ROXY MUSIC: 'Both Ends Burning' 1975

Reaganite Republican ^ | August 31, 2012 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

Roxy Music were an English art-rock group formed by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards), electronic music pioneer Brian Eno (synthesizer and 'treatments'), and others in 1971...

A mere 12 months later, the band had attained huge popular -and critical- success in the UK and Europe that lasted right-on-through the 1970s and into early 80s, beginning with the Top-10 debut album Roxy Music in 1972. 

Roxy Music was an astonishingly talented and innovative group, both in sound and trailblazing 'glam' stage show.  The band was highly influential, a significant source of inspiration to much of the English punk scene and a model for many New Wave acts and experimental electronic groups of the early 80s, i.e. Gary Newman, Talking Heads, Ultravox, etc.

While not quite as big a name in the States, most people I knew in college were plenty into them, myself very much included. Alas, the closest thing to a 'hit' Roxy Music ever experienced on our side of the pond might be 'Love is the Drug' (1975, #30 on US chart) or 1979's 'Dance Away' (#44)... yet both of these singles reached #2 in the UK.

Bryan Ferry -who is said to lean politically to the right- and co-founding member Eno have of course also had influential solo careers, the latter becoming one of the most significant record producers and collaborators of the late 20th century, with credits including albums by David Bowie, Devo, Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay.

And say what you want about the pants and the eye-patch-
all I know is wherever Brian Ferry is, there are always beautiful women... always:

Video/more at Reaganite Republican

[Joe 6-pack]

Hey sweety...talk about a coincidence, eh?

:-*

[wideawake]

Brian Ferry is supposedly a nostalgic Tory.

Brian Eno - whom I consider a musical genius - sadly has a political alignment that is more Hamas than Labour.

[GSWarrior]

Back in 1975 I purchased Siren based on the cover art alone. Roxy turned out to one of my most favorite groups ever.

BTW, I heard Discount Shoe Warehouse using Brian Ferry's version of "The In Crowd" in a commercial recently. Brian Ferry and DSW are pretty incongruous, IMO.

[Psalm 73]

Thanks for the post - big Brian Ferry fan - was just listening to "Boys and Girls" at work this morning (some sweet cuts with Mark Knopfler and David Sanborn).
Always thought Brian was one of the more cerebral musicians from that era - smooth vocals, too.

[Steely Tom]

I took the one on the right on a honeymoon.

Well, to be precise, I dreamed about doing so.

[MarDav]

Loved the live album called (I think) One More From the High Road—fantastic versions of “Can’t Let Go” “My Only Love” and Lennon’s “Jealous Guy”

Ferry’s vocals on that album were awesome.

[Dr. Sivana]

Brian Eno - whom I consider a musical genius - sadly has a political alignment that is more Hamas than Labour.

Really? I thought most of his electronica was sort of the music version of pop art. I tried to like Side 2 of the Eno influenced Heroes album by Bowie ... couldn't do it. Side 2 of Low was okay after repeated exposure, at least "Waszawa".

Eno also tied himself closely to Devo, early on, and they were (and are) pretty much a schtick novelty band with some weirdly creative videos.

His Island records material is depressing and not particularly deep. I had not had a chance to hear his collaborations with Fripp (Music for Sports), but I suspect I am not missing much.

[corkoman]

1982's Avalon was their Swan Song album - their best work. Still strikes me today as the most remarkable goodbye valentine to the fans.

Kills me when I hear those songs re-made as no other band can match what they had.

[corkoman]

The first track off his last album was called "Bone Bomb" and it glorifies a suicide bomber as she prepares to detonate herself in a crowded bus (assumably an Israeli bus) .

Eno was once my hero now not so much.

[SevenofNine]

I remember the walking scene Sharon Stone did in Casino Love is a drug when she first met Dinero characther in that movie

[SevenofNine]

This scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KJ7l4gy4oo

[God luvs America]

i was never a Roxy Music fans until 1985 when i was sitting in JFK Stadium at the Live Aid show and watched their performance from Wembly on the big screen....captured me immediately:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGso4_ZthfY

[wideawake]

I'm a enthusiast of Gregorian chant, dub, minimal techno, coldwave, krautrock and afrobeat - so I'm definitely biased toward ambient, minimalist music.

I see Eno as being the progenitor of acts like NEU!, Autechre, Shackleton, Wire, etc.

I agree that minimalism was a stylistic deadend for Bowie and I completely share your opinion of Devo.

[discostu]

Love Roxy. What’s most amazing to me about the band is how much their music changed in just 11 years and 8 albums. And yet if you listen to them in order you find it’s a very gradual change, each album very logically follows the previous in musical style as they slowly get less psychedelic and more lush.

[Reaganite Republican]

Superb performance- I can see why!

[Reaganite Republican]

Oh, Eno is plenty weird... you know, I think he best work was with early Roxy Music! Groundbreaking and far more digestible than his own later stuff.

[Dr. Sivana]

I'm a enthusiast of Gregorian chant, dub, minimal techno, coldwave, krautrock and afrobeat - so I'm definitely biased toward ambient, minimalist music.

I see Eno as being the progenitor of acts like NEU!, Autechre, Shackleton, Wire, etc.

Wow. Like two ships passing in the night. I have not heard of a single group in your second paragraph, as I have been pulling a Benjamin Button in terms of music taste. I started listening to Kraftwerk in '73 and Fripp a bit later (Under Heavy Manners), now I am spanning the range of Scott Joplin to pre-British Invasion pop-music. As a Catholic, I tried to cultivate an appreciation for Gregorian Chant, but it doesn't come naturally (I DO like Mozart's Requiem, though, hardly minimalist I suppose.)

I do not pretend I have a great ear for music or poetry. I like what I like, and I avoid profane, explicit or blasphemous lyrics.

[floralamiss]

No kidding, honey! :-*