THE FIRST 7 ALBUMS

"The First Seven Albums" is a very special compilation of Roxy Music. This is an economic package that includes their first seven studio albums on only one package. It's a very interesting compilation because it includes almost the entire studio discography of Roxy Music in only one package, with the only exception of their last studio album "Avalon". So, it can be an interesting purchase for those who don't have these albums already. It probably saves money and space.

As I've already reviewed all these albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in a more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read all those reviews. However, in here I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I did before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of all those seven albums.

"Roxy Music": "Roxy Music" is an excellent, original and fantastic debut album. It's with "For Your Pleasure", one of the two albums that represent the first period, the most experimental and avant-garde period of them. They represent also the most interesting phase for all prog heads. Some songs of this album remind me the new wave music. This isn't really a surprising thing because, as we know, Roxy Music was one of the big inspirations of the new wave movement. Their debut is a classic. Roxy Music was a band that proved the innovative music can also be melodic and accessible.

"For Your Pleasure": "Roxy Music" and "For Your Pleasure" are the less accessible albums of them but are the best and most experimental and avant-garde of their career. Both albums represent the most interesting phase of the band for prog heads. Still, "For Your Pleasure" is better because is more balanced, mature and adult. Ferry took the reins a little more and Eno's influence diminished. There's no doubt this was the album which put the art into rock. We can question what would have been Roxy Music if Eno stayed in the band. But, I think there was no place for Ferry and Eno.

"Stranded": "Stranded" is a landmark in the change of the direction of the band. Without Eno their music lost the avant-garde and the experimentation of their previous two studio albums and became more art rock. The musicianship is excellent and the production is very professional. "Stranded" is one of the most sophisticated and charming albums of them. This is, perhaps, their best work after the departure of Eno. Even Eno later rated it as Roxy Music's finest album. So, if you're interested in their most prog phase without their avant-garde phase, "Stranded" is the right place to start.

"Country Life": Of all Roxy Music's studio albums, "Country Life" is their most rock album. I always thought this is an underrated album. "Country Life" is a great album that isn't inferior to "Siren". "Country Life" is essential for those who love the decadence, the glamour and the passion of art rock. Overall, "Country Life" is another step out of the more experimental sound of the first two Roxy Music's albums. If you liked "Stranded" you will not be disappointed. The new sounds are great, even if they aren't quite complex. The new language made of Roxy Music a band ahead of their time.

"Siren": "Siren" marks the end of an era, the end of the second era of Roxy Music. "Siren" is a fantastic album and a landmark in the progressive rock music of the 70's. It's a model of the modern rock and we can't forget that the Rolling Stone magazine considered "Siren" as the Roxy Music's masterpiece and ranked it in number 371 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. "Siren" is a solid offering from Roxy Music, one of their defining truly essential albums.

"Manifesto": Returning to action after almost four years of solo projects, Roxy Music redefined their sound and strips away, and once for all, of their experimentalism and the art rock influences in favour of short concise pop songs with some kind of stylish disco rhythms, while retaining in the generality a good and consistent song writing. "Manifesto" is a transition album from the art rock to pop. So, for all prog heads, it hasn't the kind of music we expected from them.

"Flesh + Blood": I always considered "Flesh + Blood" better than "Manifesto". "Flesh + Blood" is a bit better balanced, cohesive and consistent than "Manifesto is. However, it lacks to it a touch of progressiveness to be a great prog work. Like Genesis, Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music succeeded where other bands like Renaissance, Gentle Giant and Emerson, Lake & Palmer failed and weren't able to achieve and sustain a commercial success in those difficult days of the 80's.

Conclusion: "The First Seven Albums" is a great compilation album of Roxy Music. As I mentioned before, this is a very complete compilation album with almost all their studio albums with the exception of the last one, "Avalon", which hadn't yet been released at the time. Who are used to with the career of the band knows that Roxy Music is a special band in the panorama of the prog rock music. They were responsible for two of the best and most innovative prog albums at the time, "Roxy Music" and "For Your Pleasure". We also know that "Stranded", "Country Life" and "Siren" are also three great prog works. So, this is an excellent alternative option for those who don't have these works already.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)