The Man Who Sold The World
(RCA, 1971)
The recruitment of Hull-born guitarist Mick Ronson was a transformative move and the sea change was evident immediately on The Man Who Sold The World, a third album that shredded Bowie’s early acoustic folk-pop sensibilities and set him up as a bona fide rock star.
While not quite as front-toback brilliant as the 70s work to come, thrilling moments abound, from the primitive punch of Black Countryto the descending intro of (a riff that feels like the template for stoner rock). Towering above it all is the title track, its haunted guitar hook still one of the loneliest sounds in rock’n’roll.
