Formed in the early seventies, Roxy Music began with a sound fired by raucous outbursts and wild mood swings, only to evolve into one of the most finely controlled and heartfelt bands of all time. On the one hand, they satirized glamour, romance, and style, while on the other displaying their ideals of self-expression. And while they drew on common genres, including glam, free jazz, and art rock, but they suffered none of their clichés. Oh, and somewhere along the way, they made oboe solos a thing. In what universe does the story of Roxy Music make sense?
Roxy Music featured a core band that included Bryan Ferry on vocals, Phil Manzanera on guitar, Andy Mackay on saxophone and oboe, Paul Thompson on drums, a seemingly endless succession of guys on bass, and Brian Eno, who initially joined as a technical adviser, on synthesizers. Eno played a profound role in the band’s sound but left after two LPs due to creative differences with Bryan Ferry. I've run across a number of self-proclaimed "avant gardists" who think Eno’s departure marked the end of Roxy Music as a great band, but I don't agree with that.
When it comes to who can lay claim to being rock’s most dapper and consummate lounge lizard, Bryan Ferry without a doubt has no competition. A tuxedo clad sophisticate and jaded Casanova who still harbors a torn shred of belief in true love in his cynical heart. He's been crooning about finding something beyond sex in the discos and singles bars of his decidedly unsentimental imagination since the early seventies. With Bryan's songwriting, the tension has always been between disco Lothario (or as my friend Zelda would say: "Such a pussy hound") and true love seeker, and the game for us the listener has always been to figure out exactly which Ferry is singing at the time.
Today's freeload is Roxy Music's Japanese 'Platinum SHM-CD Collection (1972-1982)'. These are the best sounding versions of the CDs you'll ever hear, and will make for a nice upgrade for your collection.
For the freeload, tell us who your favorite singer is.
Billie.
ReplyDeleteI saw Roxy Music very early on, '72 or early '73, and we - my pals and I - thought they were terrible, a joke. At the time, we were into the Floyd, Led Zeppelin, U.K. prog, and West Coast hippy albums, all of which were conducive to a late-night spliff-enhanced listening session. No way could you get mellow to Roxy Music. We saw the glitter and the pose and it fit the music perfectly. We didn't dress like that, and this wasn't our music. Maybe a couple of years later, I got it. Since then they've floated in and out of my listening sphere, drifting ever further away. Roxy were good for revitalising a moribund U.K. scene, but it was one that quickly became glam, and glam and me have never got on. In the U.S., rock grew up into Steely Dan and Little Feat (und andere), creating a musical landscape I still wander through. Roxy, though ... *pffft*
Oh, come on now. I know damn good, that in your younger days you wore mascara, eyeliner, feather boas and 9" fuck me pumps. "Hey babe, take a walk on the wold side....." ;-)
DeleteI didn't dress like that until my late sixties. And that was for you, you cold, heartless, bitch. How very dare you!
DeleteOh yeah - and for consistency, we might as well save some kicks for Ferry, a man as much at home with the Far Right as Clapton.
ReplyDeleteSo Farq, you must be of the generation as my older brother. He and his friends were late to accept the change in music. My friends and I had just begun High School in 1971 so the "new" music was just part of the transition. Everything was new and so was the music. T Rex, Lou Reed, David Bowie, etc. All a new age. Although I still listen to music my brother introduced me to. Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Janis. It was all good. I had room in my head for it all. I kept progressing until I hit a wall with Rap.
DeleteI wasn't aware of Mr. Ferry's leanings. Not that I'm at all surprised.
DeleteHe's basically a snob - a working class lad who did everything to cover up his shameful roots. Many of the working classes (as they used to be called) voted Tory and "took on airs" to show they were socially superior to their neighbours, and this inevitably included racism.
DeleteWhy, do the poor, vote for people who will keep them poor?
DeleteIn the UK, we have an election in a couple of weeks, the Tory party are finished (hopefully), in the last ten years food banks are now a common feature in most towns, many people in normal jobs are struggling, so hopefully won’t vote the Torys in again. However a lot of ex Tory voters are I believe not afraid to vote for the new Reform party, these are a very right wing/racist party. Most of Europe now have some sort of very right wing party looking to gain power - worrying times.
DeleteBabs, the simple answer, which has the benefit of also being absolutely correct, is that a large number of people are just plain stupid. In the past, they kept their stupidity to their (generally) shithole environs, but that wunnerful ol' 'Net allowed this backwater humanity a means to not only connect with all the other dimbulbs, but to proclaim to the world their proud ignorance. That exposure to toxic media also means they can find outlets that both feed their ignorance, but feed on it, too.
DeleteTrumpleThinSkin also substantiated my notion that there's something endemic to conservative minds in which they seek a big strong daddy to tell them what to do/think, so they flock to religion, aggression (and its accoutrements), and culty behavior; it appears to them as organized and powerful, even if in reality it masks weakness and fear.
C in California
Favorite singer being Burton Cummings. Why isn't he in the hall of fame? Because he is Canadian.
ReplyDeleteFavorite Roxy Music song is still The Bogus Man.
Beautiful post. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteFavorite singer? I don't have one, I have many. In the Pop realm it includes Sal Valentino, Barbara Lewis, Feargal Sharkey, Smokey Robinson, Scott Walker and Bryan Ferry.
I love a lot of singers, and don't care for a whole lot more. Very hard for me to pick one that is absolute favorite. i guess male singer would have to be Arthur Brown, Female singer would be the amazing Nina Hagen. Eno is a freakin genius, but I have never developed a taste for the Ferry one. I'm not really into dinner lounge music for alcoholics. why doesn't he just call roxy the brian ferry ego band.? Like all egotists, excruciatingly boring.
ReplyDeleteHmmm .. hard one!! Neil Young, Richard Sinclair, Tim Buckley, Capt. Beefheart .......
ReplyDeleteRichard Sinclair, OH yes! And R Wyatt?
DeleteDoh!! Yes ...Forgot him!!
DeleteIncredibly tough question Babs... I have some solo Ferry albums and saw him live in Bangkok, 2004, but Robert Palmer is preferable! Unfortunately I never saw him here (or anywhere else) in concert...
ReplyDeleteTwo categories for me: alive and deceased. Still with us, I'd go with either Djavan or Stacey Kent. Saw both perform live within a 4 month span last year and was mesmerized at both concerts, and listen to their lps frequently. Deceased, I always love listening to Johnny Hartman and Astrud Gilberto.
ReplyDeleteIncredibly difficult question - TRUTH. As with others here, I have a hard time narrowing favorite singer to just one, sorry. Here are most of my favorites, Pops Staples, Bonnie Raitt, David Hidalgo, Patricia Vaughn, Janelle Monae, Ruthie Foster and a couple that have been previously mentioned. Thanks Babs
ReplyDeleteJohnette Napolitano
ReplyDeleteFavorite living singers are k.d.Lang and Al Green.
ReplyDeleteMolly Tuttle
ReplyDeleteJohn Lennon
ReplyDeleteOh, and Ray Davies
DeleteBillie Holiday by a mile.
ReplyDeleteWhat Billie lacked in vocal range (barely an octave), she made up for in tone, style, diction, musicality, distinctiveness, and emotional expression. Her records are just so damn entertaining, and she was backed by the best musicians the twentieth century had to offer.
It's like there's Billie, and there's everyone else.
DeleteNot suggesting she's in the same league as Billie but this Karen Dalton song in particular embodies some of those same characteristics and has that same soul wrenching effect on me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNIHvRKzpD0
DeleteLink 1
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/Ahxmqc8HmZ8
Link 2
https://workupload.com/file/MjQNkK88ytz
Another of those question where singling out one individual would be a travesty. So here's a few based on purely there vocal style that have to be up there. For sheer power Noddy Holder and in a similar manner Lulu and early Rod Stewart is up there simply for the 'sandpaper' in his voice. From a soul perspective Otis & Aretha as well as Diana Ross and from a jazz perspective Lady Day and Julie London. Beyond that probably Colin Blunstone for pure 'cool' both as a solo singer and for his work as a Zombie. I've always found his vocal style quite relaxing. Speaking of cool a special mention for Astrud Gilberto.
ReplyDeleteColin Blunstone good call, but my favorite this month is Peter Hammill, not a beautiful voice like Colin, but powerful and heartfelt.
DeleteWhat entertains me is that if you don't pick Babs's choice, you feel like you lost a contest. Not true. I should have chosen Billie Holliday. But I made my choice. Thanks Babs.
ReplyDeleteMs Babs, great downloads! I don't want to sound like an ingrate, but....no "Viva!"?
ReplyDeleteFavorite singer??? only one?? tough call... I would say Peter Hammill
ReplyDeleteTim Buckley
ReplyDeleteGotta get a vote in for Levi Stubbs!
ReplyDeleteRobert Wyatt
ReplyDeleteIan Hunter & Matt Johnson (The The) both seem to convey a welcoming sarcasm coupled with a social conscience.
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to add Brother Ray to this list, especially after the Atlantic Records freeload. Thanks Babs
ReplyDelete