Roxy Music (album)

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Roxy Music
Roxy Music-Roxy Music.jpg
Studio album by
Roxy Music
Released16 June 1972 (1972-06-16)
Recorded14 – 29 March 1972
StudioCommand (London)
Genre
Length42:15
Label
Producer Peter Sinfield
Roxy Music chronology
Roxy Music
(1972)		 For Your Pleasure
(1973)
Singles from Roxy Music
  1. "Virginia Plain"
    Released: 4 August 1972 (not included on original pressings of album)

Roxy Music is the debut studio album by English rock band Roxy Music, released on 16 June 1972 by Island Records.

Contents

It was generally well received by contemporary critics and made it to number 10 in the UK Albums Chart. [1]

Music and lyrics

The opening track, "Re-Make/Re-Model", has been labelled a postmodernist pastiche, featuring solos by each member of the band echoing various touchstones of Western music, including The Beatles' "Day Tripper", Duane Eddy's version of "Peter Gunn", and Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries"; the esoteric "CPL 593H" was supposedly the licence number of a car spotted by Bryan Ferry that was driven by a beautiful woman. Brian Eno produced some self-styled "lunacy" when Ferry asked him for a sound "like the moon" for the track "Ladytron". "If There Is Something" was covered by David Bowie's Tin Machine, and was later featured quite extensively, almost as a central figure, in the British film Flashbacks of a Fool .

Several of the album's songs were thematically linked to films. "2HB", with its punning title, was Ferry's tribute to Humphrey Bogart and quoted the line "Here's looking at you, kid" made famous by the 1942 film Casablanca ; "Chance Meeting" was inspired by David Lean's Brief Encounter (1945). "The Bob" took its title from Battle of Britain (1968) and included a passage simulating the sound of gunfire.

Discussing the music, Andy Mackay later said "we certainly didn't invent eclecticism but we did say and prove that rock 'n' roll could accommodate – well, anything really". [2]

Production and cover art

The band had been rehearsing and re-working the songs for a couple of months before they finally found a recording place, after which the entire album was recorded in the space of a single week. This was necessary because there was no record deal as yet, and their managers at EG were financing the sessions themselves, paying £5,000 in recording fees. [1] The album was produced by King Crimson's lyricist Peter Sinfield, who had recently left that band. In May 1972, a few weeks after the recording sessions, a contract was signed with Island Records and in June the album was released.

The band's penchant for glamour was showcased both in the lyrics and in the 1950s-style album cover. The photographer Karl Stoecker shot the cover, featuring model Kari-Ann Moller, who later married Chris Jagger, brother of Mick Jagger (a stylised portrait of Kari-Ann Moller also graces the cover of Mott the Hoople's 1974 album The Hoople ). The album was dedicated to Susie, a drummer who auditioned for Roxy Music in the early days. [3]

Release

Roxy Music, particularly the album's LP incarnation, has been released in different packages over the years. The album's original cover, as issued in 1972 by Island Records, featured a gatefold sleeve picturing the band (including original bass guitarist Graham Simpson) in stage attire designed by Antony Price, [4] and did not include the track "Virginia Plain". The album's original US release, in late 1972 on Warner Bros. Records' Reprise subsidiary, included "Virginia Plain", which had since been issued as a single in the UK. The original US release also featured a gatefold sleeve, but replaced Simpson's photo with that of Rik Kenton, who played bass on "Virginia Plain" following Simpson's departure from the group.

US distribution of Roxy Music was transferred from Reprise to their affiliated company Atco Records in 1976, and back to Reprise in the mid-1980s. LP editions of the album pressed in these timeframes were without the gatefold sleeve and band photographs, instead providing liner notes on the rear album cover.

The original LP release did not contain any singles. In July 1972, a few weeks after the contract was signed, Roxy Music recorded two more songs, "Virginia Plain" and "The Numberer", that were released as a single. It peaked at No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart [5] and helped push sales of the album, which itself went to No. 10. [1] In most later repressings of the album, including CD versions, the song "Virginia Plain" has been included.

Versions of all nine tracks of the UK album were recorded by the BBC for the John Peel show on 4 January and 23 May 1972, with the earlier session featuring David O'List on guitar. [6]

Critical reception

Retrospective professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
Christgau's Record Guide B+ [8]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
Pitchfork 8.9/10 [10]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Select 4/5 [14]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 8/10 [15]
Uncut 8/10 [16]

Reviewing for Creem in 1973, Robert Christgau said: "From the drag queen on the cover to the fop finery in the centerfold to the polished deformity of the music on the record, this celebrates the kind of artifice that could come to seem as unhealthy as the sheen on a piece of rotten meat. Right now, though, it's decorated with enough weird hooks to earn an A for side one. Side two leans a little too heavily on the synthesizer (played by a balding, long-haired eunuch lookalike named Eno) without the saving grace of drums and bassline." [17]

Around the time of the release of Roxy Music's third album Stranded , Ferry was quoted as saying that he did not like the odd production of Roxy Music and was re-recording many of its tracks. Ferry eventually re-recorded "Re-Make/Re-Model", "2HB", "Chance Meeting" and "Sea Breezes", and released them as B-sides to some of his solo singles between 1973 and 1976, collecting them together on his 1976 solo album Let's Stick Together .

In 1994, Roxy Music was ranked number 57 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums . He described the album as "totally original and a breath of bizarre air", noting that it "put Bryan Ferry and Eno at the forefront of the art-rock movement." [18] In 2003, Rolling Stone included the album at number 62 in its list of the best debut albums of all time and stated: "In England in the early Seventies, there was nerdy art-rock and sexy glam-rock and rarely did the twain meet. Until this record, that is." [19] Uncut placed it at number nine on its 2015 list of the best debut albums. [20] In 2005, Q included Roxy Music at number 31 in a list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums" published in its special issue Pink Floyd & the Story of Prog Rock. [21] In 2012, Treble named it as one of 10 "essential" glam rock albums. [22]

In 2024 the cover artwork was parodied by Linda Thompson for the album of her songs performed by other singers Proxy Music. [23]

Track listing

Original UK release

All tracks are written by Bryan Ferry

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Re-Make/Re-Model"5:10
2."Ladytron"4:21
3."If There Is Something"6:33
4."2HB"4:34
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Bob (Medley)"5:48
2."Chance Meeting"3:00
3."Would You Believe?"3:47
4."Sea Breezes"7:00
5."Bitters End"2:02

US release

All tracks are written by Bryan Ferry

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Re-Make/Re-Model"5:10
2."Ladytron"4:21
3."If There Is Something"6:33
4."Virginia Plain"2:57
5."2HB"4:34
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Bob (Medley)"5:48
2."Chance Meeting"3:00
3."Would You Believe?"3:47
4."Sea Breezes"7:00
5."Bitters End"2:02

Super Deluxe Edition

In March 2018, a Super Deluxe 3CD + 1DVD "Book Set" of the debut album Roxy Music was released containing previously unheard material, original 1971 demos, the original album plus alternate takes, contemporary BBC Sessions and a DVD containing rare video footage and a 5.1 surround mix by Steven Wilson, along with a 136-page hardback book with an essay by Richard Williams, including many rare and unpublished photographs. All are within a heavy-duty slipcase. [24] [ better source needed ]

'Disc One: Original Album'

No.TitleLength
1."Re-Make/Re-Model"5:14
2."Ladytron"4:26
3."If There Is Something"6:34
4."Virginia Plain"2:58
5."2HB"4:30
6."The Bob (Medley)"5:48
7."Chance Meeting"3:08
8."Would You Believe?"3:53
9."Sea Breezes"7:04
10."Bitters End"2:08

'Disc Two: Demos & Out-takes'

Early Demos May: 71
No.TitleLength
1."Ladytron"5:21
2."2HB"7:14
3."Chance Meeting"4:22
4."The Bob (Medley)"5:59
Album Out-takes (March 1972)
No.TitleLength
5."Instrumental"0:32
6."Re-Make/Re-Model"8:13
7."Ladytron"5:16
8."If There Is Something"7:06
9."2HB"4:43
10."The Bob (Medley)"7:19
11."Would You Believe?"3:05
12."Chance Meeting"5:30
13."Sea Breezes"2:38
14."Bitters End"6:04
15."Virginia Plain"3:35

'Disc Three: The BBC Sessions'

The Peel Sessions 4/1/72
No.TitleLength
1."If There Is Something"6:38
2."The Bob (Medley)"5:50
3."Would You Believe?"3:49
4."Sea Breezes"8:18
5."Re-Make/Re-Model"4:58
The Peel Sessions 23/5/72
No.TitleLength
6."2HB"3:46
7."Ladytron"6:14
8."Chance Meeting"3:00
The Peel Sessions 18/7/72
No.TitleLength
9."Virginia Plain"4:03
BBC In Concert 3/8/72
No.TitleLength
10."The Bob (Medley)"5:51
11."Sea Breezes"7:11
12."Virginia Plain"3:27
13."Chance Meeting"5:51
14."Re-Make/Re-Model"6:28

'Disc Four: DVD VIDEO CONTENT'

Royal College Of Art, /6/72
No.TitleLength
1."Re-Make/Re-Model"4:59
Old Grey Whistle Test 20/6/72
No.TitleLength
2."Ladytron"6:03
Top Of The Pops 24/08/72
No.TitleLength
3."Virginia Plain"2:56
Full House 25/11/72
No.TitleLength
4."Re-Make/Re-Model (start)"1:05
5."Ladytron"4:30
French TV, Bataclan, Paris, 26/11/72
No.TitleLength
6."Would You Believe?"3:49
7."If There Is Something"5:25
8."Sea Breezes"6:06
9."Virginia Plain"3:52
5.1 Mix Of The Album By Steve Wilson (5.1 DTS 96/24 And Dolby AC3 Sound) AUDIO ONLY
No.TitleLength
10."Re-Make/Re-Model"5:15
11."Ladytron"4:32
12."If There Is Something"6:40
13."2HB"4:30
14."The Bob (Medley)"5:48
15."Chance Meeting"3:18
16."Would You Believe?"3:54
17."Sea Breezes"7:04
18."Bitters End"2:03
19."Virginia Plain"3:01

Personnel (Original album)

Roxy Music
Production

Personnel (40th anniversary deluxe reissue)

Roxy Music
Production

Charts

Chart (1972)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [25] 49
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [26] 58
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [27] 23
UK Albums (OCC) [28] 10
Chart (2018)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [29] 80
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [30] 152
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [31] 89

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [32] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxy Music</span> English art rock band

Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by lead vocalist and principal songwriter Bryan Ferry and bassist Graham Simpson. By the time the band recorded their first album in 1972, Ferry and Simpson were joined by saxophonist and oboist Andy Mackay, guitarist Phil Manzanera, drummer Paul Thompson and synthesizer player Brian Eno. Other members over the years include keyboardist and violinist Eddie Jobson and bassist John Gustafson. The band split in 1976, reformed in 1978 and split again in 1983. In 2001, Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson reunited for a concert tour and have toured together intermittently ever since, most recently in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first album. Ferry has also frequently enlisted band members as backing musicians during his solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Ferry</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1945)

Bryan Ferry is an English singer and songwriter who achieved fame as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and as a solo artist. His distinctive voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to The Independent, Ferry and his contemporary David Bowie influenced a generation with both their music and their appearances. Peter York described Ferry as "an art object" who "should hang in the Tate".

<i>Country Life</i> (Roxy Music album) 1974 studio album by Roxy Music

Country Life is the fourth studio album by English art rock band Roxy Music, released on 15 November 1974 by Island Records. It was released by Atco Records in the United States. The album is considered by many critics to be among the band's most sophisticated and consistent.

<i>Here Come the Warm Jets</i> 1974 studio album by Eno

Here Come the Warm Jets is the debut solo album by Brian Eno, released on Island Records on 8 February 1974. It was recorded and produced by Eno following his departure from Roxy Music, and blends glam and pop stylings with avant-garde approaches. The album features numerous guests, including several of Eno's former Roxy Music bandmates along with members of Hawkwind, Matching Mole, Pink Fairies, Sharks, Sweetfeed, and King Crimson. Eno devised unusual methods and instructions to coax unexpected results from the various musicians.

<i>Siren</i> (Roxy Music album) 1975 studio album by Roxy Music

Siren is the fifth album by English rock band Roxy Music, released in 1975 by Island Records. It was released by Atco Records in the United States.

<i>For Your Pleasure</i> 1973 studio album by Roxy Music

For Your Pleasure is the second studio album by the English rock band Roxy Music, released on 23 March 1973 by Island Records. It was their last to feature synthesiser and sound specialist Brian Eno.

<i>Manifesto</i> (Roxy Music album) 1979 studio album by Roxy Music

Manifesto is the sixth studio album by English rock band Roxy Music. It was released in March 1979 by E.G. in the United Kingdom, Polydor in Europe and Atco in the United States.

<i>Viva!</i> (Roxy Music album) 1976 live album by Roxy Music

Viva! Roxy Music was the first live Roxy Music album. It was released in July 1976 and was recorded at three venues in the United Kingdom between 1973 and 1975. The recordings were from the band's shows at the Glasgow Apollo in November 1973, Newcastle City Hall in October 1974 and the Wembley Empire Pool in October 1975.

<i>Stranded</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Roxy Music

Stranded is the third album by English rock band Roxy Music, released in 1973 by Island Records. Stranded was the first Roxy Music album on which Bryan Ferry was not the sole songwriter, with multi-instrumentalist Andy Mackay and guitarist Phil Manzanera also making songwriting contributions. It is also their first album with keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson and bassist John Gustafson, who replaced Brian Eno and John Porter, respectively, after their departures following the release of their previous album For Your Pleasure.

<i>Lets Stick Together</i> 1976 album by Bryan Ferry

Let's Stick Together is a 1976 album by Bryan Ferry. His third solo release, it was his first following the disbanding of Roxy Music earlier in the year. Unlike Ferry's two previous solo releases, Let’s Stick Together was not a dedicated album project, instead predominately made up of singles, B-sides, and an EP. Three tracks were exclusive to the LP, all remakes of Roxy Music tracks: "Casanova", "2HB", and "Chance Meeting". It had a generally favourable critical reception, but only just made the UK Top 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Plain</span> 1972 single by Roxy Music

"Virginia Plain" is a song by English rock band Roxy Music, released as their debut single in August 1972. Written by Roxy frontman Bryan Ferry, the song was recorded by the band in July 1972 at London's Command Studios. Backed with "The Numberer", an instrumental composed by Andy Mackay, as a single the song became a Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number four.

<i>Boys and Girls</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Bryan Ferry

Boys and Girls is the sixth solo studio album by English singer and songwriter Bryan Ferry, released on 3 June 1985 by E.G. Records. The album was Ferry's first solo album in seven years and the first since he had disbanded his band Roxy Music in 1983. The album was Ferry's first and only number one solo album in the UK. It was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and contains two UK top 40 hit singles. It is also Ferry's most successful solo album in the US, having been certified Gold for sales in excess of half a million copies there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do the Strand</span> 1973 single by Roxy Music

"Do the Strand" is the first song from English rock band Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. In contrast to the songs from Roxy Music's eponymous debut album, this song starts suddenly without any instrumental fanfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street Life (Roxy Music song)</span> 1973 single by Roxy Music

"Street Life" is the opening track of English rock band Roxy Music's third album Stranded. Written by lead singer Bryan Ferry, the song is an ode to modern life that features sound effects of street noise alongside dissonant synth noises courtesy of newly recruited member Eddie Jobson. Producer Chris Thomas provides bass on the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Eyes (Roxy Music song)</span> 1979 single by Roxy Music

"Angel Eyes" is a song by the English rock band Roxy Music. It was released in August 1979 as the third single from their sixth studio album Manifesto (1979), and peaked at No. 4 in the UK.

<i>The Best of Roxy Music</i> 2001 greatest hits album by Roxy Music

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<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Roxy Music album) 1977 greatest hits album by Roxy Music

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the English band Roxy Music. It was released in 1977, when the band were on hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyjamarama (song)</span> 1973 single by Roxy Music

"Pyjamarama" is a song by English rock band Roxy Music, released as a single in February 1973. It reached a peak of number 10 on the UK Singles Chart after a twelve week charting stint. The song was written by Bryan Ferry, and the first one he wrote with the guitar as his instrument. and was backed by an instrumental non-LP track called "The Pride and the Pain" written by Andy Mackay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sign of the Times (Bryan Ferry song)</span> 1978 single by Bryan Ferry

"Sign of the Times" is a 1978 song by Bryan Ferry. Recorded while Ferry's band Roxy Music were on hiatus, it was released as the second single from his fifth solo studio album The Bride Stripped Bare. The single peaked at number 37 in the UK Singles Chart, but failed to chart elsewhere. The single also features the non-album track, "Four Letter Love" as the B-side. The promotional music video was Ferry performing the song on the first episode of The Kenny Everett Video Show in 1978.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Roxy Music". vivaroxymusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "VIRGIN: THE ELECTRIC 80s". udiscovermusic.com. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Susie". vivaroxymusic.com. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Paul Stump (1998). Unknown Pleasures: A Cultural Biography of Roxy Music. Quartet (UK)/Thunder's Mouth (U.S.). p.  48. ISBN   1-56025-212-X.
  5. ↑ "Virginia Plain". vivaroxymusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  6. ↑ In Session Tonight: Complete Radio 1 Recordings by Ken Garner BBC Books 1993
  7. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Roxy Music – Roxy Music". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  8. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN   0-89919-026-X . Retrieved 12 March 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  9. ↑ Paytress, Mark (March 2018). "Re-made/Re-modelled". Mojo . No. 292. p. 103.
  10. ↑ Ewing, Tom (13 August 2012). "Roxy Music: Roxy Music: The Complete Studio Recordings 1972–1982". Pitchfork . Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Roxy Music: Roxy Music". Q . No. 156. September 1999. pp. 122–23.
  12. ↑ Rathbone, Oregano (February 2018). "Roxy Music – Roxy Music: 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition". Record Collector . No. 476. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  13. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Roxy Music". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  705–06. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ↑ "Roxy Music: Roxy Music / For Your Pleasure / Stranded". Select . No. 112. October 1999.
  15. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Roxy Music". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 336–38. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  16. ↑ Wirth, Jim (March 2018). "Roxy Music: Roxy Music". Uncut . No. 250. pp. 36–38.
  17. ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem . Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  18. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1994). Guinness Book of Top 1000 Albums (1 ed.). Gullane Children's Books. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-85112-786-6.
  19. ↑ "The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone . 13 October 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Uncut's 100 best debut albums". Uncut . 8 May 2015. p. 11. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  21. ↑ "Q Classic: Pink Floyd & the Story of Prog Rock". Q . No. 228. July 2005.
  22. ↑ Terich, Jeff; Karman, Chris (6 June 2012). "10 Essential Glam Rock Albums". Treble. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  23. ↑ "Linda Thompson – Proxy Music – (CD) | Rough Trade".
  24. ↑ "Roxy Music – Roxy Music". Discogs . 2 February 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  25. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  26. ↑ Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Oricon. ISBN   978-4-87131-077-2.
  27. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Roxy Music – Roxy Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  29. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Roxy Music – Roxy Music" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Roxy Music – Roxy Music" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  31. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Roxy Music – Roxy Music" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  32. ↑ "British album certifications – Roxy Music – Roxy Music". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 8 October 2020.
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