Roxy Music - Roxy Music

excellent way to start things

Roxy Music started out with a bang. Much of their debut sounds like it influenced punk, despite being tagged a glam rock band. This is because there's a distinct incredible energy to each and every track. But these guys were also really good songwriters, so luckily each song is equally filled with tons of musical ideas. Also, the guitar solos are really good which is something people tend to ignore about the band.

The lead singer has a very memorable voice that resembles David Bowie a little bit (hey, he does a little). I won't deny it might take some time getting warmed up to it though. It's not exactly an immediately welcoming voice, let's put it that way.

I'm not exactly sure how much these guys influenced punk, if at all. It would be VERY hard for me to believe they had nothing to do with the punk genre, since many of these songs capture the feel of punk very very well while maintaining a rock and roll vibe. It's pretty impressive.

But anyone assuming Roxy Music is just a cheap rip-off of David Bowie would be wrong. Nope, these don't even sound like David Bowie most of the time. Roxy Music's talent is making sure there's never a dull moment on any one of their early albums. Now, the disco albums they released later feel a bit lazily created to me, as far as songwriting goes, but not the early to mid 70's albums.

"Ladytron" is a highlight for me, along with "If There Is Something" with its many themes crammed into one 7 minute track. I also love "The Bob" for some reason. Some of the guitar soloing in this track is truly incredible (and melodic). "Virginia Plain" sounds VERY familiar to me, like maybe from a radio station years ago. Unless a movie had this song as a theme and I can't remember. "2HB" has very good vocals, and "Chance Meeting" is pretty darn creepy if you ask me! Just listen to that verse melody and tell me it doesn't send shivers through your body.

Good album, and good stuff you need to own! December 12, 2008

Bryan Ferry on American Idol? Not!

I'm so happy that people (especially young people) are still discovering this band and their unique musical styles. This album and the follow-up were extraordinary at the time they were released. Mr. Ferry's quixotic vocals backed by Brian Eno were then and still are interpreted by most as odd at best. I picked up the second album initially and went back quickly for this, the first. Roxy has a huge presence on my IPod and will always be a source of musical inspiration. My point being, finally, that one doesn't always need to be in perfect pitch to make a truly profound and lasting impression. May 26, 2008

A heck of an entrance

Roxy Music was one of the coolest acts in rock `n' roll history. Everything about them, from sound to poise to look to influences, dripped with brainy attitude and rockin' ferocity. Like the Velvet Underground before them, the group combined decadent pop, hip detachment, and deranged experimental tendencies, churning out song after song after record after record of musical absinthe. It was a fun, raucous, emotive, and irresistible sound, a postmodern mash-up of 50s rock `n' roll chord progressions, Warholian aesthetics, gorgeously mangled lyrical poetry, cocaine-dusted 70s glam, hypnotic sonic landscapes, and an endless labyrinth of pop culture references. In their early days, Roxy Music was a fair approximation of what Elvis, Dylan, and Lou Reed would've sounded like had they formed a band.

Released in 1972, the group's self-titled debut is an out-of-the-gate stunner. There's very little foot-finding here; just about every element of the Roxy Music sound is already in place. On vocals, Bryan Ferry brims with deranged confidence, delivering the lyrics with a kind of caustic joy that brings to mind both David Byrne and Bella Lugosi. He's a raw, bloody-minded rock `n' roll juggernaut a violently enthralling barbed-wire crooner. And he isn't even the only great member of the band! His partner in crime is Brian Eno, the loopy sonic tinkerer/keyboard whiz who's responsible for much of the apocalyptic experimentation that marks the band's early sound. On guitar, Phil Manzanera was sleazy and expressive, a master of distorted chords and color-spitting leads. Andy Mackay played sax and oboe in a freewheeling style that bridged the gap between rock and free jazz.

And then there are the songs. "Re-Make/Re-Model" is a ferocious protopunk mind-bender, with a bludgeoning chord progression reeking havoc beneath Ferry's warped vocal delivery. The lyrics are a wonderfully twisted subversion of 50s clichés, and the instrumental break at the end will turn your bones into goo. "If There Is Something" is an absolute masterpiece, a morphological epic that touches on everything from country to jazz working its way from a jaunty opening to a darkly gorgeous midsection to a heart stopping climax that rings with gospel and David Bowie. "2HB" is a way-cool ode to Humphrey Bogart, and "Ladytron" is devilishly hip and endearingly weird. "Virginia Plain," (which was left off of the U.K. release of the album, as was typical of singles) is a rapturous classic, a hook-filled sunburst of weirdo pop genius.

The album's second half is, on the whole, less accessible and more experimental. Although the individual songs don't particularly stand out (at least, not as much as the ones on the record's front side), they do congeal into a whole that's much more than the sum of its parts. It's an acquired taste, but these arrhythmic sound clouds are undeniably powerful and otherworldly. Just listen to the apocalyptic surges of "The Bob (Medley)" and the shattered balladry of "Chance Meeting."

The lush 50s callback cover photo seals the deal. This is Roxy Music's first masterpiece. March 19, 2008

Es bueno

Es un CD interesante, no tiene nada que ver con los CD posteriores, el primero es más eclectico, interesante en la propuesta de la conjución de varios estilos de música que posee cada uno de los integrantes, Brian Eno es excelente en la inclusión de ruidos combinados con música July 5, 2007

and Roxy music came to save the world, and all I got was this snazzy T-shirt

I never get tired of this album. It still sounds futuristic to me even though it is older than I am. Stunning, just stunning. Sit, stay, press play and give yourself a sonic dog treat. Good dog. ruff. May 30, 2007

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