Roxy Music burst onto the scene in 1972. This English outfit was the instrument for showcasing Bryan Ferry’s out there, glam rock bent. His unmistakable, Dylanesque voice was the key to the band’s sound. But he put together some top musos to back himself: Phil Manzanera is an excellent lead guitarist in the mode of fellow Brit Mick Ronson; Andy McKay blows a mean, cool tenor sax; and this was the band that keyboard-wiz-come-producer Eno cut his teeth on. ‘The band were leading proponents of the more experimental, musically sophisticated element of glam, as well as a significant influence on early English punk music’ (Wikipedia).
Just take a look at the cover photos of their debut eponymous album, and you can appreciate that this band were an avant-garde outfit. Oh to be in London in those heady days. The only normal looking member was bassist Graham Simpson. He’s so straight that he looks quite out of place in Roxy. Of course, the standout track is the single, ‘Virginia Plain’. Again, looking at the cover ,she was anything but plain.
This is my favourite period of Roxy. Later on they became more fashionable with hits like ‘Avalon’ and ‘More than this’. Na, give me the cutting edge, alternative band any day. With one exception: Ferry’s solo career. He took on board the American songbook way before others had thought of doing it. His expressive, bending notes somehow suit the old standards. I love his covers, because they are real covers—he puts his unmistakable signature on these forever-loved tunes. My favourites are “Smoke gets in your eyes”, “As Time Goes By” and “You are my sunshine”. And somehow he slipped in Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”—what a brilliant cover! From the 50s he also covered the Leslie Gore hit “It’s my party”—I believe him, it would have been a helluva party!
All told the band made eight albums. Then Bryan went solo. He was really popular in Europe: Paris is where he recorded his DVD concert. Then in 2007 he recorded the album Dylanesque; I’ll definitely have to buy that one. These days he’s living the life of an upper class, English squire. He signed a deal with Marks & Spencer to advertise their menswear; he made the Sunday Times Rich List (he’s apparently worth £30 million; and to top it off he was awarded a CBE in 2011. I can imagine him right now sipping martinis in the exclusive Hyde Park Hotel in London, discussing share prices with his rich confidantes. It’s a long way from his working class upbringing in rural Sunderland.
The first track is ‘Ladytron’ (1972) from their debut album. The oboeist gets things going, while the rest of the band stand in orchestral position. Ferry is in fine form (and fine attire dressed in his tiger coat). It turns out that the oboeist is really saxophonist McKay. Phil Manzanera has an easy time just playing huge chords. And I can’t omit Eno, dressed in his leopard coat and having a ball twisting his knobs. Actually he gets most of the attention from the film projectionist. All in all it makes quite a racket.
The second track is Bryan solo, the song the classic, love strain ‘As Times Go By’ from the ultra famous film Casablanca. The piano intro and Bryan’s entry are pure Sinatra (although he would have hissed at my observation!). Bryan puts his spirit right into it—it’s quite a beautiful ballad. Ferry recorded this eponymously titled album way back in ’73. So now I get the picture: the glam thing was just his way of getting into the music scene. He was really a crooner all along; that’s what he loves doing best. Go for it mate: Sinatra made his millions that way.
Ralph's World of Music 