Roxy Music: '79-'82

I've recently been listening to the singles from this era and they still sound fantastic - so smooth and well produced. With the exception of Avalon this period seems to be underrated when compared to their earlier art rock period. "Dance Away","Over You","Oh Yeah" and my favorite or equal favorite with "Avalon" & "More Than This" - "Same Old Scene"...the epitome of sophisticated pop.

 

Great stuff for sure but I'm stuck on their first 4 albums. Must give them another listen.

 

Enormous influence on "New Romantic" movement.

 

Yes, even though Manifesto and Flesh + Blood seemed rather unremarkable amidst the punk and new wave mayhem back in the day, I have always had a soft spot for them. They may not be as revered as Avalon, but still I would say these albums have aged very well and both sound positively vibrant today.

 

Trash 2 - the b-side - is an amazing record.

 

Yep, I love this period. But most people prefer the early stuff. The singles/remakes of the songs on Manifesto are very good as well. I think Flesh and Blood was really unjustly ignored and unjustly critically trashed.

 

Manifesto is extremely under rated. It's one of their best.

 

I don't know if I'd rank it up with their very best work, but I've always been partial to Manifesto, particularly side one. The title track had a moody ambiance unlike anything else they did. Flesh + Blood wasn't quite as strong for me, a little too much glossiness, though I do like some of it, particularly "Same Old Scene". I guess I can see why fans of the original line up were disappointed with some of this stuff as it lacks the raw edge of their earlier work, but to some extent, it succeeds on its own terms.

 

Two different bands really. They were a band through '75, took a few years off and came back as a Ferry, Manzenera, McKay studio project. Love 'em all!

 

The first few albums are delightfully quirky and cutting edge for their time. The later albums have their own charm, but are as smooth as velvet.
Prefer the former to the latter, but enjoy them all.
Ferry's recent solo album of Dylan covers is a must listen, especially Tom Thumb's Blues. The lad still has it, big time.

 

Running Wild is the best ballad Ferry ever wrote.

 

& w/o Eno; that's BIG.

 

Agreed.

I appreciate Roxy best when I think of them as two seperate bands, both excellent but very different.

The change between pre and post 76 is greater than that of bands who's substantially changed line up during that period, e.g. Genesis.

 

My favorite RM era.

 

I really like the albums Manifesto, Flesh & Blood and Avalon. While they might not be as amazing as some of their earlier albums they are still very good albums. Even the much maligned Manifesto is a fine album.

Scott

 

I never thought of it that way, but yes, they seem to have transformed into England's own Steely Dan.

 

Yes, flesh and blood is undermined by two, in my view, very poor covers, one of which they even decide to open the album with. However there is a lot of quality there including the singles, the title track and Running Wild certainly one of his best tracks.

 

Not by the public though. I think Flesh And Blood is their best selling album, at least in the UK.

 

Must have been low on quality material - surely almost anything would have been better than an ordinary version of "Eight Miles High". If it had been released in 1981 they could have included their excellent cover of "Jealous Guy"

 

I like the covers on "Flesh and Blood." In fact, I like almost all their work - early AND late periods. To compare the two eras of Roxy is like sitting around trying to compare "Court"-era King Crimson to the band that made "Lark's Tongues In Aspic." Very different. Both great.

 

I won't argue that it's their best, but Flesh and Blood is my favorite Roxy album. I think it's pretty perfect and it goes down smoothly.

 

Both Roxy Music & Bowie were the idols of the New Romantics. You can see & hear the influence in bands like Japan and Simple Minds.

 

I discovered later era Roxy as a teen and have always been partial to that stuff - Same Old Scene, etc.

All these years later I've finally picked up used copies of first era Roxy to check out...should be interesting but I'm definitely approaching it as a different band.

 

I've felt that Manifesto and Flesh and Blood make up Bryan's 'treatise' on disco. The whole disco scene was tailor made for his kind of lyrics--the decadent participant, only looking for kicks, never finding love, longing for the unapproachable well dressed disco queen. "Loneliness is a crowded room"