"Black Country Rock" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World.
Since its release, "Black Country Rock" has received positive reviews from music critics and biographers, who have mostly praised the performance of the band.
[2][3] As Bowie was preoccupied with his new wife Angie at the time, as well as managerial issues,[4] the album's music was largely arranged by Ronson and Visconti.
According to O'Leary, Bowie came into the sessions with a basic track idea, which Ronson and Visconti further developed, temporarily labeling it "Black Country Rock".
[3] Towards the end of the sessions,[6] running out of time to write lyrics, Bowie used the working title as a basis, resulting in a minimal lyric—"a single repeated two-line verse and chorus".
[10] An upbeat number, the song has been described by NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray as a "respite" from the musical and thematical heaviness of the remainder of the album.
Mace's Moog synthesiser is prominent in the solos, where he played a low A note, which O'Leary compares to a "system overload warning".
[12] Since its release, "Black Country Rock" has received positive reviews from music critics and biographers, who have mostly praised the performance of the band.
AllMusic's Ned Raggett praises the track as a highlight of The Man Who Sold the World, calling it "simple, but powerful" and an effective tribute to T. Rex.
[16] O'Leary states that although the track was intended as "filler", the ending result was "far better": "one of the album's best ensemble performances and a testament to Ronson's econcomic arranging skills.