A near mint UK first pressing of David Bowie's 1971 classic 'The Man Who Sold The World' with the famed 'dress cover.' Mercury Records in the UK went with Bowie's original album cover design, in which he was pictured in a 'man's dress' by London designer Mr. Fish; but the German and US labels chose to create their own covers for the album. Ultimately the cover didn't seem to matter; while the music was indisputably great, the record sold very poorly in all territories and was soon out of print. Only one year later, Bowie released 'Ziggy Stardust' and became a major international star—and the hunt was on for original copies of his earlier albums. Even in the early 70's, this was the most difficult to find, and most in-demand Bowie album. It had sold fewer than any of his other releases, and the textured, fragile album cover was very prone to wear. While it has been counterfeited, this is an absolutely original first pressing with stamped matrix numbers and textured, uncropped sleeve. This copy is in beautiful condition, the cover and disc grading near mint. The disc has a single spindle mark on each label, indicating very few plays, and a tiny pressing flaw that causes 6 ticks during the song 'After All.' By far the cleanest copy we've had the pleasure to offer in decades.