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Roxy Music

Tony L

Tony L

Administrator
A new Complete Studio Albums box set on the way. I've read elsewhere (huge thread on Hoffman here) that it's intended to be a flatter, more faithful transfer than the rather bright and loud, yet still pretty presentable 1999 HDCDs, so I'm in, I've hit the preorder button. I've been spinning a fair bit of Roxy of late, most of it has held up rather well IMO. Shame they are too tight-ass to stick the live album Viva in the box though. Why not just finish the job?
 
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It's annoying that they've removed the DVD-As containing hi-res files that were initially scheduled for it, but it's nonetheless on pre order here as well.
 
Tempted cos my original vinyl isn't that tidy but the later stuff was pretty drab. You're right about Viva - one of my favourite live albums and fortunately I have a decent copy.
 
The high-res doesn't matter in the slightest to me, I'm a believer that well mastered red book is fine. I just hope they go easy on the compressor and retain the warmth and weight of the original vinyl. The most interesting thing is the apparent admission that the rather hyped-up 1999 remasters were a mistake, I hope this means they'll be done right. I get the impression some of the original masters are already ruined due to age, so what they can achieve is anyone's guess, e.g. all they have to work with for Avalon is a 16 bit safety copy taken back in the 1990s as the master fell apart after a baking.
 
Hmm. I think I'll wait until some reviews come in or maybe wait for the individual albums. I'm only interested up to Siren and I have fairly decent original vinyls of the first three. Leaving Viva out is definitely tight too. Also: My HD is full, so it's one in / one out from now on.
 
The hi-rez is a deal breaker to me as I already own the entire Roxy catalogue on vinyl(in the loft), and HDCD so if I'm going to spend again I want something extra.
 
I like the fact that they have put all the singles A+B sides and alt single mixes onto another set of 2 disks. They have also put the CDs into card sleeves (Japanese style). I suspect that the sound will be more like the pretty much impossible to find 'flat' Japanese Toshiba Black Triangle CDs.

Although I'm naturally curious about unreleased materials (usually for one or two seconds), I've always respected bands/artists that refuse to clutter up (i.e. muddy) the legacy with extra material that should never see the light of day, so kudos to Roxy Music for again not adding anything outside their official canon. Having said that I just read that the re-release of the first LP will have the outakes, the demos and the sessions!

A lot of positive aspects to this release, but I hope they'll be available separately as, personally, I have no interest in anything after the first two LPs!
 
mr.datsun said:
I hope they'll be available separately as, personally, I have no interest in anything after the first two LPs.
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That had always been my view, but I've reconsidered after having a good listen over the past few days (it's all up on Spotify). The later stuff sounds far better than I remember, in many ways I think time has helped it - there is perhaps a nice nostalgia aspect to it, plus I think I'm now less inclined to compare it to the Eno period and can better accept it as a whole other thing of it's own. It's all stuff I remember subconsciously as it was just 'there' in the late 70s / early 80s and I'm actually looking forward to properly discovering it. All I have is nice Island vinyl originals of the first three plus Viva, so plenty to investigate.
 
Thinking on it, I'd not be surprised if they released the hi-res files with the vinyl reissue (should that happen). More income for the Bryatolla.
 
I relistened to Manifesto a couple of months ago, for the first time since about 1980 probably. Bloody awful, apart from the first two tracks. I'll stick with the first two LPs and very edited highlights from the next three. There is some fantastic early Roxy TV footage around on various not-exactly-official DVDs too.
 
sideshowbob said:
I relistened to Manifesto a couple of months ago, for the first time since about 1980 probably. Bloody awful, apart from the first two tracks. I'll stick with the first two LPs and very edited highlights from the next three. There is some fantastic early Roxy TV footage around on various not-exactly-official DVDs too.
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I had a copy of Manifesto that went awol years ago but I picked up a fresh one a couple of weeks back in a local charity shop. My reaction was much the same as yours. It's as though they sequenced the album based purely on quality, as you can hear it slipping away track by track.

As for the earlier records, I think Stranded is up there with the first two.
 
I love their first LP and For Your Pleasure, the rest is well overrated (and Bryan Ferry is a fart).
 
sideshowbob said:
I relistened to Manifesto a couple of months ago, for the first time since about 1980 probably. Bloody awful, apart from the first two tracks. I'll stick with the first two LPs and very edited highlights from the next three.
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Yes; even Stranded hasn't worn too well, while the subsequent albums had a decent track or two with a lot of stuff that went on too long and/or contained pretentious Ferry lyrics.
 
Joe Hutch said:
Yes; even Stranded hasn't worn too well, while the subsequent albums had a decent track or two with a lot of stuff that went on too long and/or contained pretentious Ferry lyrics.
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Surely pretentious Ferry lyrics are a given regardless of period? That's what he's for. I've played Stranded, Country Life, Sirens and Avalon over the past few days and rather enjoyed them all to be honest. I'd need to go back and cross-reference, but I suspect Country Life is better than Stranded. My favourites will always be For Your Pleasure and the debut, but there is plenty of value in the rest IMO.
 
I go first 5 albums and that's it (plus Viva of course). All have much good stuff on them. They then went really awful really fast.
 
Tony L said:
That had always been my view, but I've reconsidered after having a good listen over the past few days (it's all up on Spotify). The later stuff sounds far better than I remember, in many ways I think time has helped it - there is perhaps a nice nostalgia aspect to it, plus I think I'm now less inclined to compare it to the Eno period and can better accept it as a whole other thing of it's own. It's all stuff I remember subconsciously as it was just 'there' in the late 70s / early 80s and I'm actually looking forward to properly discovering it. All I have is nice Island vinyl originals of the first three plus Viva, so plenty to investigate.
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I have tried to like Stranded but never got beyond a sense of it's increased musicality or what I would say was the onset of the normalisation of Roxy Music. And at some point around then I also got a strong feeling that Bryan Ferry was already starting to align himself with, to believe in, the very same lifestyle subject that he had seemed to be satirising before. He appears to have forgotten all about Richard Hamilton's and Duchamp's influence. I guess the glamour was just too much for him.

Still, I saw them live with Eno when I was a teenager! That was something.
 
mr.datsun said:
I have tried to like Stranded but never got beyond a sense of it's increased musicality or what I would say was the onset of the normalisation of Roxy Music. And at some point around then I also got a strong feeling that Bryan Ferry was already starting to align himself with, to believe in, the very same lifestyle subject that he had seemed to be satirising before. He appears to have forgotten all about Richard Hamilton's and Duchamp's influence. I guess the glamour was just too much for him.
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Good observation.
 
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