ROXY MUSIC

I must back up a previous reviewer who recently submitted his thoughts on this LP - he has done a great job - 'Roxy Music' is a phenomenal album presenting the public with something that's seemingly accessible at first, but actually has a lot of revolutionary ideas and a sensational 'new' sound/style. Yes, they look 'glam', no they are NOT anything to do with that scene (musically speaking), and the song-writing is focused and to- the-point, with lots of abstract twists. From track 1, 'Re-Make - Re-Model' the overall vibe is set, a punchy track where at one point every member of the band gets a 'solo bar' to themselves. The sound of this song is superb and representative of what to expect throughout the LP, with ex-Crimsoner Pete Sinfield handling the production - Paul Thompson's drumming sounds really, really good on this album, and might I add, he has an uncanny resemblence to Ozzy Osbourne in the gatefold photo !!. They utilise many off-beat ideas throughout the compositions on this album - especially Eno's 'unconventional' use of the complex and cumbersome VCS 3 synthesizer, incredibly original.

This is an album that can impress both fans of the more accessible stylings of prog, and, truly hold the attention of complex prog lovers just the same. Granted that it came out during the year I was born, I surmise it made a large enough impact at the time of its release back then, and continues to unleash its influence these days, despite the commercial direction the band followed from the late 70's onward. A masterpiece.