Roxy Music "Roxy Music" (1972) - got it
Roxy Music are almost textbook case of the
"strong personalities making
interesting music until some of those personalities departs and the other/s
take over" thing.
The clash of 50s-style rock n roll mixed with glam, a little punk, a
smattering of horns, and Brian Eno's space-aged synth noises is an
exciting musical smack in the face! Eno left early on (I think after the first
or second album) and by the time they released "Avalon" half the band
had left and Bryan Ferry ruled the roost. Avalon didn't really match the
early material (though having said that 'More than this' is a brilliant tune).
Back to the debut though: it is a bold, brash musical statement which is
the opposite of that "Oh I don't want to stand out, I just want to
'serve the song'" idea that mediocres so much music. The first track even makes space for each member
to show off with a bar or two of solo. The music twists and turns, with
Ferry still learning his craft as a singer and lyricist, seeming to
have a unique, more defined vocal delivery than in later albums (the
reverse of what normally happens).
Oddly my relationship with this band/album started somewhat indirectly
when I read about them as an influence on one of my favourite NZ bands
Split Enz (who, like RM started in an art rock sort of vein and moved to
a slightly poppier sound later on), and when I saw a cover of the song
'Virginia Plain' on the British sketch show "Big Train" (an early break
for Simon Pegg, Catherine Tate and Mark Heap) I was hooked in.
