I've been curious about Roxy Music for awhile, not in small part due to their titillating covers (I remember looking at Country Life as young girl, it was the only time I ever realty desired a bra). The cover of For Your Pleasure features model and then Brian Ferry girlfriend Amanda Lear who seems like quite the awesome weirdo. It was with this sleek looking album that I finally dove into their music beyond the few hits I had in my Ipod (Love is the Drug and More Than This, ugh real Roxy Music fans would be so unimpressed with me).
I was first struck by how modern it sounded, yet still of it's time. I'm not sure if that's only because they were so ahead of their time or a combination of their huge influence on todays music that seems to look back a lot for inspiration. Editions of You, for example sounds perfect for a head bopping ipod commercial.
It's catchy but arty pop music with an intellectual side. Imagine if Britney Spears sang about Guernica and had Judi Dench's voice on a track? Actually, that would be pretty amazing. Maybe Eno should work with her next, after all if he can bury that hatchet with David Byrne?br/>
At the time Roxy Music was all audacious and glam (see this week's male style icon) but their music was more complex and could not just be categorized as glam rock. The album's sole lyricist, Ferry is quite a crooner at times, a fifties greaser in Grey Lagoons or a Thunderbird driving heartbreaking lover in Beauty Queen, an ode to another paramour of his, Valerie Leon. Other times the album feels dark and unearthly (as in the title song),?And other times it's just about the greatest and coolest thing I have ever heard like the dark and clever Every Dream Home a Heartache.
But what do you think?