Customer Reviews

Roxy Music

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

because ever since I read its over-the-top gushing review in the late great PHONOGRAPH RECORD MAGAZINE circa 1972 & bought it, the damn thing's held up year after year! The majority of these reviews are well-put & dead-on accurate: THIS is the band's best, most original, wild & crazy, fun, chance-taking, 'hungry' album... with a timeless Duchampian/Warholian/alienated-genius/sci fi/girl-gettin'/cinematic/all stops out! ambience... After which, gradually the commercialising conservatising effects of 'success' & slickness increasingly took their toll...The 2* geeks have major personality disorders & will not get into heaven...

Nothing before or since sounds like Roxy's debut effort. It lurches all over the map, including bits of loud rock, odd tape samples, heavily ironic takes on pop music, 50's rock-n-roll & some stuff you can't even identify. Some times, all in the same song. Roxy Music probably paid a heavy commercial price the rest of their career for this album, since it indelibly tagged them as weirdos long after their sound changed completely. Nonetheless, it is terrific on its own merits. Anyone with a taste for the unusual (but not atonal) should consider this a must-have.

For those whose image of Roxy is the Siren-to-Avalon dreamy mood, this does not even resemble that band. Eno's influence was at its zenith on the debut. Not the ambient Eno, but the madcap cut-&-paste pop pastiche Eno. Plenty of guitar & greasy sax to leaven the mayhem. All in all, lots of fun interspersed with a serious dose of "what in the world was that?"

This put-on is deadly serious, which makes it all the funnier. The twisted pop noir sensibility borrowed from the Beatles and the Velvets, and introduced the world to a superbly twisted Brian Eno on synthesizer. Underestimate this album at your peril. It contains many crafty ideas that later became de rigeur: chaotic harmonics, sweeping ambient synth, repetitive hypnotic rhythms and supremely British psyche-gnashing romanticism.

Wow, it's been 10 YEARS since someone last reviewed the original CD version of Roxy Music's debut that came out in 1989? I was still in high school the last time someone submitted a review! Anyway, considering it was 1989 when this particular version came out, it's not a remaster job or anything, but the sound quality is STILL really really good.

I'm a big Roxy Music fan because I love Bryan's voice, his vocal range, his ability to impliment emotions during the verse melodies in a tricky way, the distinct sound and style of his voice, the bands frequency to experiment some of the wildest ideas that probably haven't been done in such a way before the band came out in 1972, or at least, haven't been done as cleverly as they are here.

Yup, Roxy Music is one of the best bands from the 70's. Amazing they weren't more popular in America during the 70's when the band was in their prime. Hey some of us would have liked them... had I been alive during the early 70's that is, hehe. I know 10cc came out the same time Roxy Music did, and apparently us Americans immediately preferred 10cc. Hey there could have been room for TWO great bands!

Anyway, the music on Roxy's debut is a bit more energetic and noticeably more in the punk style. That's what the first half of the album is like- the second half sounds like the band was heavily influenced by the late 50's doo wop scene. You'll hear what I mean. Bryan's voice fits really well with those 50's-style songs, but I'm glad the whole album isn't dominated in that style or it would probably get old in a hurry. Then again, Roxy Music knows how to keep your attention a lot better than most bands, so maybe I shouldn't write off some of their experimental ideas so quickly!

What makes Roxy Music so interesting is that, you can interpret some of their songs as punk, hard rock, straight rock, creative rock, art rock, whatever kind of "rock" you want to label them as. It's because Roxy Music was insanely creative during those early 70's years. INSANELY creative. Don't believe me? Just listen to the verse melodies and all the instrumental ideas taking place behind Bryan's voice. Notice the sax solos, the guitar workouts, the drums, the rhythm section, and keyboards? So not only does Bryan Ferry deliver all these creative fills and emotions in his voice whenever he sings, but the other band members are doing their own creative things as well, and it happens constantly- it's not like I'm talking one or two moments here, I mean lots and lots of creativity the entire time the album is playing.

The first four Roxy Music albums are the best IMO, and the debut would be a great place to start with the bands career.

Some bands blaze in with their first album and the rest fizzle out. Roxy turned in a musically inventive first album full of hooks, weird vocal turns by Bryan Ferry(his singing is the most mannered of any roxy album. Touring would loosen him up a bit)and unusal instrumental flourishes.

In many respects this is the Frank Zappa album of Roxy's career. There are experimental touches throughout the album. The one drawback is Peter Sinfield's thin production(it's unclear what Bryan Ferry was thinking of when he auditioned for the lead singing gig in King Crimson). The songs are full of in jokes(including quotations from "Day Tripper", 50's Pat Boone style "rockers" and parodies of jazz riffing/soloing). If you're a musician you might appreciate this album a little more than the average fan. If you're a Roxy fan you'll appreciate the album for the early songcraft and weirdness. If you're a fan of AVALON, you probably won't like this at all.

Roxy Music is one of those bands that you never heard of, but you more than likely have heard of it's members(Brian Ferry and The Great Eno). Their first album is definitly a mixture of different styles and is quite innovative. If one has enough listining experience, you can easily pick out the Ferry contributions(tracks like If There Is Something and 2.H.B.) and Eno's injections that he aquires from some other planet(like Ladytron and Virginia Plain). The Bob(Medley) is perhaps the most bizarre Roxy Music track ever, I can't even begin to explain it. To sum it up, if you like strange music, weirdos,and a little sleaziness, this is for you.

I've always had a fascination with debut albums. They're usually a bands best.I haven't heard all of Roxy's early work, but I'd imagine this album could be argued as being their best. Truly original stuff. Will leave you going HUH? Produced by King Crimson's early lyricist Pete Sinfield. One of my favorites.

Hard to believe this was recorded in 1972, when the boring, brain dead hippies still held sway. This album is so full of pure light and full on life force, its almost scary.

One great song, perhaps one additional good song. The rest are pedantic and boring. I don't now why this album ever stirred such interest in the first place. Their later albums were much, much, much superior. Unless you luv this band, don't waste your money.