What's your favourite Roxy Music album?

[kalowski]

I know the first five well, and love them all. Maybe, just maybe, Siren doesn't quite match up to the others, but maybe it does.
Anyway, do you have a favourite? Are you an Eno era person or a post-Eno listener? Or both.
I think my favourite is Country Life, with it's saucy cover that used to mesmerise me when I was a kid in Our Price. There's just a collection of fantastic songs here, and I quite like the pretentious nature of describing it as "Art Rock" because it is different enough to need a different description.
You may also tell me why you hate them, why you think Ferry is a slimy womaniser, or why you prefer Avalon.

[Egyptian Feast]

I reckon Country Life is my favourite too, but love all the first five. I've never checked out the later ones because I haven't liked anything I've ever heard from them. I once worked with a bookie who thought Flesh and Blood was the greatest album ever made, but he never convinced me to bother.

[Head Gardener]

in order of preference

1st album
Stranded
Country Life
Avalon
For Your Pleasure
Siren
Manifesto
Viva!
Flesh & Blood



This is a great student documentary from 1978 profiling young Roxy Music fans - they talk about the band and the music, are seen out and about in Manchester
and getting ready for a concert at the Opera House. Includes footage of a tribute band, who due to a lack of musical instruments use household appliances to make music.

[DrGreggles]

Stranded please thank you.

[PaulTMA]

Siren

[The Culture Bunker]

I don't have all the Roxy albums, but the ones I do have, I would rank:

- Flesh and Blood
- For Your Pleasure
- Avalon
- Roxy Music
- Country Life
- Siren

There's plenty to enjoy on all, however. I think my top choice comes from 'Over You' and 'Same Old Scene' being amongst my favourite Roxy numbers. I even like the 'In the Midnight Hour' cover.

[Psmith]

I only have the first four and I can't pick a favourite,they all sound good to me.BF sound's good too.
Unlike his solo work where his voice really annoys me.

[Avril Lavigne]

Which other one should I listen to if I only like the first two and haven't been bowled over by anything I've heard past that point?

[kalowski]

I only have the first four and I can't pick a favourite,they all sound good to me.BF sound's good too.
Unlike his solo work where his voice really annoys me.

It's like there are two Ferrys: I have a couple of the solo albums and I also don't like his voice or arrangements, but give me Remake/Remodel any day if the week.

[non capisco]

It's like there are two Ferrys: I have a couple of the solo albums and I also don't like his voice or arrangements, but give me Remake/Remodel any day if the week.

Always thought his vocal on Remake/Remodel sounds like David Byrne, five years before Talking Heads' first album. Particularly the "I could talk talk talk talk talk myself to death" bit.

[kalowski]

Always thought his vocal on Remake/Remodel sounds like David Byrne, five years before Talking Heads' first album. Particularly the "I could talk talk talk talk talk myself to death" bit.

Ooh, absolutely, I can hear that.

[SteveDave]

"For Your Pleasure" is the only one I can play all the way through without getting annoyed. Even "The Bogus Man".

[Wacky Homemade Badges]

Head says Country Life, heart says Flesh and Blood every time. That's such a fantastic record to stick on and enjoy from start to finish.

[Head Gardener]

blimey, I put F&B at the bottom of my list, must be my age

[crankshaft]

Which other one should I listen to if I only like the first two and haven't been bowled over by anything I've heard past that point?

Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets is probably your best option.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Self titled Side 1 might as well be called 'the best of Roxy Music'. It's like a whole White Album of art pop squeezed into 21 minutes.
Slap "Virginia Plain" and "Pyjamarama" on there and its the best rock album of the 1970s.

After that I couldn't pick. Probably For Your Pleasure tied with Country Life.

[bakabaka]

Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets is probably your best option.

Or 801 Live (aka Diamond Head Live according to my music player)
When Brian Ferry went off to make a solo album, Eno and Manzanera formed 801 with a bunch of mates and played 3 gigs.
The last was recorded in a new way - all the inputs were taken direct from the mixing desk to the recording truck so the sound quality was better than just about any previous live gig.
A year later a revised version of the band recorded an album, Listen Now, which is mostly Manzanera material with all the Eno songs left out. But still wonderful if you like Manzanera's playing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/801_(band)

[kalowski]

"For Your Pleasure" is the only one I can play all the way through without getting annoyed. Even "The Bogus Man".

I'm listening now (well, side one, I need to go out). It's a great record, and I haven't even got onto Editions of You yet.

[Wacky Homemade Badges]

blimey, I put F&B at the bottom of my list, must be my age

I listened to it this evening while pottering about the kitchen - still love it. I think it's what cocainey rock should sound like. That and something like Young Americans. Not that awful American AOR coke rock thing, or even worse something like Be Here Now. I don't know if Roxy were all taking coke, but to me that's what it feels like - that jittery high, all glorious surface and furious paddling to stay afloat.

[Wacky Homemade Badges]

Ah, just looked it up - Ferry was totally addicted to cocaine during the F&B period! Makes sense.

[Rizla]

I guess the first one, it's the one I'm most overfamiliar with. Think I've got Stranded on vinyl too but I seldom listen to it. I. used to have FYP on an 8-track tape, that got a fair few plays when I had the equipment. I must get round to scooping the rest up cos I do like 'em a lot.

Ferry's '73 solo album "These Foolish Things" is one of the greatest albums ever. I love it so much.

I didn't know both these covers feature the same woman (Kari-Ann Muller, who later married Chris Jagger). Fuck my hat!

[Janie Jones]

Oy vey! High life ecstasy! Yeah, Country Life, for me.

[poodlefaker]

I bloody love "The Bogus Man", that whole second side of For Your Pleasure is fantastic. Although I think "Mother of Pearl" is the best thing they ever did.

I'm tempted to say my favourite is the Best Of that came out at the end of the 70s, with the leopardskin cover. I think the idea was to make them seem as  punky as possible - it's all their punchiest songs, with  hardly any gaps between the tracks.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Christ, "A Song For Europe" into "Mother Of Pearl" is so good.

[SteveDave]

I'm tempted to say my favourite is the Best Of that came out at the end of the 70s, with the leopardskin cover. I think the idea was to make them seem as  punky as possible - it's all their punchiest songs, with  hardly any gaps between the tracks.

A nightmare to DJ with on vinyl. "What's her name? Virginia Plain...There's a new sensatio...(scrraaatch)"

Apparently Bryan Ferry is now married to an ex-girlfriend of one of his sons. Lovely stuff Bry.

[Aleister Growley]

First Album
Stranded
For Your Pleasure
Country Life
Siren

Then....nothing.
It's like Roxy were "removed" in 1975 and replaced by soulless eighties corporate smooth-rockers.

Stranger things have happened.

I buried Bri.

[bakabaka]

Stranger things have happened.

Like when Yes became The Buggles?

[Aleister Growley]

Very much so.

Consider the guy who claims to be Iggy Pop.

The rabbit hole goes deep.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Of the 3 I've heard, Second one, then the first, then that one with the javelins that don't line up on the cover, that beige.

I need to check out the couple of post Eno albums, sometime.

I take It we all know that the two ladies on, err... Country Life were the Sister and the Girlfriend on The Can's Guitarist Michael Karoli.


I don't know which is which.

[Head Gardener]

I used to love listening to Country Life on my Walkman wandering around the Lake District stoned out of my gourd in the 80's and still consider it an album of utter wonder and magnificence to this day