Customer Reviews

Concerto: Live

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
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Those of you looking for the sheer energy of 'Viva' may be slightly disapointed.Similarly, those looking for the breathtaking violin/synthesizer solos of Eddie Jobson may find something lacking. However, for those who are 'Roxy' purists, 'Concerto' is a must have. This Live recording is 'Roxy' in the middle of their metamorphis from the cutting edge introspective band of early 70's to the more laid back mellow sound of the early 1980's. Disc One of this set draws heavilly from 'Manifesto, . All songs are strong, however the final trilogy of 'Still Falls The Rain', 'Aint That So' and 'Stronger Through The Years' remind us that this band is so very special . Disc Two takes us through an ensemble of 'Roxy' classics. 'Ladytron', 'In every Dream Home..' Re-make/Re-model(The finest love song to a car ever written!!), and 'Mother Of Pearl' take us back in time to 'Roxy' at their most inspirational. And let's not forget 'Do The Strand' and 'Editions of You', which have long been fixtures in live shows through the years. The sound mix is left lacking in places, however, that is a small burden to carry compared to the wonderful sense of nostalgia and enjoyment delivered by 'Concerto'.

"Concerto" is the last of 4 new discs of Roxy Music's live recordings from the 70's, that were released lately. It was taken during the "Manifesto" American tour in 1979, and strange enough to be almost a copy of "Concert classics" and few bootlegs of the same tour (well - that what happens when 2 different companies are buying rights from the same tour). So the dbl. disc album "Concerto", does'nt bring us something new. The sound is not more than "O.K." and the disc itself stands under the black shadow of "Manifesto" (don't tell me you like "Manifesto"!). "Manifesto" was the first step by the band to change its musical direction to something softer, simple, and shmaltzy, but for more than once it's just a fine production of a boring stuff. So "Concerto" can be a boring album, for about the whole first disc. The "big test" is the second disc that takes us back to Roxy's "old" music" from the early-mid 70's. Here we meet "Ladytron" and "Remake/Remodel" from the first album "Editions of you", "In every dream home a heartache" and "Do the Strand" from the second album, "A song for Europe" and "Mother of pearl" and "Love is the drug". It's not bad, and even has good moments. More heavy metal guitar of Manzanera and Sax of McKay plus sence of humor made "Do the Strand" here the best performance of the song. The rest of the old material is not bad also, and if you compare it to the next band's live albums - "High road" and "Heart still beating" that were taken few years later, you can understand, that this is the last sign of the "old band". So... to buy or not to buy? - that is the question!... If you like Roxy of the 70's - you'll like it. Not as "Viva!" but not very far from. If you have "Concert classics" or one of the bootlegs of the tour - don't waste your time and money on it.

This is a re-issue of the single CD called Concert Classics. Concert Classics was an hour long CD of a concert from Denver. The sound quality was not great. The low end was faint, and there a screechy quality to the high end. There was also a background buzz on some of the tracks.

For Concerto, the sound quality was improved somewhat. The low end was boosted so you can hear the drums and bass better. The squeal at the high end was removed. Must of the background buzz is still present. The quick introduction of the band at the beginning of the concert was removed. Two bonus tracks from an Oakland concert were added on the end. The bonus tracks were blended in with the old material, so it sounds like it comes from the same show. But they are out of place. Brian Ferry says they will do one more track, but end up doing three tracks.

With the bonus tracks, the total time is a few seconds over eighty minutes. So, it had to be put on two CD's. If you already have Concert Classics, the improved sound and bonus tracks do not make this worth buying (I wish I had known). Mother Of Pearl is one of my favorite tracks from Stranded, but this live version is not very good.

Overall, it is a fairly nice concert. There a number of blistering guitar solos. There could be some more sax solos from Mackay. A few songs are boring, like the always tedious Song For Europe. And, the concert kind of ends on a whimper, especially with the addition of the two bonus tracks. But, there are enough good tracks to make this worth getting.

The cover of my CD slightly different than what is shown here. The contrast of the colors on mine is muted so it is really difficult to make out that it is the face of a woman.

Roxy Music always had the greatest publicist. The group's PR machine has claimed that Roxy Music has invented all kinds of music styles, from glam rock, to progressive rock, to electronica and new wave. In fact, Roxy Music has always a follower of styles and in some cases their music sounded dated at the time of release. Around the time of this album, Roxy Music's sound was moving to the New Wave sound. The group has put out some stunning music, and went out with a bang with Avalon and the concert tour to support it.

This is a "must buy" live performance of Roxy Music, recorded in 1979 on their comeback "Manifesto" tour. For real fans of Roxy, this album represented the turning point of the band from the frantic, agressive art-rock band of the seventies to the richly produced, lush, romantic band that most people associate with Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry. I saw the Boston stop of this tour and this CD confirmed all my vivid memories. Some highlights: "Still Falls The Rain" (intense drama of Ferry's vocals), "Ladytron" (powerful Paul Thompson drums), "Editions of You" (Usually last song in set, frantic virtuosity of all band members - Listen for Ferry tap dancing!) Technically, the sound quality is outstanding. (Much better than "Heart Still Beating" or "Viva".) This recording brings this performance and this tour vividly to life. Buy it; you'll like it!

This famous concert in Denver, 1979, edited many times under various names, marked the return of Roxy Music to the music scene and the scenarios after a 4 year hiatus. The tour was called "Manifesto", like their re-appearance album. I know some people complain about "Manifesto" as a step in the wrong direction and the start of their decadence, but I don't agree. I think this was a very good album. People just tend to consecrate the beginnings of a band and don't accept any move forward. "Concerto" is the only Roxy Music album with a number of tracks from "Manifesto" recorded live, and this is one of the things that makes it a must-have. But there are also a number of tracks with wonderful versions of songs from their past albums which are played in quite a different light. This is a very powerful concert that any Roxy Music fan will enjoy a lot. Besides, I think this is probably the best edition because it has all 15 songs with a very good sound. Highly recommendable.

Concerto is certainly an improvement over the "Concert Classics" version that was put out a few years ago of this Denver 1979 show. They've removed a lot of annoying ticks that come up during the first few tracks. The sound sounds crisper and refined. The group packs a lot of punch especially with "Out Of The Blue" and the Jeckle & Hyde tribute of "Still Falls The Rain". I only wished they could have squeezed all the tracks on to a single disc. The two add up to a little over 80 minutes with the the bonus tracks of "Mother Of Pearl" & "Editions Of You", which are not from the Denver show but on the same tour. I also felt some solos go on a little too long like in "Ladytron" and "In Every Home...". But anyone who wants to hear Roxy in a strong raw showcase may want to pick this up, especially in lieu of the over polished Heart Still Beating and who think that they've lost a certain edge after seeing them on the 2001 tour. I know I did.

POSTSCRIPT 2004: Since writing this review, Roxy has put out Roxy Music Live 2004 containing all the songs from the 2001 world tour in pristine sound with the nice bonus of Both Ends Buring from the video "Live At The Apollo". You're much better picking this up instead.

I have to defend Manifesto. While not the band's best album by a long shot it has many moments equal to their best work. True, this album signaled a shift in musical direction towards a more "mellow" sound (or one could call it intoxicating sound). The Roxy sound was streamlined and remade/remodeled to fit the new wave explosion that occured in the late 70's.

The title track is a particular stand out. Alan Spenner (or could it be Gary Tibb?) contributes a muscular bass part that rolls along propelling this song forward. The title track captures what was best about the old Roxy and where they were headed. Trash, Angel Eyes (no, not the disco version added to the album after its release but the rock version)and Stronger Through The Years all have a dark undercurrent to them. They play as dark alter egos to counterparts in the Roxy canon.

The "West" Side of the album is the more poppy less innovative part of the album. Still the slow percolating funk of Ain't That So and the music box melody of Spin Me Round are both stand out tracks that, again, can easily hold their own against Roxy's best material. Yes, Manifesto does consist of a certain amount of filler but I would hardly call it a bad album. The best moments on Manifesto recall the band in their prime. If the arrangements are streamlined and starker than previous albums that's to the album's benefit; each Roxy album stood apart like some amazing chapter in a very strange book. They rarely duplicated each other beyond making reference to what had gone before.

Taken all in all this live album captures Roxy in fine form. The sound is an improved on the Concert Classics edition released a couple of years ago. The addition of the two songs not recorded for the Denver show adds a nice contrast to the newer material.

I do share the sentiments of many of the writers here about the length of the disc. It seems to me that a couple of other tracks from other shows could have been tacked on to the second disc (if nothing else as an example of an alternative performance). If I have access to the Los Angeles show from this tour it seems to me others must have it as well. Why not use the same technology the Beatles used on the Anthology project and present these additional shows?

These are small complaints. Although not as essential as VIVA (or the band's shows in Sweden despite the thin sound quality of the bootlegs), Concerto 1979 presented the band in their element. Ferry, Manazanera, MacKay and Thompson still cared about the music. The Avalon tour (and the EP and CD released from it) demonstrated nothing more than the passion was gone far before the marriage fell apart. VIVA and Concerto 1979 are nice bookends to a performing career that ended in tatters and indifferent shows.

This release is the second of three appearances of the "under license" set that was recorded during the 1979 Manifesto Tour in Denver (April 17), with this edition including two bonus tracks from the April 20 gig in Oakland.

Bryan Ferry is driving the iconic group into cool grooves drenched in R&B, which is clearly heard in six of the initial eight selections that feature songs from Manifesto; Out of the Blue and A Song for Europe split up the band's exploration of new material. But after Stronger Through the Years, the group rips through familiar turf that made it one of the most influential to emerge out of the brilliant 1970s (Ladytron, In Every Dream Home a Heartache, Love is the Drug, Do the Strand, Re-make/Re-model). Paul Thompson (drums) drives the beat, but it's the majestic guitar solos of Phil Manzanera and sax/oboe by Andy Mackay that paves the bridge from the experimental/avant-garde era to the emerging clubland sound. The bonus cuts - Mother of Pearl, Editions of You - are added after the Denver tracks, which is a major plus for overall continuity.

The new musical direction was controversial with fans and critics - an April 4 stop at the Richfield Coliseum in northeast Ohio (an area that supported the band since the early days) drew well under half a house for a stage setting geared for 10,000-plus - but the 2-CD collection demonstrates that Ferry was on an artistic path that remains fresh after all these years.

On the scale of Roxy Music live albums, this double-disc set rates fairly high, though not as fine as "Viva!" (To me, "Viva!" was for Roxy what "Ya Ya's" was for the Stones.) With a real strong version of "Still Falls The Rain" and several other excellent tracks, "Concerto" does surpass "The High Road" live e.p. and "Heart Still Beating." Bryan Ferry is at his most suave and elusive -- on his own lounge planet as usual. We also get to hear some excellent guitar work by Phil Manaznera, but Andy Mackay's sax bits often sound squeaky and weren't brought into the mix very well. Still, the sound quality is superior to most bootlegs, and the song performances are solid (including two bonus cuts from an Oakland show). Besides the big three - Ferry, Manz., & Mac - Paul Thompson and the rest of the touring band made their own strong contributions. I definitely enjoyed this one thoroughly.