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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's nothing much like this, 27 April 2007
Roxy's self-titled first album, although containing some of their strongest songs, is too poorly produced in parts to be considered their classic. ''For Your Pleasure', the follow up, tends to claim this accolade but for me 'Stranded' is the epitome of Roxy Music.
Coming as it did, smack bang in the middle of their glorious early/mid period, it contains songs that could easily belong on any of those records. Included is all the wierdness, exotica, brooding beauty and surprise that you would associate with the band across those first five albums. That's not to say the album is at all diffuse, various would best describe it, with every song sounding very 'Roxy-like' without ever really sounding like the last.
If 'Stranded' is Roxy Music's finest album, then, in 'Mother-of Pearl', it contains their finest song. From it's strange and original uptempo opening to it's delightfully sad/joyous main section this song just screams Roxy Music and never more so than in it's flowing, opaque lyric. I've never heard anything quite like this and that is part of Roxy's brilliance and appeal: they are not really Rock N' Roll at all but at the same time they aren't anything else.
Roxy, for me at least, are one of those few bands you may be lucky enough to hear in your life, whose music, for a time, obssesses you. There's something you love and admire about some bands without quite putting your finger on what it is. You feel really thankful that this band existed and whether you were there or not (In Roxy's case I'm only 32 and first listened to them in my early twenties) you can still feel excited by the fact that they happened; that they did what they did.
A truly underrated band and one of Britain's best kept musical secrets (everyone's heard of Roxy Music but who still plays this stuff?). Start here!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let the Lounge Years commence - The Roxiest of them all!, 14 Jun 2000
By A Customer
If you thought that Roxy Music were all washed up when Eno swirled his cape and flounced out on the best 70s rock band, then feast your shell-like on this. Eddie Jobson came straight into the recording studio to join Ferry, Mackay, Manzenara and Thompson on this third and definitely the best Roxy outing, and you would be forgiven for thinking that Eno has come back with his tail between his legs after admitting 'Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy' probably wasn't, in all honesty, a very good idea and got stuck in to his tape loops and moogs again.Everyone knows about 'Street Life', a classic belter of an opener, following hot on the heels of For Your Pleasure's 'Do The Strand'. But its 'Casanova', with its cheeky little riff which served Ice-T well 20 years later, and 'Song For Europe', during which Ferry actually sings in Latin agaist a backdrop of swirling piano and a crashing saxaphone solo, which really make the hairs on the back of your neck prick up. But the best is yet to come. 'Mother of Pearl' is the best Roxy song ever, and I should know as I have all 10 of their albums (and 8 Ferry solo efforts of ever decreasing virtue). The song kicks off like a wild party with a chugging riff of which Led Zep would indeed be proud. And then it breaks off sublimely after 80 seconds to a soft tinkling of ivory and 6 further minutes of pure Ferry magic. Lyrics and voice to kill for. A first class album and a must buy for all fans of popular music.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beauty and the beastly, 8 Jun 2007
The peaks of this third album soar higher than anything before or since from Roxy: Mother of Pearl,Song for Europe, Sunset, Just for You. But there is no getting away from the weaknesses, and this is the first Roxy album which showed the feet of clay which would stomp so ploddingly on later albums like Manifesto.
It is a crossroads album; Eno had left, and Ferry was now the tuxedo-wearing crooner of "Another Time, Another place".
The beautiful lyrics and perfect playing remained; but the humour and the fun had gone from Roxy. From now on, songs like "Psalm" would re-appear on each album which Ferry produced;as if he had to tackle serious themes to be taken as a serious artist.
The creative tension which existed between the two Bry/ians on the first albums had been removed, but with it had also gone the spark of brilliance. It is as if Eno gave something special to every songwriter he worked with, and Ferry was the first in a long line.
The album is worth having, for the four great tracks; but be prepared to skip through "Amazona", "Street Life" (a poorer verison of the classic "Do the Strand"), Psalm and (perhaps) "Serenade", to get to the gems.
After this, Roxy were strictly a singles band, and Ferry became the Rudolf Valentino of seventies rock; easy on the eye, but little worth listening to.
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