FOR YOUR PLEASURE

Roxy Music took a darker turn on their second album; if their debut painted the image of a lounge singer lost in Limbo, For You Pleasure. crosses the river into Hell. That's the afterlife in the classical interpretation: unfulfilled desires, isolated souls crushed by the weight of emptiness between them, and sinners relegated to an eternity of cruel irony. At least that's the impression that songs like "In Every Dream Home A Heartache," "The Bogus Man" and "For Your Pleasure" give. It's true that a good half of the album is simply an improvement on the revolutionary romance of their first album, but it's not enough to shake the nightmarish pull created by the weightier epics. When compilation time comes round, labels are apt to cut the sweetest slices from this black mass ("Do The Strand," "Editions of You") and let listeners discover the dark secret of For Your Pleasure. at their leisure. Not that there weren't some uncomfortable moments on Stranded as well, but the band obviously had second thoughts about making music this chilling and artistic after Brian Eno left; you just won't find another nine-minute song in their later catalog. What you will find are frenetic, delightfully demented pop songs like "Editions of You" and sophisticated country/rock love songs such as "Grey Lagoons." Serving two masters (love and art) makes for an uneasy musical alliance on For Your Pleasure., but it's a riveting tug of war to watch. The carefully measured contributions of Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera in particular are stunning to behold. From the moment that Ferry intones "There's a new sensation." to the space odyssey that ends the album, this is some of the greatest music that Roxy has committed to vinyl.