Roxy Music (album)
Encyclopedia
Roxy Music is the debut album by art rock
band Roxy Music
, released in June 1972. It was generally well-received by contemporary critics and made #10 in the UK charts.
", has been labelled a post-modernist
pastiche
, featuring solos by each member of the band echoing various touchstones of Western music, including The Beatles
' "Day Tripper
", Duane Eddy
's version of "Peter Gunn
" and Wagner
’s "Ride of the Valkyries
"; the esoteric chorus "CPL 593H" was supposedly the license number of a car, spotted by Bryan Ferry
, driven by a beautiful woman. Eno
produced some self-styled 'lunacy' when Ferry asked him for a sound "like the moon" for the track "Ladytron
". "If There Is Something
" was covered by David Bowie
's Tin Machine
, and was later featured, quite extensively, almost as a central figure, in the British film Flashbacks of a Fool
.
A number of songs were thematically linked to movies. "2HB
", with its punning title, was Ferry’s tribute to Humphrey Bogart
and quoted the line "Here’s looking at you, kid" made famous by the film Casablanca
(1942); "Chance Meeting" was inspired by David Lean
's Brief Encounter
(1945). "The Bob
" took its title from Battle of Britain
(1968) and included a passage simulating the sound of gunfire.
Discussing the music, Andy Mackay
later said "we certainly didn’t invent eclecticism but we did say and prove that rock 'n' roll could accommodate - well, anything really".
's lyricist, Peter Sinfield
, who had recently left that band. In May 1972, a few weeks after the recording sessions, a contract was signed with Island Records
and in June the album was released.
The band's penchant for glamour was showcased both in the lyrics and in the 1950-style album cover, with photography, hair dressing and art work credits detailed on the sleeve. The photographer, Karl Stoecker, shot the cover featuring model Kari-Ann Muller, who later married Chris Jagger, brother of Mick Jagger
. The album was dedicated to Susie, a drummer who auditioned for Roxy Music in the early days.
(catalog no. ILPS 9200), featured a gatefold sleeve picturing the band (including original bassist Graham Simpson) in stage attire designed by Antony Price
, and did not include "Virginia Plain
." The album's original U.S. release, in late 1972 on Warner Bros. Records
' Reprise
subsidiary (catalog no. MS 2114), included "Virginia Plain," which had since been issued as a single in the UK. The original U.S. release also featured a gatefold sleeve, but replaced Simpson's photo with that of Rik Kenton, who played bass on "Virginia Plain" following Simpson's departure from the group.
U.S. distribution of Roxy Music was transferred from Reprise to their affiliated company Atco Records
in 1976, and back to Reprise in the mid-1980s. LP editions of the album pressed in these timeframes were without the gatefold sleeve and band photographs, instead providing liner notes on the rear album cover.
release did not contain any singles. In July 1972, a few weeks after the contract was signed, Roxy Music recorded two more songs, "Virginia Plain
" and "The Numberer", that were released as a single. It peaked at #4 in the UK charts and helped push sales of the album, which itself went to #10. In most later repressings of the album, including CD versions, the song "Virginia Plain" has been included.
& Mojo
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #31 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".
Ferry was quoted around the time of their 3rd album, "Stranded" that he did not like the odd production of the first LP, and was re-recording many of the tracks (all listed below as + were featured as B sides of Ferry's solo singles).
.
(+ indicates tracks Ferry re-recorded as b-side
for his solo singles)
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, released in June 1972. It was generally well-received by contemporary critics and made #10 in the UK charts.
Style and themes
The opening track, "Re-Make/Re-ModelRe-Make/Re-Model
"Re-Make/Re-Model" is a song written by Bryan Ferry that appears as the opening track on Roxy Music's eponymous debut album.The recording starts with a musique concrète introduction, a short collage of cocktail party noise, before launching into a stereotypical 1950s song structure...
", has been labelled a post-modernist
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
, featuring solos by each member of the band echoing various touchstones of Western music, including The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Day Tripper
Day Tripper
"Day Tripper" is a song by The Beatles, released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out". Both songs were recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul album...
", Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
's version of "Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
" and Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
’s "Ride of the Valkyries
Ride of the Valkyries
The Ride of the Valkyries is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851...
"; the esoteric chorus "CPL 593H" was supposedly the license number of a car, spotted by Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
, driven by a beautiful woman. Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
produced some self-styled 'lunacy' when Ferry asked him for a sound "like the moon" for the track "Ladytron
Ladytron (song)
"Ladytron" is a song by Bryan Ferry, recorded by his band Roxy Music and appearing on their eponymous debut album. The British band Ladytron took their name from this song....
". "If There Is Something
If There Is Something
"If There Is Something" is a song by Bryan Ferry, recorded by his band Roxy Music for their eponymous debut album. A live version can be found on their Viva! live-album....
" was covered by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's Tin Machine
Tin Machine
Tin Machine was a hard rock band formed in 1988, famous for being fronted by singer David Bowie. The group recorded two studio albums before dissolving in 1992, when Bowie returned to his solo career...
, and was later featured, quite extensively, almost as a central figure, in the British film Flashbacks of a Fool
Flashbacks of a Fool
Flashbacks of a Fool is a 2008 British drama film about a Hollywood actor who, following the death of his childhood best friend, reflects upon his life and what might have been, had he stayed in England...
.
A number of songs were thematically linked to movies. "2HB
2HB
"2HB" is a song written by Bryan Ferry and included on Roxy Music's eponymous debut album. He also recorded a version for his 1976 solo album Let's Stick Together....
", with its punning title, was Ferry’s tribute to Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
and quoted the line "Here’s looking at you, kid" made famous by the film Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
(1942); "Chance Meeting" was inspired by David Lean
David Lean
Sir David Lean CBE was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best remembered for big-screen epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai , Lawrence of Arabia ,...
's Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter is a 1945 British film directed by David Lean about the conventions of British suburban life, centring on a housewife for whom real love brings unexpectedly violent emotions. The film stars Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey...
(1945). "The Bob
The Bob (Medley)
"The Bob " is a song written by Bryan Ferry and recorded by Roxy Music, appearing on the eponymous debut album. The song's title is an acronym for Battle of Britain. The sound of gunfire and explosions from the battlefields can be heard throughout the instrumental refrain...
" took its title from Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
(1968) and included a passage simulating the sound of gunfire.
Discussing the music, Andy Mackay
Andy Mackay
Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
later said "we certainly didn’t invent eclecticism but we did say and prove that rock 'n' roll could accommodate - well, anything really".
Production and cover art
The band had been rehearsing and re-working the songs for a couple of months before they finally found a recording place, after which the entire album was recorded in the space of a single week. This was necessary because there was no record deal as yet, and their managers at EG were financing the sessions themselves. The album was produced by King CrimsonKing Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
's lyricist, Peter Sinfield
Peter Sinfield
Peter John Sinfield is an English poet, lyricist and artist, most famously known as the lyricist and co-founding member of early incarnations of King Crimson, whose debut album In the Court of the Crimson King has been regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock albums ever...
, who had recently left that band. In May 1972, a few weeks after the recording sessions, a contract was signed with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and in June the album was released.
The band's penchant for glamour was showcased both in the lyrics and in the 1950-style album cover, with photography, hair dressing and art work credits detailed on the sleeve. The photographer, Karl Stoecker, shot the cover featuring model Kari-Ann Muller, who later married Chris Jagger, brother of Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
. The album was dedicated to Susie, a drummer who auditioned for Roxy Music in the early days.
Packaging
Roxy Music, particularly the album's LP incarnation, has been released in different packages over the years. The album's original cover, as issued in 1972 by Island RecordsIsland Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
(catalog no. ILPS 9200), featured a gatefold sleeve picturing the band (including original bassist Graham Simpson) in stage attire designed by Antony Price
Antony Price
Antony Price is a London fashion designer who is best known for glamorous evening wear and suits, and for the seventies icon of the cap sleeve t-shirt...
, and did not include "Virginia Plain
Virginia Plain
"Virginia Plain" is a song by British glam rock group Roxy Music, released as their debut single in August 1972. Written by Roxy frontman Bryan Ferry, "Virginia Plain" was recorded by his band in July 1972 at London's Command Studios...
." The album's original U.S. release, in late 1972 on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
' Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
subsidiary (catalog no. MS 2114), included "Virginia Plain," which had since been issued as a single in the UK. The original U.S. release also featured a gatefold sleeve, but replaced Simpson's photo with that of Rik Kenton, who played bass on "Virginia Plain" following Simpson's departure from the group.
U.S. distribution of Roxy Music was transferred from Reprise to their affiliated company Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
in 1976, and back to Reprise in the mid-1980s. LP editions of the album pressed in these timeframes were without the gatefold sleeve and band photographs, instead providing liner notes on the rear album cover.
Single
The original LPGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
release did not contain any singles. In July 1972, a few weeks after the contract was signed, Roxy Music recorded two more songs, "Virginia Plain
Virginia Plain
"Virginia Plain" is a song by British glam rock group Roxy Music, released as their debut single in August 1972. Written by Roxy frontman Bryan Ferry, "Virginia Plain" was recorded by his band in July 1972 at London's Command Studios...
" and "The Numberer", that were released as a single. It peaked at #4 in the UK charts and helped push sales of the album, which itself went to #10. In most later repressings of the album, including CD versions, the song "Virginia Plain" has been included.
Reception
In the QQ (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
& Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #31 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".
Ferry was quoted around the time of their 3rd album, "Stranded" that he did not like the odd production of the first LP, and was re-recording many of the tracks (all listed below as + were featured as B sides of Ferry's solo singles).
Track listing
All songs written by Bryan FerryBryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
.
(+ indicates tracks Ferry re-recorded as b-side
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
for his solo singles)
Side One
- "Re-Make/Re-ModelRe-Make/Re-Model"Re-Make/Re-Model" is a song written by Bryan Ferry that appears as the opening track on Roxy Music's eponymous debut album.The recording starts with a musique concrète introduction, a short collage of cocktail party noise, before launching into a stereotypical 1950s song structure...
" – 5:14+ - "LadytronLadytron (song)"Ladytron" is a song by Bryan Ferry, recorded by his band Roxy Music and appearing on their eponymous debut album. The British band Ladytron took their name from this song....
" – 4:26 - "If There Is SomethingIf There Is Something"If There Is Something" is a song by Bryan Ferry, recorded by his band Roxy Music for their eponymous debut album. A live version can be found on their Viva! live-album....
" – 6:34 - "Virginia PlainVirginia Plain"Virginia Plain" is a song by British glam rock group Roxy Music, released as their debut single in August 1972. Written by Roxy frontman Bryan Ferry, "Virginia Plain" was recorded by his band in July 1972 at London's Command Studios...
" – 2:58 (not included on the original British release) - "2HB2HB"2HB" is a song written by Bryan Ferry and included on Roxy Music's eponymous debut album. He also recorded a version for his 1976 solo album Let's Stick Together....
" – 4:30+
Side Two
- "The Bob (Medley)The Bob (Medley)"The Bob " is a song written by Bryan Ferry and recorded by Roxy Music, appearing on the eponymous debut album. The song's title is an acronym for Battle of Britain. The sound of gunfire and explosions from the battlefields can be heard throughout the instrumental refrain...
" – 5:48 - "Chance Meeting" – 3:08+
- "Would You Believe?" – 3:53
- "Sea Breezes" – 7:03+
- "Bitters EndBitters End"Bitters End" is the final song on Roxy Music's self-titled debut album, released in 1972.The song is based on a group vocal arrangement done in a satirical 1950s doo wop style. In the middle eight, the band sings 'bizarre', which seems to sum up the initial impact of the first listens to the album...
" – 2:03
Personnel
- Bryan FerryBryan FerryBryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
– vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Hohner PianetPianetthumb|Hohner Pianet TThe Pianet was a series of electric pianos built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany from the 1960s to the 1970s. The designer of the early Pianet models was Ernst Zacharias, basing the mechanism closely on a 1920s design by Lloyd Loar...
, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music... - Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– VCS3EMS VCS 3The VCS 3 is a portable analog synthesiser with a flexible semi-modular voice architecture, by Electronic Music Studios Limited in 1969....
synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, tape effects, backing vocals - Andy MackayAndy MackayAndrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
– oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, backing vocals - Phil ManzaneraPhil ManzaneraPhil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Graham Simpson - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Paul ThompsonPaul Thompson (musician)Paul Thompson is the drummer for Roxy Music from 1971 to 1980 and from 2001 onwards.In between those stints with Roxy Music, he was drummer in the Oi! band, Angelic Upstarts and the American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Rik Kenton – bass on "Virginia Plain"
Production
- Arranged By Roxy Music
- Produced By Peter Sinfield
- Engineered & Mixed By Andy Hendriksen
- All Songs Published By Buggane Music Ltd. (1972)