Black Country Rock
"Black Country Rock" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World. The song was recorded in May 1970, with sessions taking place at Trident and Advision Studios in London. The lineup featured Bowie on lead vocals, guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist/producer Tony Visconti, drummer Mick Woodmansey and Ralph Mace on Moog synthesiser. The track was mostly composed by Ronson and Visconti, who developed it using a basic song sketch from Bowie. Labelled under the working title "Black Country Rock", Bowie used the title to write the lyrics towards the end of the sessions, resulting in a repeated two-line verse and chorus. A blues rock and hard rock number, Bowie imitates T. Rex's Marc Bolan in his vocal performance.
"Black Country Rock" | |
---|---|
Song by David Bowie | |
from the album The Man Who Sold the World | |
Released | 4 November 1970 |
Recorded | 1โ22 May 1970 |
Studio | Trident and Advision, London |
Genre | |
Length | 3:32 |
Label | Mercury |
Songwriter(s) | David Bowie |
Producer(s) | Tony Visconti |
Since its release, "Black Country Rock" has received positive reviews from music critics and biographers, who have mostly praised the performance of the band. Some publications have ranked it one of Bowie's best songs. The song, which also appeared as the B-side of the single "Holy Holy" in January 1971, was included on the Sound + Vision box set in 1989. It was remastered in 2015 as part of the Five Years (1969โ1973) box set and was remixed by Visconti in 2020 to celebrate its 50th anniversary.