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Class 6(66)
David Bowie: The man who sold the world
10/12/10 || Daemonomania
Introduction
In a continuing effort to edja-ma-cate you hairy foreign fucks about the origins of what we happily call METAL today, I bring you David Bowie’s “The man who sold the world”. Most of you are thinking one of two things:
1) David Bowie? Metal? What?
2) Didn’t Nirvana cover that song?
Allow me to answer.
1) Yes. Of the proto- variety. If by what you mean what in the shit are you talking about, Daemo? then this review will provide an explanation.
2) Yes, Nirvana did cover the title track on their unplugged album. And Behemoth covered Bowie too, so the sum total metal-cover-points awarded is 0.
I don’t need to tell you this came out when fuck metal dinosaurs like Black Sabbath were still stomping the earth in their original forms. There’s also no need to say that if you hate old music with no blasts or pig squeals you should just moveon.org. But I do need to say that if the idea of a fruity 70’s dude with a catlike warble belting out paranoia over big riffs gets you randy then read on, brother.
Songwriting
9. There is enough bizarre and memorable material on here to fill another band’s whole career. From the jangling acoustics of “Black country rock” to the keyboard-laden bombast of “All the madmen” – TMWStW has got it all. There are loads of great riffs, strange little interludes, and full-fledged end-of-song rock outs throughout. Most importantly, based on title alone you’ll be able to recall each separate song after only a few listens. There’s a reason why Daemo went out and bought a CD copy to replace my cassette after throwing away the tape player. Bowie was crafting some essential shit in 1970. The only song that doesn’t really move me is the official album closer “The supermen”, and even that has a sweet chanting thing going on behind the verses.
Dig the bonus tracks too – “Lightning Frightening” sounds like Bowie pulled out of Jagger’s clutching rectum and recorded a song with the Stones around the “Let it bleed” era. That sentence was gross. Sorry. “Holy holy” has got a groovy chorus, and more alternate takes of “Ziggy” era tracks are surely appreciated.
Production
8.5. A remaster job may have taken place here. Sounds pretty fucken great to me. Booming guitars, lush keyboards, that positively present bass, and of course the many weird effects and shit on Bowie’s vocals all sound crisp. Not that this could be mistaken as anything other than a classic rock album, mind you. No way would a band dare to sound this retro now, unless you count those dirty hipsters who will steal anything they can from the late 60’s and early 70’s.
Guitars
8.5. Mick Ronson is an underappreciated guitarist. Which is a good place to be. If you’re overappreciated everyone says you’re overrated and people eventually dismiss you. If you’re unknown nobody gives a shit. But underappreciated is the golden balance of both – true music snobs choose only these individuals as their faves.
Yep, Ronson drops one epic riff after the next. I’m pretty sure Branch Davidian handled a lot of his own acoustic and rhythm duties, but Mick was the real star behind the six-string. Pay attention to the guitarwork and learn from whence the molten metallic ooze arose! Hail the 70’s!
Vocals
7. Like Ozzy, either you can take Bowie’s vocal approach or you can’t. I personally dig it. He sings like a person who has no limits to his range, when VERY clearly he does have distinct, massive flashing signs saying you can’t hit that note pal. Doesn’t stop him from giving it a shot. I like the effect on his low and calm tone in the title track, his garbled vox at the end of “Black country rock”, and his wrenchingly sad delivery in “After all”. Most often, he sounds like what he is/was – a preening glammed out bisexual druggie fully prepared to make you question your manhood via rock and roll.
Bass
8. The bass is played by a bass player and he seems to be enthused since his playing of the bass in the first song which is called “The width of a circle” is notable in that it features more prominent bass than in other places that are on the album that is called “The man who sold the world” by David Bowie who is the guy whose name is on the cover.
Drums
6.5. Stop triggering your kit you HUMMINGBIRD ASSHOLE! No, not really. Some well-meaning and well-played but nothing special drumwork here. In the rock out sections the dude gets his moments to shine, but I seem to recall a drum solo in the end of “The width…” sucking ze Britballs.
Lyrics
8. All over the place, but the themes of mental illness, the future, and sexuality tie it together. You gotta hand it to Bowie for writing interesting lyrics for almost 30 years – no surprise he eventually chose a cut-and-paste method and then let some fucken kid write ‘em. So here’s my thoughts on various tracks:
The title track is an odd and chilling little story that doesn’t make much sense. It has been covered a few times aside from Seattle’s most shotgun-hungry band.
The vicious “Running gun blues” is a first-person account of a Vietnam soldier who decides murdering civilians is more fun than turning in his rifle. Scathing.
“She shook me cold” is about…crazily unexpected Shamalammadingdong twist…BANGING A CHICK! When other dudes write songs about banging chicks, nobody cares, but when a dude in a dress does it – watch out.
Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure “The width…” and “Black country rock” are at least tangentially about banging dudes.
“All the madmen”, aside from being the most metal song on here, deals with how we treat the mentally ill. Since the rise of outpatient care and the decline of asylums I’m not sure if this is still quite topical, but the lyrics about hurting yourself are cool anyway.
Last song I’ll mention is “Saviour machine”, another good little story about a device that uses logic to solve the world’s problems, but then gets bored and wants to exterminate everyone instead. Does it get much more kvlt than that? I didn’t think so.
Cover art
5. A grainy photo of Bowie in some sort of flowing ladygarmet. Taking ‘er easy, contemplating whether to enjoy crumpets or scones with tea, cocaine, and manparts. Did this ruffle some feathers back in the day? Surely. I like the faded look of it, and the fact that the man who sold the world may or may not be a man after all.
IG actually wears this same dress all the time, and he certainly fills it out much better. Mmmm mmmm good.
Logo
N/A: Like I mentioned somewhere else, the old-school dudes didn’t have much use for logos (exceptions include The Doors, The Nitty Gritty Fart Band, and Bill Bixby).
Booklet
7.5. A bunch of alternate covers for this album, one more odd than the next. As if putting on a dress and lounging the fuck out wasn’t odd enough. Also included are various pictures of Bowie at his most outrageous. Seriously one of the thinnest dudes ever. He should come out with his own dieting plan – seminal fluids and illegal drugs ONLY. Stick with it and you’ll look like a skeletal glam vampire in weeks. There are no lyrics or even some sort of anniversary quote from The Thin White Duke himself about how he remembers absolutely nothing about recording this shit, so that makes me a bit unhappy. Maybe I should start collecting the original big, floppy, round things that music used to come on. And you need a special giant discman to hear. What were those called again?
Overall and ending rant
“TMWStW” is a logical disc between the spaced-out hippie stuff of his early career and the butt-pumping glam rock that was to follow with the Spiders from Mars. You won’t find any of these songs on a Bowie greatest hits album, because they are far too off the wall and in their own weird little world. That doesn’t mean it sucks – quite the opposite. Highly recommended for 60’s and 70’s fans who might stick within the parameters of what they play on Corporate Classic Rock Radio Station #1,562. This will steal your world, pawn it, and sell it back to you again. Regular ole ‘heads might find the line between Sabbathian METAL and glam blurred beyond identification, but there’s no doubt we’re dealing with some heavy shit. Give it an attentive ear and get back to me. I’ll be in the future, reprogramming a saviour machine, going crazy, and banging a dude in a dress.
- Information
- Released: 1970
- Label: Mercury Records
- Website: www.davidbowie.com
- Band
- David Bowie: vocals, guitars, stylophone
- Mick Ronson: guitars, vocals
- Tony Visconti: bass, piano, guitars
- Ralph Mace: fucken MOOG baby
- Mick Woodmansey: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. The Width of a Circle
- 02. All the Madmen
- 03. Black Country Rock
- 04. After All
- 05. Running Gun Blues
- 06. Saviour Machine
- 07. She Shook Me Cold
- 08. The Man Who Sold the World
- 09. The Supermen
- 10. Lightning Frightening (previously unreleased)
- 11. Holy Holy (alternate version)
- 12. Moonage Daydream (alternate version)
- 13. You Better Hang on to Yourself (alternate version)
