"At last the crimson chord cascade, to shower dry cordials within. Too late to leap the chocolate gate, pale fountains fizzing forth pink gin."
It is easy to underestimate just how original Roxy Music's debut must have sounded in the context of the London Glam scene of 1972. Post-Modern in approach before the term was ever coined, balanced precariously on a combustible set of internal contradictions, Roxy Music, along with Bowie, forged a version of Glam-Rock that had more on its mind than lipstick and eyeliner; rather they endeavored to twist Rock n' Roll cliché into something artistically subversive. While Bryan Ferry plays the role of crooning ironic glamour god (in later years, he would dispose with the irony), Brian Eno's electronic interventions prevent the music from courting expectation, but just as integral to this heady mix is Andy Mackay's saxophone work. The inevitable tension between Ferry (sniffing stardom) and Eno (in it for the "art") is palpable throughout Roxy Music, but this is what drives the album toward greatness- each song teetering on the knife's edge of accessibility and experimentation.
Roxy Music (2000 HDCD Remastered Edition)
1. Re-Make/Re-Model (5:14)
2. Ladytron (4:26)
3. If There Is Something (6:24)
4. Virginia Plain (2:58)
5. 2HB (4:30)
6. The Bob (Medley) (5:48)
7. Chance Meeting (3:08)
8. Would You Believe? (3:53)
9. Sea Breezes (7:03)
10. Bitters End (2:03)
I remember the first time I saw Roxy on TV. Ferry in his German uniform... lol
ReplyDeleteFerry certainly had an interesting style. I always liked Eno's leopard skin suit and feathers
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