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Roxy Music documentary BBC4 2200 tonight (7/12)

Marchbanks

Marchbanks

Hat and Beard member
I don't know if this is new, and I admit the blurb - "famous fans celebrate their history" - fills me with dread. But I thought I'd point it out anyway.
 
It was another one of those cheaply assembled archive (the usual) and talking heads jobs.
Sian Pattenden talked some sense.
Glenn Gregory's Sheffield stories were amusing. Sadie Frost was...reading from a Wiki entry? I swear she called Ferry Bowie at one point.
 
Haven't watched it yet, but will do. Read a review which said it showed how the BBC has been crippled by financial cuts. A lot of journalists have been moved on. So instead of an in-depth investigative documentary, we get some celebs making comments about Roxy. It'll be interesting to see what Shaun Ryder has to say.

Jack
 
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Yes sad state of affairs when they can't afford to make proper music docs.
Not a great deal of Shaun made the edit.
It's basically Celebrity Gogglebox Does Roxy.
 
Watched the first few minutes, then changed the channel as they cut to a sleb *in the middle of Virginia Plain*, which was then playing in the background while same sleb warbled on. Awful.
 
Worth it for the old clips, but not the talking heads. The couple from New Order had all the charisma of something with no charisma.
 
Was going to watch it and then saw it was part of the same "series" as the Stevie Wonder one last week. I'm almost move to write to the BBC. Just about acceptable as a 20 minute one-off piece of filler at 12am, but a series!
 
Not even a mention of Country Life, All I Want Is You nary a nod, nor any images of any of the album covers lest they offend.

Can anyone explain the point of Alan McGhee’s involvement?

Barring the music toe curlingly awful.
 
waxkinglyrical said:
Barring the music toe curlingly awful.
Click to expand...

Seanm said:
Was going to watch it and then saw it was part of the same "series" as the Stevie Wonder one last week. I'm almost move to write to the BBC. Just about acceptable as a 20 minute one-off piece of filler at 12am, but a series!
Click to expand...

Excellent, my method of always recording programmes onto the Humax and only viewing them weeks or months after transmission comes up trumps again - I’ll be deleting rather than watching both of those.
 
waxkinglyrical said:
Not even a mention of Country Life, All I Want Is You nary a nod, nor any images of any of the album covers lest they offend.

Can anyone explain the point of Alan McGhee’s involvement?

Barring the music toe curlingly awful.
Click to expand...

Thought that was Alan McGee, he looked awful, hope it's just old age but he didn't look well.
 
twotone said:
Thought that was Alan McGee, he looked awful, hope it's just old age but he didn't look well.
Click to expand...

It's saying something when Shaun Ryder sat next to you (in a knackered old kagool and shorts) looks healthier than you....

.....after Pete Shelley wouldn't be at all surprised if Alan is the next to leave us.
 
Well I enjoyed the clips anyway.

What I like about these programmes is that all of a sudden I realise I have not listened to my Roxy Music vinyl for years.

So perhaps I will listen to For Your Pleasure on Xmas Day - makes a change from Jingle Bells ?
 
For anyone who enjoys the earliest Roxy writing, there are now good quality copies in circulation of their rawest, most experimental 1971 demos. These include primitive iterations of things like BOB Medley, 2HB and The Bogus Man; lengthy, organic sound explorations favoured by Eno, Mackay and Manzanera, yet to be be neutered by Ferry.

For anyone who saw those early gigs, you may recall this as the thing you loved. Something only partially captured on that first album (their best) and never to be seen again.

How Ferry could have traduced Roxy so - reconfiguring it, in effect, into a smoking jacket and a box of cologne - remains one of life’s small sadnesses. That he achieved it with such speed should make the cognoscenti think.
 
I'd be interested to hear them, the first is also my favourite album.
Neutered is a bit harsh no?
You say "Roxy writing" but all of the tracks on the first (and second iirc) album are credited to Ferry, it was always Brian F's band...so it was up to him what he did with it...hence Eno's witty remark about there only being room for one Brian...take your point about the Lounge Lizard direction BF took them in.
 
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