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Roxy Music

Whilst we're discussing Roxy, I just like to throw in of my favourite one-liners from a review. This is from the All-music review of the DVD (not CD) set of Roxy's videos and live shows also called For the Thrill of it All - A Visual history.
"Although Ferry's sartorial sense remains unassailable, this material underlines his great paradox: with style to burn, he danced like your uncle at a wedding reception."

regards,

Giles
 
As we are on Ferry stories - he grew up in a council house just a few doors down Gainsborough Avenue in Washington, from Martin Stephenson's (of The Daintees) family home. Ferry's Dad looked after the pit ponies at the local mine and his Mum Polly was just a regular mum and wife in a working class mining community. Who'd a thought their little Bri would turn out like he did?
 
801 live really has a 70's feel to it. I also enjoy Manzanera's ''Primitive Guitars'' and ''Guitarissimo''
Diamond Head has been on a wish list for ages now
 
RickyC6 said:
As we are on Ferry stories - he grew up in a council house just a few doors down Gainsborough Avenue in Washington, from Martin Stephenson's (of The Daintees) family home. Ferry's Dad looked after the pit ponies at the local mine and his Mum Polly was just a regular mum and wife in a working class mining community. Who'd a thought their little Bri would turn out like he did?
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My wife's wee sister went out with Graham Simpson at the time they started to make it.

I only met him a couple of times, but he seemed a decent enough lad.

Chris
 
The first 2 or 3 albums were seminal. I went off them after Eno left. Bryan Ferry was the coolest man in pop for a while.
 
The Roxy Complete Studio Recordings box landed on my doormat today. It's good. The packaging is very nice; a hefty shiny box with inner tray (like The Beatles In Mono box) stuffed (rather too tightly) with the albums in really lovely high-gloss Japanese-style paper on board gatefold mini-LP sleeves with the CDs inside in colour-coordinated plain paper inner sleeves. The odd thing here is all albums are gatefolds, even the ones that weren't initially, and strangely these don't have the info of their original printed inners recreated on the new inner gatefold as an alternate pic from the original photo session for that album has been used instead (very nicely done indeed). There is also no booklet, so if you want recording details etc for the later albums you'll need to look to Wiki, AllMusic or wherever, but that's no great hardship.

The sound quality is also superb. These have been done right: they are quiet, have proper dynamic range and song-shape and sound to my ears just as they should. They remind me very much of the vinyl, certainly the same general character. There is no attempt to reinvent anything here, no revisionism. A world of difference between this mastering and the shouty / forward / brash / hyped-up and brick-walled sound of the last remaster. Full credit to all involved, this is a *very* good reissue box IMO. Highly recommended.
 
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I've only listened to the extras discs so far, so don't have comparisons for a lot of those tracks, but first impressions are good.

Apparently the deeeloooxe edition of the first album will include the Peel sessions, which is excellent news.
 
WRT latest masters: I am finding more remasters alongside the prior CD releases on Spotify. (Talking Heads are a case in point). The differences are immediate and obvious (not always better but thats a personal choice). I can hear clear obvious and immediate differences between the remasters and the prior releases. So 320Kbps is clearly good enough to allow that kind of difference to be appreciated. I expect in time these will appear up on Spotify alongside the 1999 masters. I only owned the first 3 LPs (and Avalon -- a guilty pleasure) but enjoying bits of the later catalogue (Stranded, Manifesto, Flesh + Blood). Too many compilations though.
 
PsB said:
Does anyone know if they are (or will be) available separately?
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I believe there are some 2xCD Deluxe Editions on the way which I'd hope would use the new masterings, but I'd check over on Steve Hoffman before actually buying. Some of the usual double CD 'Deluxe Editions' are bloody horrible compared to the original issues e.g. New Order, Donna Summer etc, just compressed, thin and hard by comparison - if the aim was to get my huge great Tannoys to sound like NS10s they largely succeed!

fox said:
WRT latest masters: I am finding more remasters alongside the prior CD releases on Spotify. (Talking Heads are a case in point). The differences are immediate and obvious (not always better but thats a personal choice). I can hear clear obvious and immediate differences between the remasters and the prior releases. So 320Kbps is clearly good enough to allow that kind of difference to be appreciated. I expect in time these will appear up on Spotify alongside the 1999 masters. I only owned the first 3 LPs (and Avalon -- a guilty pleasure) but enjoying bits of the later catalogue (Stranded, Manifesto, Flesh + Blood). Too many compilations though.
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Yes, Spotify, even at whatever quality the cheapskates like me get (I'm a fiver a month punter) is more than enough to detect brickwalled shitness from natural dynamics. I find Spotify a very useful tool as it's usually possible to identify which mastering is which (song times, bonus tracks, cover etc), so it lets me try before buying. To my mind the mastering is the most important aspect, far more important than what brand of hi-fi one uses etc. Source first and all that.
 
PsB said:
Does anyone know if they are (or will be) available separately?
Click to expand...

I was going to ask the same question. I have no desire to own a copy of Avalon or Flesh + Blood or the like, the box is expensive for two and a half albums of good stuff.
 
I borrowed CD 1 and 2 of this set, to listen to today. I was knocked out with how good they are. Always thought that the 1st Lp suffered from a rather dense inarticulate sound before this. I have never heard it sound this open, detailed, rhythmic and really musical. Really comes to life for me with this remaster.

Also thought that FYP was equally superb sounding, too. (One minor caveat is that to my ears there is a touch of brightness/sibilance in the vocal of Bogus Man - and perhaps on Grey Lagoon that follows. I wonder if anyone thought that?)

I will definitely get the 1st album box edition when it is released.
 
For those of you who like Roxy, and we're not around in the 70's you should really find a copy of Phil Manzaneera - Diamond Head and the 808 Live albums. Both are excellent, effectively Roxy without Ferry. The 808 Live recording is just stunning, lots of presence.

I recently purchased CD's of these and they are good. Some of the Roxy SHm's are good particularly Siren

Another band worth a listen is The Enid, and there is a web sight where you can buy their recordings.

Enjoy listening

Adrian
 
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