior Machine”. Ronson’s most “Metal” contribution to the album came in “She Shook Me Cold” which gives early Black Sabbath a run for its money. The descent from sanity resumes with the title track and it’s a simpler traditional melodic rock rhythm. As pleasant a song as any on the album to the virgin ear, it’s a good place to start.
An unquestionably excellent album and as ambitious an effort as anyone could have asked for. This is the album I believe Bowie found the formula on and thus launched him into an epic era that spanned the entire decade and beyond. Drawing inspiration from literature, philosophy, modern musical trends, personal experience, and the deepest darkest recesses of his own mind, Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” is a prefect example of musical adaptation. Ever changing but never relenting in bringing a new and creative approach to music.
8.5\10