ALWAYSBACK

12075 - ROXY MUSIC - THE THRILL OF IT ALL, DISC FOUR (1995)

ROXY MUSIC
''THE THRILL OF IT ALL, DISC FOUR''
NOVEMBER 20 1995
1972-1982
COMPILATION
311:37
**********
DISC ONE
01 - Re-Make Re-Model 05:13
02 - Ladytron 04:23
03 - If There Is Something 06:33
04 - 2HB 04:27
05 - Chance Meeting 03:01
06 - Sea Breezes 07:00
07 - Do The Strand 04:00
08 - Beauty Queen 04:36
09 - Strictly Confidential 03:44
10 - Editions Of You 03:46
11 - In Every Dream Home A Heartache 05:26
12 - The Bogus Man 09:21
13 - For Your Pleasure 06:48
14 - Street Life 03:25
15 - Just Like You 03:33
16 - Amazona 04:13 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
Tracks By Bryan Ferry Except 16
*****
DISC TWO
01 - A Song For Europe 05:44 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
02 - Mother Of Pearl 06:52
03 - Sunset 06:06
04 - The Thrill Of It All 06:24
05 - Three And Nine 04:04 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
06 - All I Want Is You 02:54
07 - Out Of The Blue 04:47 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
08 - Bitter-Sweet 04:49 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
09 - Casanova 03:22
10 - A Really Good Time 03:46
11 - Prairie Rose 05:08 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
12 - Love Is The Drug 04:06 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
13 - Sentimental Fool 06:15 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
14 - Could It Happen To Me 03:36
15 - Both Ends Burning 05:15
16 - Just Another High 06:07
Tracks By Bryan Ferry Except 01, 05, 07, 08, 11, 12, 13
*****
DISC THREE
01 - Manifesto 05:29 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
02 - Trash 02:11 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
03 - Angel Eyes (Rock Version) (Early Version) 03:32 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
04 - Stronger Through The Years 06:12
05 - Ain't That So 05:37
06 - Dance Away (Ballad Version) (Early Version) 04:20
07 - Oh Yeah 04:50
08 - Same Old Scene 03:56
09 - Flesh And Blood 03:12
10 - My Only Love 05:18
11 - Over You 03:23 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
12 - No Strange Delight 04:42 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
13 - More Than This 04:29
14 - Avalon 04:14
15 - While My Heart Is Still Beating 03:24 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
16 - Take A Chance With Me 04:40 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
17 - To Turn You On 04:13
18 - Tara 01:34 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
Tracks By Bryan Ferry Except 01, 02, 03, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18
*****
DISC FOUR
01 - Virginia Plain (A-Side 1972) 02:56
02 - The Numberer (B-Side To 'Virginia Plain') 03:39 (Andy MacKay)
03 - Pyjamarama (A-Side 1973) 02:59
04 - The Pride And The Pain (B-Side To 'Pyjamarama') 04:13 (Andy MacKay)
05 - Manifesto (Remake) (1980 Re-recording, B-Side To 'Over You') 04:00 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
06 - Hula Kula (B-Side To 'Street Life', 1973) 02:36 (Phil Manzanera)
07 - Trash 2 (B-Side To 'Trash', 1979) 03:07 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
08 - Your Application's Failed (B-Side To 'The Thrill Of It All', 1974) 04:44 (Paul Thompson)
09 - Lover (B-Side To 'Same Old Scene', 1980) 04:26 (Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera)
10 - Sultanesque (B-Side To 'Love Is The Drug', 1975) 05:19
11 - Dance Away (Extended Remix) (12'' A-Side, Canada, 1979) 06:29
12 - South Downs (B Side To 'Oh Yeah', 1980) 05:09
13 - Angel Eyes (Extended Remix) (12'' A-Side, 1979) 06:37 (Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay)
14 - Always Unknowing (B-Side To 'Avalon' & 'More Than This') 05:21
15 - The Main Thing (Extended Remix) (B-Side To 12'' 'Take A Chance With Me', 1982) 07:40
16 - India (B-Side To 'More Than This', 1982) 01:45
17 - Jealous Guy (A-Side, 1981) 06:11 (John Lennon)
Tracks By Bryan Ferry Except 02, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 13, 17
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Album-rock artists like Roxy Music always make a difficult subject for comprehensive, multi-disc box sets. Frequently, their albums were designed as a cohesive whole and the idea of individual singles never really entered the picture at all. Roxy Music was slightly different than the average art/prog-rock band -- not only did they make albums, they also made singles. And that is one of the reasons why the four-disc set The Thrill of It All is successful. Roxy's songs stand as individual works, and they make sense outside of their original context, even if they make more sense within their original context. Thankfully, the majority of each of their major albums are reproduced on the first three discs of this collection, leaving the fourth disc for non-LP singles, remixes, and B-sides. Most of this material has not been available on CD before, making The Thrill of it All essential for collectors. Nevertheless, it's a helpful guide to Roxy's career for casual fans -- it contains all of the essential songs and shows why the group was one of the seminal bands of the '70s.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Evolving from the late-'60s art-rock movement, Roxy Music had a fascination with fashion, glamour, cinema, pop art, and the avant-garde, which separated the band from their contemporaries. Dressed in bizarre, stylish costumes, the group played a defiantly experimental variation of art rock which vacillated between avant-rock and sleek pop hooks. During the early '70s, the group was driven by the creative tension between Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno, who each pulled the band in separate directions: Ferry had a fondness for American soul and Beatlesque art-pop, while Eno was intrigued by deconstructing rock with amateurish experimentalism inspired by the Velvet Underground. This incarnation of Roxy Music may have only recorded two albums, but it inspired a legion of imitators -- not only the glam-rockers of the early '70s, but art-rockers and new wave pop groups of the late '70s. Following Eno's departure, Roxy Music continued with its arty inclinations for a few albums before gradually working in elements of disco and soul. Within a few years, the group had developed a sophisticated, seductive soul-pop that relied on Ferry's stylish crooning. By the early '80s, the group had developed into a vehicle for Ferry, so it was no surprise that he disbanded the group at the height of its commercial success in the early '80s to pursue a solo career.
The son of a coal miner, Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards) had studied art with Richard Hamilton at the University of Newcastle before forming Roxy Music in 1971. While at university, he sang in rock bands, joining the R&B group the Gas Board, which also featured bassist Graham Simpson. Ferry and Simpson decided to form their own band toward the end of 1970, eventually recruiting Andy Mackay (saxophone), who had previously played oboe with the London Symphony Orchestra. Through Mackay, Brian Eno joined the band. By the summer of 1971, the group -- had originally been called "Roxy" but a name change was necessary after the discovery of an American band called Roxy -- had recruited classical percussionist Dexter Lloyd and guitarist Roger Bunn through an ad in Melody Maker; both musicians left within a month, but they did record the group's initial demos. Another ad was placed in Melody Maker, and this time the group landed drummer Paul Thompson and guitarist Davy O'List, who had previously played with the Nice. O'List left by the beginning of 1972 and was replaced by Phil Manzanera, a former member of Quiet Sun. Prior to recording their first album, Simpson left the band. Roxy Music never replaced him permanently; instead, they hired new bassists for each record and tour, beginning with Rik Kenton, who appeared on their eponymous debut for Island Records.
Produced by Peter Sinfield of King Crimson, Roxy's self-titled debut climbed into the British Top Ten in the summer of 1972; shortly afterward, the non-LP single "Virginia Plain" rocketed into the British Top Ten, followed by the non-LP "Pyjamarama" in early 1973. While Roxy Music had become a sensation in England and Europe due to their clever amalgamation of high and kitsch culture, they had trouble getting a foothold in the United States. Both the first album and the follow-up, 1973's For Your Pleasure (recorded with bassist John Porter), were greeted with enthusiasm in the U.K., but virtually ignored in the U.S. Frustrated with Ferry's refusal to record his compositions, Eno left the band after the completion of For Your Pleasure. Before recording the third Roxy Music album, Ferry released a solo album, These Foolish Things, which was comprised of pop/rock covers.
Released in December of 1973, Stranded became the band's first number one album in the U.K. Stranded was recorded with new Roxy member Eddie Jobson, a multi-instrumentalist who previously played with Curved Air; it was also the first record to feature writing credits for Manzanera and Mackay. The album received a warmer reception in the U.S. than its two predecessors, setting the stage for the breakthrough of Country Life in late 1974. Sporting a controversial cover of two models dressed in see-through lingerie -- the cover was banned in several stores, and it was eventually replaced with a photo of a forest in the U.S. -- Country Life was the first Roxy album to break the U.S. Top 40 and became their fourth British Top Ten album. Following a tour with bassist John Wetton, the group recorded Siren. Featuring their first American Top 40 hit, the disco-flavored "Love Is the Drug," Siren was another British Top Ten hit; in the U.S., it was moderate hit, peaking at number 50. Following the tour for Siren, the band members began working on solo projects -- Manzanera formed the prog-rock group 801, and Mackay and Ferry both began recording solo albums -- and announced in the summer of 1976 that they were temporarily breaking up. The live album Viva Roxy Music! was released shortly after the announcement of the group's hiatus.
Roxy Music regrouped in the fall of 1978 after spending 18 months on solo projects. Ferry, Manzanera, Mackay and Thompson added former Ace keyboardist Paul Carrack to the band's lineup and hired Gary Tibbs, formerly of the Vibrators, and ex-Kokomo Alan Spenner as studio bassists; Jobson and Wetton, who were not asked to rejoin the band, formed UK. Roxy Music's comeback effort, Manifesto, was released in the spring of 1979, and it boasted a sleek, disco-influenced soul-pop sound that was markedly different from and more accessible than their earlier records. Manifesto confirmed their British popularity, reaching the Top Ten, and became their highest-charting U.S. record, peaking at number 23 on the strength of the single "Dance Away." Roxy Music supported the album with an international tour that featured Carrack and Tibbs; prior to the tour's start, Thompson left the band after breaking his thumb in a motorcycle accident. Flesh + Blood, the follow-up to Manifesto, was recorded just by Ferry, Manzanera and Mackay, and a host of studio musicians. Released in the summer of 1980, Flesh + Blood became Roxy's second British number one album on the strength of the Top Ten single "Over You"; in America, the album reached the American Top 40. In the spring of 1981, the band's non-LP cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy," recorded as a tribute to the slain singer, became the group's only British number one single.
Nearly two years later, Roxy Music returned in the summer of 1982 with Avalon. Marking a new level in the group's production and musical sophistication, Avalon became their biggest album, spending three weeks at the top of the British charts and 27 on the U.S. charts, generating the British hits "More Than This" and "Take a Chance With Me." It became the group's only American gold album, and over the years, it worked its way to platinum status. Following a successful supporting tour for Avalon, the group released the live EP Musique/The High Road in the spring of 1983. The Avalon tour turned out to be Roxy Music's final activity as a group. Ferry began to concentrate on his solo career, beginning with 1985's Boys and Girls. Manzanera and Mackay formed a band called the Explorers in 1985; the pair would record under a variety of guises, as well as pursue solo careers, over the next 15 years. The compilation Street Life: 20 Great Hits, which also featured Ferry's solo hits, was released in 1989. A year later, Heart Still Beating, a live album documenting a 1982 concert, was released
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********