The Man Who Sold the World

album by Bowie

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The Man Who Sold the World is a significant album by David Bowie, released in 1970. It marked a pivotal shift in his musical direction, moving away from his earlier acoustic-influenced sound towards a harder rock style. The album is recognized as a blend of folk music, art rock, and heavy metal, heralding the beginning of Bowie's hard rock era. This album is considered a key work in his prolific career, which spanned 26 studio albums and saw him explore various musical genres and personas.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

David Bowie
Early career
His first album of note, The Man Who Sold the World (1970), was a prescient hybrid of folk, art rock, and heavy metal, marking a transition in musical direction and vision in which he largely abandoned his previous, more acoustic-influenced sound, and ushered in his hard rock era. With Hunky…
Read More
His first album of note, The Man Who Sold the World (1970), was a prescient hybrid of folk, art rock, and heavy metal, marking a transition in musical direction and vision in which he largely abandoned his previous, more acoustic-influenced sound, and ushered in his hard rock era. With Hunky…
Read More

glam rock
…standard for showmanship while producing The Man Who Sold the World (1970) and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). Other members of the British glitterati were Slade, Gary Glitter, and Marc Bolan’s T. Rex, whose Electric Warrior (1971) and The
Read More
…standard for showmanship while producing The Man Who Sold the World (1970) and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). Other members of the British glitterati were Slade, Gary Glitter, and Marc Bolan’s T. Rex, whose Electric Warrior (1971) and The
Read More