A hugely influential group including Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno, Roxy Music had a major impact on music in the 70s and 80s. Commercial success came at a bit of a price however, with illness and drug addiction affecting various members of the group over the years. Their debut album was a slow-burner until the runaway success of the single Virginia Plain, itself not included on this album as was traditional in the UK at the time.
Re-make/Re-model is based on a work of art from the time, and has a decent combination of guitar, sax and bass to keep things rumbling on, but the overall song never fully meshes itself. Ladytron is a better overall song, but still tries to do too much in too short a space of time, moving in a fairly abrupt manner from the intro noise to the body of the piece. Manzanera's guitar sound is cracking, but it doesn't seem to fit in with the regular change in tempos. If There is Something is sort-of country, and has a pleasant enough lilt to it. However, I'm never going to love a country track with synths and overly dramatic vocal delivery. Virginia Plain (yes, I chose to listen to the US version) is a great song, with one of the most sudden endings ever produced in a recording studio. I have no idea what it is about to this day, but the waves of guitar and bass, along with Ferry's glam/croon delivery and Eno's sound effects makes for a bizarre but thoroughly enjoyable hit. 2HB is an interesting track that pines for Humphrey Bogart (not a pencil as I'd guessed originally) in a well-observed manner; it makes you want to watch clips of the man himself. The Bob (Medley) starts with Eno at his worst; all noodling and no substance. When the drums kick in near the end it picks up markedly, but it's too little to save a song that has, frankly, pissed me off by this point. Chance Meeting has a decent narrative, which sets it apart from most of the songs on this album, and the piano intro is compelling enough. Would You Believe? has elements of a real pop song in it, but this is diluted by the other effects throughout. Sea Breezes is one of the better tracks, with a delicacy about it through Ferry's vulnerable vocals. It is when the band are trying to organically build something that I think they work best, rather than just throwing everything at a track in the hope that enough sticks. Whilst the latter may influence others, it doesn't always make for a great album. Bitters End sounds like the Kinks creating a track for a Heinz advert - bizarre, yet frustratingly captivating.
Overall I was fairly disappointed with the album, as I'd expected real pop numbers with ice-cold synths, scything guitars, and absurdist lyrics, and instead got something that sounded like the pieces were in place, but not yet directed properly. Virginia Plain aside, I cannot imagine listening to any of these songs again. They're not bad, and there's clearly some impressive sounds and textures there, but overall it just left me feeling cold.
Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 3. If There Is Something
Olly's album rating: 5
Olly's favourite track: 4. Virginia Plain
Next week we have 506. Sulk by the Associates. More 80s post-punk on the menu.
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