Do You Prefer Roxy Music: Pre-or-Post ENO?

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I've just gotten into Roxy Music recently and am trying to get a beat on this band. What does ILM think about Roxy before and after Brian Eno?

― ZionTrain, Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:01 (twenty years ago)

I kinda phrased that question wrong but you get it.. With and Without

― ZionTrain, Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:03 (twenty years ago)

after Eno is better.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

After Eno is better, but Eno after Roxy Music is better than Roxy Music after Eno.

― mrjosh (mrjosh), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:06 (twenty years ago)

"Pyjamarma" is my favorite track, but I'm not sure how big a hand Eno had in it's production/writing. The stuff with him is undeniably exciting, but there's a lushness and bittersweet romance to the post-Eno Roxy which I love as well. Ferry is very obviously the most important Roxy member.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:07 (twenty years ago)

two of my top three roxy are with so that i guess

― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:08 (twenty years ago)

Eno himself said that "Stranded" was their best album. They were much more focused. Perhaps most of the original excitement and the frisson of tension Eno's prickly presence added was gone. Whatever: those first two albums are quite uneven.

Eno's absence always called to mind Cale's departure from the VU. It was neither a mistake, nor a relief - it just changed the group dynamic.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

Mr. Josh OTM. Though "Country Life" and "Stranded" being the best Roxy albums, and also the first rapid fire post Eno albums, they still seem to have that Eno touch.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:57 (twenty years ago)

Post-Eno (especially immediately post-Eno, with Jobson) is better.

― Joe (Joe), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

I'm rather shocked this question hasn't been asked yet.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:07 (twenty years ago)

Post-Eno.

― RS_LaRue (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

post-eno sounds like a more accomplished, full, lush band, more romanticism.

but the first two albums are more brash and in your face. and the costumes were stupider.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:21 (twenty years ago)

also, the first album has "IF THERE IS SOMETHING" which is the most emotional outburst ferry ever recorded to tape.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)

I think I might actually like "Manifesto" best of all the Roxy albums.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:23 (twenty years ago)

I am not much of a Roxy fan but I love a lot of the first album.

Does anyone have a copy of the 72-74 BBC tapes they could trade me for something? Please drop me a line if you do...

― milton parker (Jon L), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:27 (twenty years ago)

"I think I might actually like "Manifesto" best of all the Roxy albums."

It's underrated. "Ain't That So", the title track, and "Spin Me Round" are three of my favorite album track.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:32 (twenty years ago)

after eno by a longshot. country life, siren and avalon are the albums i love them most for. though the eno-era "do the strand" may be my single favorite roxy song.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:37 (twenty years ago)

fuck, i love this band ENO and POST-ENO.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 23:39 (twenty years ago)

Post motherfucking Eno, and I say that as an Eno fan. "Country Life," "Stranded," and "Siren" are among my favorite albums of all time. Eno era is more experimental obviously, but I think Roxy Music works best with less prentension and a lot more funky, smaltzy pop.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 00:25 (twenty years ago)

Like Fact Checking though, my favorite Roxy Music song, "Bogus Man," is also from the Eno era. Which I suppose contradicts my "less experimental" stance above, but in general I stand by the poppier material.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 00:28 (twenty years ago)

yeah half the time country life is my fave roxy music album, half the time it's the debut. basically i went with for your pleasure over siren. stranded somehow doesn't count either way for me.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 00:35 (twenty years ago)

and in any case obv. prefer early roxy to later roxy (while still LOVING later roxy) so eno as my fave element then.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 00:36 (twenty years ago)

s/t, For Your Pleasure, Stranded, Country Life, Siren, and Avalon are all amazing. I was drawn to check out the band because of Eno, and his treatments of their sound, especially live, added a unique element. On the other hand, they continued to be just as brilliant without him, and if they didn't replace him with Eddie Jobson, we never would have had his fiddle solo on "Out of the Blue", or the track "She Sells". Post-Eno, by a hair.

― wetmink (wetmink), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 00:51 (twenty years ago)

And on the evidence of "Flesh + Blood" and "Avalon," Ferry's almost as good a synth player as Eno, and it goes unmentioned. He's excellent at giving songs color and texture.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 00:56 (twenty years ago)

Post. I'm not at all sure it had anything to do with his leaving, but the third album is when they really take off as a band (and as a rhythm section). Later-recorded/released versions of "If There Is Something", "2HB", and "Sea Breazes" are infinitely better than ones on the first lp.

Edd s, do you know the 12" version of "Manifesto"? One of their all-time best things.

― Burr (Burr), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 01:05 (twenty years ago)

What later-recorded versions of those songs do you mean?

And what are their good live albums? I only have Viva! and Concerto. I think I prefer Concerto...funky bass, and I too think the Manifesto era is underrated. 'Flesh + Blood' has some amazing tracks.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 03:58 (twenty years ago)

Eno. I don't rate Country Life.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 04:06 (twenty years ago)

Actually that's wrong, I do rate it (and most of Siren), I just like the preceding three records a lot more.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 04:07 (twenty years ago)

not even "prairie rose"?

xpost

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 04:07 (twenty years ago)

TEXAS.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 04:11 (twenty years ago)

(x-post)Yeah, that's a great song. I was just knee-jerking cuz I remember being a little disappointed hearing it after the first three. It's still a really good record.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 04:13 (twenty years ago)

I'm not a HUGE fan (just average) so my opinion is (even) less relevant than usual. And while I gotta go with post-Eno just because of the vast bulk of fine tunes that lineup did, I kinda wish I didn't have to. Because Eno-Roxy barely had time to really get rolling & record more wigged-out rockers in the mould of "Remake/Remodel" and "Editions Of You", records in which Eno's bizarre synth-noises were just icing on the cake, an extra layer upon overstuffed songs that were startling to begin with. (Has their EVER been an oboe-and-synthesizer-driven record aside from "Virginia Plain"?) Early Roxy reminds me of such short-lived lineups as Laughner-era Pere Ubu or Cale-era Velvets or Beck/Page-era Yardbirds, bands with two equally brilliant masterminds that couldn't survive under two (ALMOST) equally strong-willed personalities.

But, finally - and I'm not the first one to point this out - if the ultimate result of Eno's departure was Stranded, Country Life, Here Come The Warm Jets and Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy all being released within a year's time, then the departure was definitely justifiable!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 06:37 (twenty years ago)

Roxy Music and Eno both benefited musically from going their own separate ways.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 09:27 (twenty years ago)

As the kids say, it's all good: soup to nuts, from the debut to Avalon. (well Flesh&Blood is a little bloodless but otherwise...)

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

I prefer their last three albums. They didn't really come into their own on "Stranded" and "Country Life" either, but "Siren" was the start of something, and the last three ones were all brilliant.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 09:33 (twenty years ago)

It's a choice between great and really great. I'd have to choose late period R.M. Even the less celebrated parts of Manifesto and Flesh + Blood are still v. good, and their highlights (particularly Ferry's track "Same Old Scene") are some of the best work Roxy Music created.

― Garfield Odie (garfield), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 09:46 (twenty years ago)

801 > Roxy with Eno > Eno without Roxy > Roxy without Eno

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

the 801 live album is amazing.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

Actually, what I should have said was:

801 > Roxy with Eno > Eno without Roxy > Roxy without Eno >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Brian Ferry without Roxy

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 14:51 (twenty years ago)

I prefer 'More Than This'

― the blissfox, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 14:55 (twenty years ago)

i prefer "more than this" as sung by bill murray

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 15:00 (twenty years ago)

I prefer "More Than This" as sung by Robert Smith.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 15:03 (twenty years ago)

Post Eno. Stranded is their best album, and Mother of Pearl is far and away their best song.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:38 (twenty years ago)

Bryan Ferry without Roxy > > > > Roxy with Eno

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 23:02 (twenty years ago)

I don't understand picking 'Stranded' as the best Roxy album. Sounds like their most inconsistent '70s album.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 23:04 (twenty years ago)

it's not front loaded. ever listen to the second half?

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 23:06 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

Edd s, do you know the 12" version of "Manifesto"? One of their all-time best things.

12" of "Manifesto"? Surely, he means the re-recorded version that was the B-side to "Over You"...

(and yes, it's very good -- and on the Thrill of It All box)

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 26 December 2007 20:57 (eighteen years ago)

I still prefer post-Eno although the Eno-era (and rest of the mid 70s) stuff grows more on me.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 26 December 2007 20:59 (eighteen years ago)

Geir, you of all people should agree that For Your Pleasure is a supremely MELODIC affair.

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 26 December 2007 21:23 (eighteen years ago)

Melodic but weird. Takes some time to get into it, but I am working on it.

"Avalon" is still better though. :)

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 26 December 2007 21:24 (eighteen years ago)

Milton, you have those BBC sessions by now, right?

― sleeve, Thursday, 27 December 2007 04:52 (eighteen years ago)

I prefer Roxy Music, yes.

― haitch, Thursday, 27 December 2007 08:09 (eighteen years ago)

12" of "Manifesto"? Surely, he means the re-recorded version that was the B-side to "Over You"...

(and yes, it's very good -- and on the Thrill of It All box)

Seriously, does anyone know if that's what he was talking about? This version IS really, really good -- slightly updated production values, same menacing tune and vampiric vocal.

― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 31 December 2007 22:44 (eighteen years ago)

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