MANIFESTO

TIn the second half of the seventies, Roxy Music took a break. Bryan Ferry released a couple of solo albums, where he continued his journey from quirky off-key front man to romantic crooner. Phil Manzanera released some nice albums with 801.

On this comeback album, Ferry seems to be driving the band more in his direction. While most of the basic Roxy Music feel from the past few albums is still there, the edginess is watered down. In fact, this is a mostly forgettable album, save for some nice bass lines (Gary Tibbs and Alan Spenner share this role, so I'm not certain who provided the better tracks), some fair Manzanera licks, and a few nice sax pieces from Andy Mackay.

Particularly, I like the bass and sax play in Stronger Through The Years. But the second side of this album is dismal. Mostly written by Ferry, side B opens with the fair . But it then deteriorates into pandering pop. The same stuff that caused me to sell Ferry's solo albums soon after I bought them

At least this group did provide an excellent live show.