Saw them last night ...

[uwe]

For your pleasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rqTPqzo5ZI&feature=player_embedded





The Eno/Eddie Jobson replacement being this (by Roxy Standards at least) young lass here, Fräulein Anna Phoebe



who came across like Lara Croft (the pig tail!), Rick Wakeman/Keith Emerson (the grand keyboard moves, "look I can even play one-handed and make dramatic gestures in the air with my other hand!"), Vanessa Mae (the violin hottie image "I'm so sexy even my violin bow stiffens!") and Suzi Quatro (the cat suit) all rolled into one. She acted like she thought that she was pretty much the star, but didn't want to get beat up in the dressing room for it. Nice violin playing (had the Jobson parts down pat), Eno-type "white noise" synth- and even Moog monophone soloing though.

http://www.roxyrama.com/classic/cgi-bin/2010/cginews.cgi?record=25

http://www.annaphoebe.com/


Surprisingly, their set was totally seventies-heavy, only two or three eighties tracks (I remember More than this and Jealeous Guy) and one Ferry solo number (his Canned Heat rework "Let's stick together" as one of the encores). The current line up of two guitarists (Manzanera leaving much room and soloing to the barely out of his teens second guitarist who might have been Paul Thompson's son), one bass player (forgot his name, no Gustafson he was, but (st)able), two drummers (Paul Thompson being replaced by Andy Newmark for health reasons), two keyboarders (the violin chick playing keyboards when she was not throwing shapes with the violin), Ferry, Mackay and four black backing vocalists can create quite a (controlled) racket on stage. Ferry was in fine non-voice and looked the old lounge lizard aged gracefully, Mackay has the stage demeanor of an 80-year old and Manzanera is the elder statesman of tasteful, yet still quirky guitardom. (He's been David Gilmour's rhythm guitarist for the last few years and when offered to take a solo in Gilmour's band as well said: "People pay money to see you solo in this band, not me!" and declined.)

[Barklessdog]

It seems Roxy Music does not get a lot of love around here. Only Gary & myself, that I can remember, as being fans.
I heard an 801 track being played for a TV show sound track the other day!

I always thought Roxy Music was cutting edge and loved the latter more mellow output. They always had great bass players. I remember the Live disc with Wetton being good.

[Highlander]

My greatest memory of seeing Roxy (1980? ish) is being in the bar and missing the Tourists - I loved the first four lp's but nothing hit the spot past that point - I only have the 1st 2 on cd...

[uwe]

As regards the American market, I guess it is fair to say that they were never regarded quite as pertinent as Foghat.

[Aussie Mark]

As regards the American market, I guess it is fair to say that they were never regarded quite as pertinent as Foghat.

or Tower of Power or Skynyrd.

The likes Roxy Music here.

[Nocturnal]

My wife has been a Roxy fan for as long as I can remember. I do like some of their work, just not a band that I listen to often. But then again, Foghat nor Skynard get any love in my house either. But I'd listen to Foghat over Skynard anyhow, if I HAD to choose.

[Hornisse]

Glad to see they put on a good show for you Uwe.  Classic Rock Magazine ripped them on their recent London Victoria Park Lovebox gig subtitling it "For your mild displeasure." 

"Although the set is front-loaded with early 70's gems (Editions Of You, Ladytron, Re-make/Re-model), there's none of the spiky art-school energy of the recorded versions.  Instead, we're given a wine bar covers band variation on Roxy, replete with polite instrumental breaks that struggle to catch fire, and a frontman who, while still in fine voice, never seems to connect with the songs."

[uwe]

I read that review too, my flying stingy insect! I'm a Classic Rock subscriber. Maybe they had a bad day or the London audience was jaded as they have a reputation for.

In Germany, Roxy never meant that much (more than Foghat, but probably less than Skynyrd), their seventies music was perceived as too stylish by the proggies and too proggie by the glam stylies. So it was surprising that they played Bonn at all, the explanation probably being that it lies in the former English Occupation Zone and that the Brit Army radio station sponsored it. In Germany, Roxy are better known for "Oh yeah" than "Ladytron". Bryan Ferry as a solo artist(e) (let's get that artsy Roxy slant in! ) is much better known, the Faces/Rod Stewart effect or sadly, as time passes, the Police/Sting one.

The concert I saw was nothing like the one described by Classic Rock. "Wine bar covers band" is an overstatement. Yes, they don't sound live like they just drew some Peruvian produce into their noses before mounting the stage, they don't have the amateur charm of their first two albums (which were not well-played at the time) anymore and they lack the frenzy of youth, I'm not as edgy and nervous a player as I used to be either. Good bands mature like good wine.

Due to the abundance of players they sound fuller than in the days of yore and old age has them play confidently relaxed rather than nervous, but they're not Toto (with all due respect for the latter's instrumental prowess, only saw them recently too and liked what I saw, these guys also have great humour), they still have edges and the harmonies (of the old stuff) are still weird/not catchy. The kid guitarist is closer to Joe Bonamassa than to your usual Brit prog guitarist and when he played a lengthy solo it was cute to see how his blues riffs played with the heart of a (young) lion carried him away, the much older "real" Roxy Members looking at him in benevolent mild bemusement and -wonderment. I think they were admiring the purity of youth - and Manzanera even stopped playing rhythm guitar to listen and let the kid shine.

Whether Ferry - these days a staunch Conservative, self-confessed Thatcherite and Country Alliance supporter (for the freedom of the fox to be chased to death and torn apart by a pack of dogs while humans enjoy the sight) - still "lives" the content of faux-artsy lyrics he wrote as a twen when he was fresh from art school is anybody's guess (I hope not, neither will Daltrey when singing My Generation), but he did not seem disconnected at all. He was seriously acting the role of the Roxy frontman just as he seriously acts his Bryan Ferry role when privately he's a much more rural person and hedonism an alien concept to him by now. Roxy Music were always also an act of artifice (as you would expect from art school kids with limited musical capabilities, when they started out they were far less than proficient on their instruments) which is probably also the answer why they failed to crack America where in the seventies people would either prefer down to earth, but able musicianship or a larger than life show à la KISS.  

[lowend1]

As regards the American market, I guess it is fair to say that they were never regarded quite as pertinent as Foghat.

With good reason.

[Barklessdog]

As regards the American market, I guess it is fair to say that they were never regarded quite as pertinent as Foghat.

Here I go again, but in Cleveland there were played to death on the radio. They had a big following there. Looking back I realize how cutting edge Cleveland used to be. They regularly played Zappa (Dinamoe hum), Alex Harvey (Gang Bang) & Most of Roxy music through out their history.

I always viewed Roxy Music as an Euro Rock Art band. Ferry's singing & personalty was Roxy Music to me. People either seem to love or hate Brain Ferry's vibrato singing.

One of my favorite bands now is Buck -Tick who are like a Japanese Roxy Music- Each Buck-Tick LP is different from all there others.

If you like Roxy Music you should enjoy Buck-Tick.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M83qG1zWWk&feature=related

[gweimer]

Roxy Music is an acquired taste, in my book.  Like a lot of bands, they were hit and miss, but they've stood up fairly well over time.  I got hooked when they were on either In Concert or Midnight Special.  They did "Editions of You", and when Ferry, decked out in a white dinner jacket, sauntered up to the mic for the first verse, I couldn't take my eyes off them.  They were a pretty stark contrast to a lot of other bands back then.  Country Life, aside from the nice cover, was just an excellent album with great bass work.  And Uwe will probably agree that only Roxy could pull of a song with a chorus done in German.  Viva!

[uwe]

With good reason.

All mid-western stadium rock lovers come forth now: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCr2APDza_I&feature=related

[uwe]

Roxy Music is an acquired taste, in my book.  Like a lot of bands, they were hit and miss, but they've stood up fairly well over time.  I got hooked when they were on either In Concert or Midnight Special.  They did "Editions of You", and when Ferry, decked out in a white dinner jacket, sauntered up to the mic for the first verse, I couldn't take my eyes off them.  They were a pretty stark contrast to a lot of other bands back then.  Country Life, aside from the nice cover, was just an excellent album with great bass work.  And Uwe will probably agree that only Roxy could pull of a song with a chorus done in German.  Viva!

Absolutely acquired. It really wasn't until Love is the Drug in their later seventies phase that they approached writing something that was commercial without being mostly quirky. Gustafson's bass run on Love is the Drug is iconic - he had an offer to join permanently and declined "wanting to play harder music", silly bugger!

[uwe]

Here I go again, but in Cleveland there were played to death on the radio. They had a big following there. Looking back I realize how cutting edge Cleveland used to be. They regularly played Zappa (Dinamoe hum), Alex Harvey (Gang Bang) & Most of Roxy music through out their history.

I always viewed Roxy Music as an Euro Rock Art band. Ferry's singing & personalty was Roxy Music to me. People either seem to love or hate Brain Ferry's vibrato singing.

One of my favorite bands now is Buck -Tick who are like a Japanese Roxy Music- Each Buck-Tick LP is different from all there others.

If you like Roxy Music you should enjoy Buck-Tick.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M83qG1zWWk&feature=related

Very nice. Track 1 reminds me of Japan (the brit band), but then they were a 2nd generation Roxy. Track II is more in the HIM vein to me.  


With TBird Content!


Japanese is a beautiful language when sung and it is nice to hear it here with someone who can actually sing rather than some squeaky girlie voice. Got to get a CD of them. So far the Japanese content of my CD collection is limited to Dir en Grey and Yoko Ono! Which album is track two on, John?

[Barklessdog]

Roxy Music is an acquired taste, in my book.  Like a lot of bands, they were hit and miss, but they've stood up fairly well over time.  I got hooked when they were on either In Concert or Midnight Special.  They did "Editions of You", and when Ferry, decked out in a white dinner jacket, sauntered up to the mic for the first verse, I couldn't take my eyes off them.  They were a pretty stark contrast to a lot of other bands back then.  Country Life, aside from the nice cover, was just an excellent album with great bass work.  And Uwe will probably agree that only Roxy could pull of a song with a chorus done in German.  Viva!

The album covers alone were worth buying as a young teen!

I really like the harsher staccato sound of German & Japanse, in English it just does not sound as good to me. You loose so much.  French & Spanish are much softer sounding and do not fit as well for hard rock in my opinion.