David Bowie - Man Who Sold The World, dress drag sleeve

	£		122
	$		162

David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World

UK PRESSING. Dated 1971. Stereo. Mercury Records, catalogue number; 6338 041, Matrix numbers; 6338 041 1Y A / 2Y B.

UK copy with the `Dress sleeve / Drag cover' which was almost immediately withdrawn. This copy has a textured sleeve.

99p start.

Overall Sleeve Condition : GOOD +

Front cover: Textured sleeve. Unfaded with just a few very light rubs.

Rear cover: Textured sleeve. Unfaded with just a few very light rubs.

Edges: Noticable scuffs especially to spine edge.

Corners: Minor scuffs.  Light bends.

Opening Slit:  Slightly roughened.

This cover borders on a VG, but I've called it a good G as the spine rubs are just visible from the front view. The spine is NOT split.

Vinyl Condition, Visual: EXCELLENT, NEAR MINT.

This is a superb looking copy with no sign of wear, or heavy use. One or two tiny marks where the vinyl has ben removed from the sleeve. No scratches.

Vinyl Condition, Audible:  MINT.

Plays superbly. Well preserved and cared for, no decrease from the original sound quality. Kept in stunning condition by the previous owner. No skips, no jumps, no sign of heavy play, no wear.

Label Condition :  MINT.

Silver on light black Mercury label.

Tracklist:

1. The Width Of A Circle
2. All The Madmen
3. Black Country Rock
4. After All
5. Running Gun Blues
6. Saviour Machine
7. She Shook Me Cold
8. The Man Who Sold The World
9. The Supermen

Even though it contained no hits, The Man Who Sold the World, for most intents and purposes, is the beginning of David Bowie's classic period. Working with guitarist Mick Ronson and producer Tony Visconti for the first time, Bowie developed a tight, twisted heavy guitar rock that appears simple on the surface but sounds more gnarled upon each listen. The mix is off-center, with the fuzz-bass dominating the compressed, razor-thin guitars and Bowie's strangled, affected voice. The sound of The Man Who Sold the World is odd, but the music is bizarre itself, with Bowie's bizarre, paranoid futuristic tales melded to Ronson's riffing and the band's relentless attack. Musically, there isn't much innovation on The Man Who Sold the World — it is almost all hard blues-rock or psychedelic folk-rock — but there's an unsettling edge to the band's performance, which makes the record one of Bowie's best albums.

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]

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.

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MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in the sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition.

EXCELLENT (US version of this term: Near Mint): The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in the sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

VERY GOOD (US version of this term: VG++): The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover, or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

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