More and more this sounds like my favorite of the post-1979 singles, and the best track from their dullest album. I've always thought the bass was mixed awfully high on Roxy singles, as if to cover up the fact that they HAD no regular bassist, but here it's perfectly syncopated around Manzanera's brittle chicken-scratch guitar. Ferry sings with the right amount of distance; it may be the best proto-New Romantic moment ever, the only time a singer from this period earned the right to sound jaded before his time. His keyboard/synth work is also pretty amazing.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:01 (seventeen years ago)
Never heard the song but your description does a really good job of selling it for me. Must check out.
― fields of salmon, Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:04 (seventeen years ago)
Enjoy
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:05 (seventeen years ago)
straight classic
the video is great, too, i love all the bits where it goes to still and ferry looks like he's trying to chew someone's face off.
there's an edit by the glimmer's that's great too.
― gff, Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:11 (seventeen years ago)
I have been to YouTube and now report back to confirm that it is indeed a very fine composition. Thing is though, the "proto-New Romantic" element (the verse) is not nearly as good as the post-disco element of it (the chorus).
― fields of salmon, Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:23 (seventeen years ago)
Yeah, great song. I know this from a compilation someone made me, not so much from the album (which I've heard but never owned). Ferry is terrific here, and he's not even doing much in the way of vocal arabesques that I tend to like in his singing.
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:38 (seventeen years ago)
Thing is though, the "proto-New Romantic" element (the verse) is not nearly as good as the post-disco element of it (the chorus).
I would reverse that. The chorus almost loses me, but doesn't because it's Roxy Music.
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:40 (seventeen years ago)
this song is used to great effect as the opening theme to the circa-1980 teen punkxploitation movie "times square."
as for the album it's on, i'm also madly in love with "oh yeah."
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 13 March 2008 07:13 (seventeen years ago)
Yeah, "Oh Yeah" is brilliant.
― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Thursday, 13 March 2008 07:15 (seventeen years ago)
OTM
And I need to get around to learning Manzanera's part for "My Only Love"... I wub him. Though it's been interesting watching the DVD... he kinda plays like a beginner, like, his fingers aren't super-confident yet... which of course makes him precisely 0% less cool.
― rogermexico., Thursday, 13 March 2008 07:18 (seventeen years ago)
One of my favorite Roxy songs. The sort of elevating delayed keyboard riff is really amazing.
― Spencer Chow, Thursday, 13 March 2008 08:09 (seventeen years ago)
Really like this. My favourite on "Flesh + Blood" (which, to me, is not at all a bad album)
― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 13 March 2008 09:24 (seventeen years ago)
"in our lighter moments"
― the pinefox, Thursday, 13 March 2008 10:59 (seventeen years ago)
The title tracks sounds great live, as the new DVD compilation shows. But "No Strange Delight, "Rain Rain Rain," and "Running Wild" are just limp, limp, limp. "My Only Love" has always bothered me – it's way too sincere for such a dull hook (though I like the extended piano solo Ferry's been taking in the latest live versions); "To Turn You On" does this kind of thing better.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 13 March 2008 12:32 (seventeen years ago)
that's what I think of whenever I hear this song. the soundtrack is awesome, I still have it on vinyl. looks like it was never released on cd?
Suzi Quatro - Rock Hard The Pretenders - Talk of the Town Roxy Music - Same Old Scene Gary Numan - Down In the Park Marcy Levy & Robin Gibb - Help Me! Talking Heads - Life During Wartime Joe Jackson - Pretty Boys XTC - Take This Town The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated Robin Johnson - Damn Dog Robin Johnson & Trini Alvarado - Your Daughter Is One The Ruts - Babylon's Burning D.L. Byron - You Can't Hurry Love Lou Reed - Walk On the Wild Side Desmond Child & Rouge - The Night Was Not Garland Jeffreys - Innocent, Not Guilty The Cure - Grinding Halt Patti Smith Group - Pissing In the River David Johansen & Robin Johnson - Flowers In the City Robin Johnson - Damn Dog (Reprise - The Cleo Club)
― Edward III, Thursday, 13 March 2008 13:40 (seventeen years ago)
I like 'Viva! Roxy Music Live' better.
― U-Haul, Thursday, 13 March 2008 14:30 (seventeen years ago)
Absolutely great song, echoing Alfred and Spencer especially. First time I heard it in 1989 I was all "How the hell did I NOT know this song exists?"
Story goes that Al Jourgensen got Ministry thrown off of Arista post-With Sympathy by recording a cover of this.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 13 March 2008 15:05 (seventeen years ago)
This is my favorite Roxy Music song. I wish more of their stuff sounded like this.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Thursday, 13 March 2008 15:18 (seventeen years ago)
pinefox otm
― gff, Thursday, 13 March 2008 15:19 (seventeen years ago)
This also gets points for having a chorus that fakes you out thinking it's gonna be "Voices Carry"
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Thursday, 13 March 2008 18:09 (seventeen years ago)
Ferry hits notes I thought were beyond him.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 13 March 2008 19:22 (seventeen years ago)
I like this song more than most Roxy, really.
― Bimble, Thursday, 13 March 2008 19:32 (seventeen years ago)
heard this in the supermarket recently.
― haitch, Thursday, 13 March 2008 23:49 (seventeen years ago)
Check it: this song has an intro in common with Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and Gary Numan's "Remind Me To Smile".
― Bimble, Friday, 14 March 2008 05:28 (seventeen years ago)
YES
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 16 March 2008 00:34 (seventeen years ago)
someone start a Flesh + Blood poll.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 19:16 (sixteen years ago)
Then I have to listen it again, long-long years after.
― zeus, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 09:31 (sixteen years ago)
This song = everything I love about Roxy. Reminds me that I should check out 'Flesh + Blood' at some point
― baaderonixx, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 12:43 (sixteen years ago)