“The Man Who Sold The World” Songs Ranked

Not my favourite album of his, but there are definitely some great songs on here. How would I rank them?

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Meh

9 – After All

This album is definitely an acquired taste, as songs like this could easily put off the average listener. Not a bad song, but very dull.

OK

8 – All The Madmen

A lot of the the tracks on this album are rooted in heavy rock, and I personally am all for it. There’s a lot of good on the record, but songs like this can easily get lost by the wayside since there’s not really any new ideas on display.

7 – Black Country Rock

Similar to “All The Madmen”, the song itself is nice but you won’t remember it for more than a few minutes after you’ve listened to it.

6 – Running Gun Blues

One of the reasons I’ve never really rated “The Man Who Sold The World” highly in Bowie’s discography is the fact that so many of the songs are just OK. This is probably the best of the OK tracks, but I still wouldn’t choose to listen to it by itself.

Good

5 – Saviour Machine

On the face of it “Saviour Machine” doesn’t seem any different to the other tracks lower down on this list, but for some reason this works for me. It has a good riff, so maybe that’s it.

Great

4 – The Supermen

Usually my Bowie opinions align quite closely with most fans, but a lot of my favourite on this album are extremely underrated even by the most loyal fanbase. I really like how melodramatic this track is, and I’d consider this to be a very strong finale.

3 – The Width of a Circle

There was a long period of time where I didn’t even bother giving this track a chance – at over 8 minutes long, I never thought it would be worth my while. I would highly recommend that any doubters (like I once was) give this track a proper listen, as it’s one of Bowie’s best openers.

2 – She Shook Me Cold

Quite possibly Bowie’s most underrated song ever, the heavy guitar riffs and powerful vocals are what make this track stand out from the rest. When I think of this album as a whole, it’s probably this track that encapsulates the sound that Bowie was trying to achieve perfectly.

Amazing

1 – The Man Who Sold The World

It’s sad how many people think this is a Nirvana song, I really like their version but nothing can compare to the outstanding original.

Straight from the get go there’s a mysterious atmosphere that the track creates, and the guitar bends are almost unsettling. Lyrically this is one of Bowie’s best ever tracks, and he was only beginning to hit his songwriting stride.

Aaaaand that’s my list. I wouldn’t really choose to listen to this album, but the next album and beyond are what cemented Bowie’s place as the musical God of the ’70s. Until then, check out some of my latest blog posts below: