Limited 180 gram vinyl LP pressing. The Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by David Bowie. It was originally released in the United States by Mercury Records in November 1970, and in April 1971 in the United Kingdom. The album was Bowie's first with the nucleus of what would become the "Spiders from Mars", the backing band made famous by The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972. Departing from the largely acoustic music of Bowie's second album, The Man Who Sold the World is considered by some to be a hard rock and heavy metal album. Much of The Man Who Sold the World had a distinct heavy edge that distinguishes it from Bowie's other releases, and has been compared to contemporary acts such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.