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Post by oh oooh on Jan 7, 2019 8:31:18 GMT
when did you first hear them?
what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
what's your least favourite track?
how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
did you ever see them?
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Post by Charlie O. on Jan 7, 2019 9:06:34 GMT
when did you first hear them?
I vaguely remember hearing "Love Is The Drug" on the radio once or twice in the '70s, but I won't count that. When I was in college - late '85, I think - a friend played me a couple of cuts off the Greatest Hits LP ("Editions Of You" and I forget what else), and I went out and bought the same LP for myself.
Oh, wait - I forgot about "More Than This"! I loved that song. Bought the 45. Loved the b-side, too ("Always Unknowing"). Took my time investigating further, obviously.
what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
That's hard to answer, in part because my real first impressions were from reading about them and seeing pictures of them in CREEM Magazine, starting years before I heard them. When I did start getting into their records in earnest, I kind of got into them all at once. I thought they got better with each album through Siren, and that remains my minority opinion. But I like/love them all except maybe Flesh And Blood.
what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
Siren. Couldn't pick one favorite track, I don't think.
what's your least favourite track?
Dunno.
how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
A few surface similarities notwithstanding, I think they were doing very different things. Roxy Music's thing means more to me, overall, but Bowie was probably the stronger singles artist and was certainly more charismatic than Ferry.
how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
Another hard question. I do perceive a difference, but at the same time I do perceive a continuity (that is, Manifesto didn't feel like a Ferry solo album that he got Manzanera and Mackay to play on so it could be marketed as a RM album). I guess the answer is: not enormous. But I do listen to the Mark I records a lot more.
did you ever see them?
When they reunited. It was enjoyable, but at $85 US it was also the most I'd ever paid to see a rock show. I would have enjoyed it more if it had been less expensive. And if I'd enjoyed it a lot more, I wouldn't still remember how expensive it was.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2019 18:27:29 GMT
I started to answer this but abandoned it due to lack of in-depth knowledge. I will say that I'm surprised that people can remember thins like the first time they ever heard prolific bands like this - I certainly can't. And why do you ask for comparisons with Bowie? Are the various musical styles so similar? Or is it a posey singer thing? I could never stan d Bowie's voice when it was all Anthony Newley (which unfortunately I heard a lot). I've seen both Bowie and Bryan Ferry in concert - close to the stage for both; I was struck by just how good a singer Bowie was and made me check out more of his stuff. I'm prejudiced against Ferry - he's a dick. With a smug expression. Which I'm only able to forget when hearing songs I particularly like. I was very much on the Eno side. I know Phil M. Was at the launch of his latest (2015) album 'The Sound Of Blue', where he played with Andy Mackay and others, it's really very good. Worth checking out - plug: burningshed.com/store/philmanzanera/product/493/6464/ |
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loveless
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Post by loveless on Jan 7, 2019 22:02:31 GMT
when did you first hear them?
Oh, surely, I first heard them in the MTV era. Undoubtedly "Avalon".
what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
That is a lovely piece of music - I probably like it as much now as I did then.
Naturally, as time goes on, I see it now as a sort of mellow postscript to a somewhat varied progression that had more jagged edges near the beginning/middle. This seems like neither a virtue nor a failing.
what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
They have far bigger fans than I. I really get a lot out of For Your Pleasure...just the overall sound and character of it. Even their first album seems a fair bit less solid in my eyes.
You'll laugh, but...there's something quite sweet about "Dance Away" that I have to commit to.
what's your least favourite track?
I don't know them all, by any stretch. There's something about "Love is the Drug" that grates a bit, to be completely honest. I could live without "Jealous Guy".
how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
Oh, there's no comparison. He's done a lot of incredible stuff. I've sort of basically signed on with his "purple patch" in a way that I just don't with Roxy.
how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
You know - I'm inclined to credit Eno with a lot of the sonic depth of something like "Dream Home" or "Strictly Confidential", but...there's such a finite amount of "Mark I" that I don't really feel TOO precious about its primacy. Mark II has its moments. I don't feel strongly.
did you ever see them?
I can scarcely remember what would have stopped me (conflict on the date, maybe?) from seeing the reunion tour in..2001/2 (?), but I probably should have. Charlie isn't filling me with much regret.
I did see Bryan about 4 years ago, basically realizing this was as close as I was ever going to get (the show was something like 80% Roxy). He was the very picture of "a man palpably pacing himself"
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Post by rayge on Jan 7, 2019 22:05:13 GMT
when did you first hear them?
Doing Virginia Plain on TOTP
what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
I liked their music, but I thought thy looked like a bunch of dicks. I still like the music, but I've mellowed on the presentation.
what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
For Your Pleasure. lots of tracks I'm fond of - most of side one of FYP for a start, but I'm going to go with Virginia Plain
what's your least favourite track?
There's a few I skipped on the later albums, but it's in my nature to forget what doesn't appeal
how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
Apples and orange hair.
how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
Never bothered with II, si can't say - bit of a gulf
did you ever see them?
nope
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toomanyhatz
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Post by toomanyhatz on Jan 8, 2019 0:31:23 GMT
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toomanyhatz
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I've met him/her. He/she's great!!
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Post by toomanyhatz on Jan 8, 2019 0:33:05 GMT
when did you first hear them?
Don't remember. Likely bought a used LP at the record store across the street from my High School, that's how I heard most stuff for the first time if not the radio.
what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
I honestly don't remember. I think I was neither an instant fan nor a hesitant one. The more I heard, the more I grew into the opinion that has stayed consistent ever since the first time I'd heard all of it. Which is: great but short of life-changing.
what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
Any of the first four at one time or another, but most consistently Stranded/Street Life
what's your least favourite track?
Not sure which is the worse cover on Flesh and Blood. They're both pretty bad.
how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
Bowie looms much larger for me ultimately, but for a few years in the early 80s Roxy was much better and doing more interesting stuff. For that matter, Ferry was a better solo artist than Davie too for a while. But I can't think of a single RM album that would make, say, a top 100 for me.
how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
Depends how you split it up. I think there's 3 versions, which I split by keyboardists - Mark I being Eno, II being Jobson, III being session hacks. Of the three, I rate them II, I, III. I think Eno does too fwiw. But I like all three incarnations quite a bit. I own all their albums (which is not a need of mine with Bowie).
did you ever see them?
No.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Jan 8, 2019 11:39:18 GMT
when did you first hear them?
I was aware of Virginia Plain before I really knew what Roxy Music was. It was one of those songs my parents loved so occasionally it would be referenced on the telly or the song would be played on some old TOTP repeat and the old man would start singing away and doing air guitar. what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
I suspect I probably thought they looked like twats. Paul Thompson in his Fred Flintstone get up. McKay looking like some crap alien from an Ed Wood movie. I always thought Manzanera’s shades were freakishly cool though but then that whole glam period was fool of funny looking fellas. I don’t recall filing them alongside T-Rex or Slade though. The music was too weird and sinister for that. What’s my impression of them these days? Oh I think they are one of a handful of perfect rock n roll creations. Mark one anyway. Music, lyrics, artwork, aesthetic etc all co-existing in perfect, mature balance and that’s such a rare thing. They had such intelligence and vision, you know and right from the very beginning but I was too young initially to quite grasp all that I think. what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
Debut: the weirdest they ever got. Art rock, unashamedly so but never inaccessible. One of those rare debuts that just arrived fully formed like it had been beamed down from Venus. I think its combination of weirdness/ experimentation and TUNES has seldom been bettered. If There Is Something is a masterpiece. A handful of tracks aren’t far behind. Some of the oddest sounds in rock too. I like all of it, even The Bob which is them are their most angular and strange; that Eno section is just so cool and odd, a real stroke of brilliance. For Your Pleasure: Maybe their strongest, track for track anyway. One of those albums where the sleeve just really captures the essence of the music: the dark decadence and seductive allure of The Glamourous Life. The opening double whammy is stellar. How great is Beauty Queen? In Every Dream Home…. is one of my favourite lyrics. Damn near every line thrills and delights. Who the hell uses words like faucet in a rock n roll song? (see also: potatoes in If There Is Something). The emptiness of the me decade and the bourgeoisie recast as a perverted love song to a sex doll. Fantastic. What a great image. Totally Roxy. Stranded: The beginning of the smoother Roxy but still with enough weird and wonky edges to keep it real. Just Like You is gorgeous. Amazona is magnificent – that instrumental section where Thompson and Manzanera cut loose! Side two represents a peak of 70s rock. For years I was bored by Psalm but I quite like it now. The rest is greatness though. Favourite track: Mother of Pearl. A predictable choice but, hey, it’s a masterpiece. The chattering fury of the intro, the sudden break down into the verse – a beautiful, inspired moment – the sheer grace and elegance of the performance. The moment when Thompsons drums take the song up a whole other level. That sound effects: the kiss, the boomerang Theremin sound etc. It’s really bursting at the seams with music and ideas. what's your least favourite track?
Apart from something throwaway like Hula Kula I find them at their most boring on side two of Manifesto. I can’t even remember the song titles. how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
I think the first 5 are absolutely comparable to what Bowie was doing that decade. It’s one of the great album runs. They were more tasteful too. They didn’t have those moments of lyrical gaucheness that Bowie occasionally had. how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
Much less than it used to be. I found it very easy to dismiss mark 2 when I was younger. Partly because mark one represents something representative of my aesthetic I guess: weird, rock n roll music. Mark 2 seemed a bit naff in comparison. The weary yet hopeful romanticism seemed redolent of middle age to me but obviously you get older, your heart gets broken a couple of times and Mark 2 starts to make more sense. There is a lot to enjoy, particularly Flesh and Blood and Avalon. The latter does represent a peak for them and I’m glad they went out on a high. I’ll always love mark one more but there is a time and place for Avalon. did you ever see them?No |
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Jan 8, 2019 11:46:03 GMT
I didn't mean to quote Loveless there. I thought I'd deleted the quote part.
Stupid fucking new board
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Post by dipstick on Jan 8, 2019 12:45:30 GMT
when did you first hear them?
As a kid, it would have been "Avalon" on MTV around the time of its release.
what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
It was adult music, for boring old people. The lady singing over top was strange and the video was just part of the landscape of the time. Otherwise I gave it no other thought.
Around 1990 I got a Rolling Stone Album Guide, and was facinated by bands scoring 4.5 to 5 stars over consecutive albums. Roxy was one of those I tried to seek out, but it being America all I could find in the record shop was Avalon and I avoided it. Even later in the CD age they were hard to find.
Fast forward to about 2006/2007 and I participated in the secret Santa on Black Cat Bone. Diamond Dog sent me a mix with some early Roxy and I was stopped dead in my tracks. By this time the albums were easily available so I dove in head first. They were soon one of my favorite bands and still are.
what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
Siren is probably my favorite album all the way through. My favorite track today is "Mother of Pearl" but this changes regularly. I particularly like the first three tracks of Stranded.
what's your least favourite track?
Other than the lesser tracks on Manifesto, I really struggle with "The Bogus Man" being almost 10 minutes. It goes nowhere!
how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
Equally great in my eyes. I forgive them for their screwups more than many.
how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
Even though I didn't like the mkii music as a kid, I have since come to appreciate it as I've grown into a boring ass adult. I still rate mki higher, but not by much. To me it's one of the more fascinating transformations.
did you ever see them?
No. Damnit.
Also there should be a question about favorite Roxy album cover. Flesh and Blood is probably my favorite, but most of them are captivating in their own way.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2019 22:50:43 GMT
Well that makes a change  |
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Post by cha7ice on Jan 11, 2019 13:36:02 GMT
when did you first hear them?
key party Margate, 1972, one house was used to house all the kids whilst the parents played, older kids watching us controlled the phono
what were your first impressions? how have they changed over time?
I guess it sounded modern and weird for its time, but sort of slight, too
what's your favourite album? your favourite track?
the middle three, Ferry's gospel years
what's your least favourite track?
I have come to regard the two Eno albums as lacking, whatever weirdness/freshness they had has long worn off, even by post punk's time
how do you rate Bowie relative to them?
Bowie was obsessed with Ferry. Bowie's dead.
how big is the gap between Roxy Mark I and Roxy Mark II for you?
not too large, Eno wasn't yet Eno, would have liked who he became to have been part of the middle albums, or at least the last three
did you ever see them?
yes, numerous times, always tight live, but disappointing as men, but the road does that, I guess
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2019 13:56:03 GMT
disappointing as men, but the road does that, I guess Interesting - what makes you say that (Ferry's a dick, but the others?)? |
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Post by cha7ice on Jan 11, 2019 14:18:08 GMT
disappointing as men, but the road does that, I guess Interesting - what makes you say that (Ferry's a dick, but the others?)? Simple, in that era if you were a female and wanted to meet the band, you needed to be accompanied or with a mixed group or it was assumed you were there as a groupie. Men, entitlement, loneliness, drink, etc., and a young woman are not a good mix. Bryan was always a gentleman, despite his UK profile. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2019 14:21:31 GMT
So you know about their behaviour? I'd be very interested in hearing more.
And Ferry is very into the 'gentleman' thing. And he likes his women to be 'ladies'. Still a dick, mind.
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