WITH A TRUE MODERN ROCK PIONEER
While the '80s continue to reemerge in today's crop of young bands, we thought we'd lean back to a major influence on these influencers, Roxy Music. Arty, sensual, clever and quirky with a capitol “Q," Roxy emerged in 1971, a very English, very post-60s, very freedom embracing singularity. By injecting rock with bits of cabaret, musique concrte, doo-wop and proto-electronica, they made fringe elements swing.
Their first two albums - 1972's Roxy Music and 1973's For Your Pleasure - remain landmark inspirations so forward thinking that they're only sounding contemporary now. These releases introduced the world to a pair of alpha male musical personalities that have endured and sparked myriad other players, namely lead singer and bizarro fashion plate Bryan Ferry and keyboard abuser and uber-intellect Brian Eno, as well as one of the under-sung guitarist of our time, Phil Manzanera, ever-creative drummer Paul Thompson and woodwind/sax innovator Andy Mackay, an obvious ancestor to dear Skerik. Though a good deal more melodic, there's the germ of punk to their early work but also a will towards plush things that would culminate in their 1982 swan song, Avalon. In between there's unabashed disco, spiky rock and unexpected but inspired cover tunes, all offered up by true musician's musicians who aren't afraid to get messy.
Roxy's influence lingers like an unnamed ghost in Hot Chip, Scissor Sisters, Vampire Weekend and endless others garnering critical and commercial accolades these days. The band reunited in 2001 to celebrate their 30th anniversary, and the subsequent tour showed there's still plenty of life to these pioneers. A new album, including contributions from Eno, has been in the works since at least 2004. While worrisome in a Chinese Democracy way, one is guardedly hopeful that these vets will pull out something cool and sweet that reminds the world of their brilliance and excellence in a field of largely ephemeral pleasures.
We begin this installment of Eye Candy with perfect piece of feisty, stimulating rock 'n' roll from their second album. Nifty feather epaulets, Eno!
Dylan has rarely been handled with more off-handed grace, all the loose appeal of Bob's own Freewheelin' days cut by sputtering saxophone and breathy Ferry exultation.
Perhaps their best known song, Roxy makes the (sometimes) obvious connection between love and consumption, taking us into the red light district with inescapable hunger. This version comes from their 2001 reunion tour.
The lads could get pretty out there, as evidenced by this slippery early track. One doesn't see this sort of music on TV much anymore, eh?
The band's latter period is marked by a sumptuous romanticism that's awful easy to just sink into. Good soundtrack for candle-lit screwing around, too!
How about a little more Dylan? Saucy this one, and yes, that's former model, famous-for-being-famous person Jerry Hall yelping and skulking about.
There's something so irrepressibly groo-veee about this one. Go ahead, try and keep your toe from tapping.
Let's keep the New Wave sock-hop shuffling with “a new sensation, a fabulous creation" sure to inspire Hairspray style dance parties wherever it's played.
And the aforementioned disco emerges in 1980. Can't you hear a LOT of Hot Chip in this one?
Eno's replacement was the great keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, and he shines on this slinky, shimmering creeper. The violin solo near the end is a real stunner.
At their heart, Roxy Music took/takes a very active attitude towards rock and its potential, stretching it beyond its teen dream base into something a touch loftier (though still pleasantly grimed up with the stuff of flesh and blood humans). With that in mind, we close this week's Eye Candy with an early number that still seems fresh as a metal daisy.
And don't forget, you can eyeball video sweetness 24/7 with JamBase TV.
