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Thread: Roxy Music - One of the Many Gaping Holes in my Collection

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    Recently Resurrected zombywoof's Avatar
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    Roxy Music - One of the Many Gaping Holes in my Collection

    The thread title says it all. What do I need? What should I start with? Don't say 'all of them' ...

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    Start with the first two with Eno- the eponymous debut and 'For Your Pleasure'.

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    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    The first 2 and then
    Country Life !!
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
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    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Start with the self-titled debut and proceed chronologically. Discontinue when/if it starts sounding too "mainstream" for you. Generally speaking, the earlier the album, the higher the progginess/quirkiness factor. That said, Siren is one of my favorites, even though the weirdness quotient was almost entirely gone by then.

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    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Triscuits View Post
    Start with the self-titled debut and proceed chronologically. Discontinue when/if it starts sounding too "mainstream" for you. Generally speaking, the earlier the album, the higher the progginess/quirkiness factor. That said, Siren is one of my favorites, even though the weirdness quotient was almost entirely gone by then.
    I agree with everything Mr. Triscuits sez, with the addition of saying it's worth buying the cheapie DVD of their Musik Laden appearances

    http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...spc-33016.aspx

    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

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    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    Avalon.
    "Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
    "I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
    "I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by zombywoof View Post
    Don't say 'all of them' ...
    B-b-b-but . . .
    http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Studi...rds=roxy+music

    I bought the first two individually. Then the box came out. Got the box. Didn't regret it. Still don't. (And it's a beautiful box!)

    Roxy is right up there, man. One of my all-time favorites.
    I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.

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    ^If you did get that, you wouldn't have 'Viva'. For me that's one of the great live albums but is underrated- maybe because of its length (or lack thereof).

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    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    ^If you did get that, you wouldn't have 'Viva'. For me that's one of the great live albums but is underrated- maybe because of its length (or lack thereof).
    My beef with Viva! is that what should have been one of its highlights--the live "For Your Pleasure"--was left off the album and relegated to a B-side.

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    ^It deserves a deluxe re-release. What is there is fantastic- they were a heavier group than in the studio.

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    If what you already know and like are the late 70s & early 80s singles then you should skip the debut and the 2nd album For Your Pleasure. I love RM but I think the first 2 albums are bloody awful, and aren't at all representative of the RM that most people know and like.
    Start with Manifesto, from 79, which contains their 2 best known and biggest singles, so it should be familiar to you.
    Then either jump backwards to Country Life from 74 or Stranded from 73 and then forward to Avalon from 82.

    Once you've heard those 4 you'll know what period you like.

    I have many other RM albums but I rarely listen to them, and as far as I'm concerned they are for completists only.

    HOWEVER, if the 70s/80s singles aren't what you like, then start with the debut.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    ^If you did get that, you wouldn't have 'Viva'. For me that's one of the great live albums but is underrated- maybe because of its length (or lack thereof).
    Oh, I gots it all right.

    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    ^It deserves a deluxe re-release. What is there is fantastic- they were a heavier group than in the studio.
    And, yep. How about a live boxed set? I'd buy that.
    I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.

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    Yes, I just meant for prospective buyers of that box rather than you personally.

    There is that DVD that came out in 2007 which featured various live things amongst their promo videos. As with many bands I'm less interested in the later live stuff- too many session players and backing vocalists.

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    Recently Resurrected zombywoof's Avatar
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    The ONLY thing I know is "Out of the Blue". Which I like.

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    I agree with people who say start with the first two. "The Bogus Man" rules. Then do yourself a favor and detour into Eno's first four 'vocal' albums -- 'Here Come the Warm Jets', 'Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)', 'Another Green World', and 'Before and After Science' -- a total goldmine of genius songcraft.

  16. #16
    For my money, their debut is one of the all-time best first from anybody. Pretty close to essential, I'd say. And Virginia Plain is as near to a perfect pop song as glam or prog came. I like For Your Pleasure less than the debut, but it's still fairly solid. For some reason I've never gotten into the post-Eno stuff that much, though I quite like Avalon.

    Slightly off-topic but The Melvins/Jello Biafra did a cover of In Every Dream Home A Heartache on their most recent covers album, Everybody Loves Sausages, that I actually prefer to the original.

    +1 on Nador's post above. By all means get the first four Eno albums if you don't have them. Like now.

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    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Obscured View Post
    Avalon.
    Most assuredly!
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

    President Harry S. Truman

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Triscuits View Post
    Start with the self-titled debut and proceed chronologically. Discontinue when/if it starts sounding too "mainstream" for you. Generally speaking, the earlier the album, the higher the progginess/quirkiness factor. That said, Siren is one of my favorites, even though the weirdness quotient was almost entirely gone by then.
    Yeah, what you said. Siren was a very personal album for Bryan, and I imagine it was very tough to put his heart on his sleeve like that.

    But the first album was thinking way, way out of the box. In spite of its uninspiring title, “The Bob (Medley)” is mainly electronics and audio montage with snippets of song weaving in and out. Very avant-garde. Nothing they did since (including For Your Pleasure, the other album with Eno) was this daring and experimental. But I’d say that anything up to and including Siren is worth your while. The reformation albums are just straight pop music, but Avalon has the distinction of at least being exquisitely performed, written and produced.

    Quote Originally Posted by zombywoof View Post
    The ONLY thing I know is "Out of the Blue". Which I like.
    That is probably Eddie Jobson’s career highlight as a violinist. I never tire of listening to it!
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

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    Member mellotron storm's Avatar
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    My favourite is the debut followed by For Your Pleasure, i'd probably include Avalon if I was giving a top three which apparently I just did.
    "The wind is slowly tearing her apart"
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    Anekdoten

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by frippster View Post

    Slightly off-topic but The Melvins/Jello Biafra did a cover of In Every Dream Home A Heartache on their most recent covers album, Everybody Loves Sausages, that I actually prefer to the original.
    Not at all. It's even more paranoid and unhinged than the original. Maybe this will turn some folks on to the Melvins, too:

    I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.

  22. #22
    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    I hope my frail old body & ears will be able to handle the Melvins. They're playing in Madison on Thurs, July 9th at the High Noon Saloon (capacity 450).

    Can you say f*****g deafening!

    70 year olds should just not be doing this shit, but it's the f*****g Melvins in a bar!

    I don't even like punk/post-punk/grunge/thrash-metal music much at all, but it's the f*****g Melvins in a bar!

    At my age, I ain't gonna miss a legendary, influential band like that in a bar!

    Midwest people - not sold out yet. $17 in adv. $20 day of show!.
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

    President Harry S. Truman

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    Quote Originally Posted by Obscured View Post
    Avalon.
    This one is so different than early Roxy that we may as well be talking about two different bands...

    That being said, IMHO Avalon is probably the greatest "Adult Contemporary Pop" record ever made. Smooth, wistful and romantic but never cheesy, sappy or maudlin.

    An amazing ***** effort. Hard to believe they quit after this one.

  24. #24
    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    I didn't know anything about the early 70s Roxy when I first heard them in the late 70s, so am quite happy with the ManifestoFlesh + BloodAvalon trio. They're all full of excellent art pop in a David Bowie sort of vein.

    If you dig "Out of the Blue" then definitely get Country Life, since Jobson can be heard throughout (though there's nothing else on the record that's as good). He's also on the album that precedes it, Stranded.

    Then I'd recommend what others have -- start with the debut and work forward from there.

    To me the first few albums are of a kind, and can be an acquired taste. Roxy was progressive with a small "p", so don't expect anything remotely similar to most of the music we talk about on ProgEars. Bowie or some Krautrock bands are the closest comparisons in my book.
    I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.

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    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    First five albums are essential. Avalon as well depending on your tolerance for pop. It is VERY different from the early stuff but still a classic.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

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