Roxy Music 1972: Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera

Roxy Music Style with Substance

by David Chiu

Roxy Music could have only existed in the Seventies. Bryan Ferry sang like a lounge lizard while the rest of the band--as a Rolling Stone critic astutely put it-played as if to drown out his crooning. The early years of the band were marked by a sense of art theatrics, glam, and camp. However, what separated the band from its overblown peers was Ferry's sense of self-conscience in his lyrics about the highs and lows of romance. Aside from Ferry's stylish singing, Roxy was more than the sum of its parts: guitarist Phil Manzanera played like a wild man in his atmospheric, zinging lines; Andy Mackay brought memories of Stax in his sax playing; Paul Thompson was a very versatile drummer; and for a while, Brian Eno's sonic treatments marked the band as something more than progressive rock.

In their ten year existence, Roxy Music recorded a consistent body of work. The music was at times from unsettling, satirical, ironic, and provocative (like their album covers), to mature, lush, and romantic. The band was influenced by art and in turn forged a relationship between art and music-artists like Duran Duran and other New Romantic bands would use that to their advantage, after Roxy's breakup. These following albums (Virgin/EMD), now digitially remastered and reissued with lyrics and artwork, attest to their enduring stature. Their music and look really were style with substance.

Roxy Music (1972) sounded like something from left-field-a mixture of retro and futurism thanks to Ferry's fondness of kitsch and Eno's innovative soundscapes. The debut has been regarded as a classic, thanks to stunning tracks such as "Virginia Plain," the haunting "2HB" (a valentine to Humphrey Bogart), the hypnotic "If There is Something," and the relentless opener "Remake/Remodel." Anarchy, glam, humor, and broken-hearted soliloquies-all of the ingredients of early Roxy was on this first album.

For Your Pleasure (1973), reported by Ferry to yours truly to be his favorite Roxy album, continues to be in the art rock vein of the first album. "Do The Strand," the raucous opener, is classic Roxy-blistering sax, great interplay in the rhythm section, and ironic lyrics about the nightlife; Editions of You is another great rocker. The second half of Pleasure, however, brings things to a crawl: the haunting "In Every Dream Home a Heartache" is an ode to an inflatable doll; "The Bogus Man" is way too long, even though it has bounce; on the other hand, "Grey Lagoons" is a fine track. Pleasure is more for fans of art rock than a mainstream album (this was Brian Eno's last album with the band).

Stranded (1973) brought in Eddie Jobson, but his keyboard playing doesn't affect the band's sound; with Eno's absence of sonic treatments, the music was less experimental (though keeping the extended song form alive), giving Ferry more room to explore his pop inclinations. The highlights on Stranded include the bouncy "Street Life" which seems to be celebratory; on the other hand the awesome Mother of Pearl is its jaded opposite; "A Song For Europe" is poignant, as well as "Just Like You" and "Psalm."

Country Life (1974) sounded more orchestrated with Germanic overtones and shades of Kurt Weill ("Bitter-Sweet," "Tryptich"). Ferry's obsession with romantic, almost tragic, scenarios soldiers on with "The Thrill of it All, "All I Want Is You," "Really Good Time." "Out of the Blue," with its breathless fade-in, is beyond amazing; another highlight, "Casanova," is a swinging and funky track-a sign of things to come musically,

Siren (1975) was absolutely brilliant-a little more accessible than previous albums. With the exception of the first album, Siren encompassed the best of Roxy, such as in Ferry's lyrics of hoping against hopelessness, albeit jaded and detached ("Sentimental Fool," "End of the Line," "Just Another High"). "Love is the Drug," the album's most funky track, is arguably the signature song of the swinging decade while providing a commentary of the high life's underside. Nightingale, featuring gentle guitar lines by Manzanera and elegant violin playing by Jobson, is a gem. Siren is a definitive album of the '70s.

Viva! Roxy Music (1976) was ironically titled since the group by that time broke up. A live album it is a decidedly mixed bag and a very spotty one at that. Recorded between 1973 and 1975, Viva supposed to capture a band that was reputed for making solid live performance but this album betrayed that assessment. Songs like "Out of the Blue," "Do the Strand," and "If There is Something" still resonated with energy, but tracks like "Pyjamarama," "The Bogus Man," and "In Every Dream Home a Heartache," sounded lifeless and lumbering; "Both Ends Burning" had promise until the atrocious backing vocals come in-it sounded like Vegas.

Manifesto (1979) reunited Ferry, Manzanera, Mackay, and Thompson. Certainly this fine album was a product of disco and New Wave-it sounded sleeker, streamlined, and groove oriented, which was an indication of the new direction the band was following. "Angel Eyes" and "My Little Girl" were evidence of dance sensibilities; "Dance Away" is a handsome ballad; other highlights included "Stronger than the Years," the minimalist title track, and "Ain't that So," the campy "Cry Cry Cry," and the majestic closer "Spin Me Round." Manifesto signaled the end of a fabulous decade and the beginning of Roxy's new phase.

Most critics were not keen on Flesh + Blood (1980), which they say resembled more of a Bryan Ferry solo album than a Roxy one. By that time, Roxy was reduced to the core trio of Ferry, Manzanera, and Mackay with sessionmen, and the streamlined and slick, synthesized sound reflected that. However, a reassessment of this album is deserved because it is elegant--it almost captures emotional immediacy: "Oh Yeah," "Over You," "No Strange Delight," the striking "Same Old Scene" and "My Only Love"; even the cover of "The Midnight Hour" works. For those uninitiated who like to start out with something acessible in the Roxy catalog, this might be the album.

On Avalon (1982), a very popular album that most people today remember about Roxy, the anarchy and chaos were replaced by mature, subdued playing -so much so that Manazanera's and Mackay's roles were more like of the sidemen Roxy employed after Manifesto. Ferry's singing plays it straight, which reflected a new outlook. Still, Avalon is a gorgeous, beautiful-sounding album. The breathless "More Than This" and the lilting "Avalon" are Ferry's at his most vulnerable and romantic, respectively; "The Space Between Us," "To Turn You On," and "Take a Chance On Me" are rhythmic-driven pop, something Ferry would adapt in his solo career; "True to Life" is lush and atmospheric; and "Tara" is a low-keyed instrumental that effectively closes the saga on one of rock's most innovative bands.

Heart Still Beating (1990), recorded in Frejus. France during Roxy's farewell tour in 1982, more than compensated the spotty Viva! with the inclusion of then old and new tracks. Granted the renditions of older songs like Out of the Blue, Editions of You, and Both Ends Burning sounded very slick and mechanical, it still demonstrated how much of a solid live band Roxy was to the end. Heart also reprises tracks from the now out of print EP The High Road, including the heartfelt covers of Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane" and John Lennon's "Jealous Guy."