Falling halfway between musical primitivism and art rock ambition, Roxy Music's eponymous debut remains a startling redefinition of rock's boundaries. Simultaneously embracing kitschy glamour and avant pop, Roxy Music shimmers with seductive style and pulsates with disturbing synthetic textures. Although no musician demonstrates much technical skill at this point, they are all driven by boundless imagination -- Brian Eno's synthesized "treatments" exploit electronic instruments as electronics, instead of trying to shoehorn ...
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Falling halfway between musical primitivism and art rock ambition, Roxy Music's eponymous debut remains a startling redefinition of rock's boundaries. Simultaneously embracing kitschy glamour and avant pop, Roxy Music shimmers with seductive style and pulsates with disturbing synthetic textures. Although no musician demonstrates much technical skill at this point, they are all driven by boundless imagination -- Brian Eno's synthesized "treatments" exploit electronic instruments as electronics, instead of trying to shoehorn them into conventional acoustic patterns. Similarly, Bryan Ferry finds that his vampiric croon is at its most effective when it twists conventional melodies, Phil Manzanera's guitar is terse and unpredictable, while Andy Mackay's saxophone subverts rock & roll clichés by alternating R&B honking with atonal flourishes. But what makes Roxy Music such a confident, astonishing debut is how these primitive avant-garde tendencies are married to full-fledged songs, whether it's the free-form, structure-bending "Re-Make/Re-Model" or the sleek glam of "Virginia Plain," the debut single added to later editions of the album. That was the trick that elevated Roxy Music from an art school project to the most adventurous rock band of the early '70s. [In 2018, Universal released a Super Deluxe Edition of Roxy Music that spans three CDs and a DVD and is blessed with a hefty hardcover book. The first disc contains the 1999 Bob Ludwig remaster of the album; the second CD contains demos, alternate takes, and outtakes; the third disc is devoted to Peel sessions and BBC tapes; and the DVD contains TV performances and a 5.1 surround mix by Steven Wilson. Needless to say, this is a treasure trove for Roxy fans. There are distinct differences within the demos and alternate takes where it's possible to hear the band work, while the live material on the third disc underscores how nervy and raw Roxy were at this early stage of their career. The live footage does something similar but it's startling how unusual, how futuristic Roxy Music still seem. That's the gift of this Super Deluxe set: it offers evidence that, nearly half a century later, Roxy Music seems like a transmission from another dimension.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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Add this copy of Roxy Music (Super Deluxe) to cart. $288.41, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2018 by UMC.
Add this copy of Roxy Music [Super Deluxe Edition] to cart. $422.92, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2018 by Virgin EMI.