Released 31 July 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut single, ‘Virginia Plain’ c/w ‘The Numberer’, ‘The Complete Studio Recordings’ contains the eight studio albums released by Roxy Music between June 1972 and May 1982 and two discs of singles, b-sides and alternate mixes in a ten disc boxed set.

The individual albums, from ‘Roxy Music’ to ‘Avalon’ come in gatefold replica mini-LP sleeves with the compilation discs of single and alternate mix material coming in a golden colored gatefold mini double-lp sleeve. The nine sleeves fit firmly into a cardboard tray which in turn slides into a sturdy outer slipcase.

Disc one contains the nine track s/t 1972 debut album in its original UK version. The band who recorded the LP consisted of Bryan Ferry (vocals, piano, Hohner Planet, Mellotron), Brian Eno (VCS3 synthesizer, tape effects, backing vocals), Andy Mackay (oboe, saxophone, backing vocals), Phil Manzanera (electric guitar), Paul Thompson (drums) and Graham Simpson (bass guitar). All of the tunes were Ferry originals, with ‘Re-Make/Re-Model’, Ladytron and ‘The Bob (Medley)’ in particular standing out, the first of which included solos by each member. As bits of trivia, ‘2HB’ references “to Humphrey Bogart” and ‘The Bob (Medley)’ takes its title from The Battle of Britain. The album was a critical and commercial success, peaking at #10 on the UK charts, following up on the success of pre-LP singles ‘Virginia Plain’ and “Pyjamarama’ which reached #4 and #10 respectively in the UK although neither the singles nor album made any impression on US charts.

Disc two comprises the eight tracks on March 1973’s ‘For Your Pleasure’, once again all Bryan Ferry originals. The tracks were recorded by Ferry, Eno, Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson, with John Porter guesting on bass guitar in place of the departed Simpson. In a slight variation from the debut album Ferry contributed rhythm guitar and harmonica, while Andy Mackay added Farfisa electronic organ to his instrumental credits. The LP’s opening track ‘Do The Strand’ stands out with creative lyrics, “The Sphynx and Mona Lisa, Lolita and Guernica Did The Strand” and unique vocals by Ferry although the tune failed to chart when released as a single. The nine minute plus ‘Bogus Man’ is eerie, with lyrics about a sexual stalker, displaying similarities with contemporary material by the krautrock group Can according to Eno. Also of special interest is the upbeat ‘Editions Of You’ which features solos by Mackay on saxophone, Eno on VCS3 and Manzanera on guitar and the album closing title track which is a showcase for Eno’s keyboard prowess. The LP peaked at #4 in the UK despite its lack of a successful single.

Disc three features the eight tracks, six by Ferry alone and two which he co-wrote, that made up November 1973’s ‘Stranded’, with Eno having exited the band, replaced by Eddie Jobson (synthesizers, keyboards, electric violin) and John Gustafson joining as bass guitarist. Album opener ‘Street Life’ was a #8 UK hit, its commercial accessibility making it delightful. The album’s highlight, and arguably Ferry’s finest composition with Roxy Music is the almost seven minute epic ‘Mother Of Pearl’ with lyrics such as “Well i’ve been up all night again, Party time wasting is too much fun, Then I step back thinking Of life’s inner meaning and my latest fling, It’s the same old story, all love and glory, it’s a pantomime, If you’re looking for love in a looking glass world it’s pretty hard to find, Oh mother of pearl I wouldn’t trade you for another girl” ‘Stranded’ was Roxy Music’s first #1 UK album, although it barely crept to #186 on the US charts, seven slots higher than its predecessor which had been the first to dent Billboard’s Hot 200 albums at all.

Disc four has ten tracks, six written by Ferry, the other four co[written by him, contained on the November 1974 album ‘Country Life’. The band remained the same as on ‘Stranded’. The LP contains two tunes issued as singles. ‘All I Want Is You’ connected with record buyers, reaching #12, while an edited version of the album’s strongest track ‘The Thrill Of It All’ somehow failed to click, but got airplay both in its single edit and on FM radio in the US in its full six and a half minute album version. The album was a commercial and critical success, gaining positive reviews and reaching #3 in the UK, while becoming the band’s US breakthrough peaking at #37.

Disc five was a turning point for Roxy Music with Ferry co-writing more songs, five, than he wrote alone, four, while the personnel remained the same for ‘Siren’, which was released in October 1975. The LP again received positive reviews and was another good seller, reaching #4 in the UK although only attaining #50 in the US, despite the success of ‘Love Is The Drug’ a #2 UK smash and the band’s sole US top 40 entry at #30 and being a regular on American radio right up to this day. Another Ferry tune ‘Both Ends Burning’ reached #25 in the UK. ‘Siren’ has been called Roxy Music’s “masterpiece” by critics such as Dave Marsh, and has remained a fan favorite with its blending of dance music and strong instrumental performances, especially those of Manzanera and Mackay along with the Motown flavored vocals of Ferry.

Disc six contains ten tracks composing March 1979’s ‘Manifesto’, released after a three and a half year break during which Ferry concentrated on solo projects and Roxy Music fans were placated with the July 1976 live album ‘Viva’ and November 1977’s ‘Greatest Hits’ which reached #6 and #20 respectively. The album consisted of an even mix of five Ferry penned tunes and five he co-wrote. The band had winnowed to a core of Ferry (vocals, keyboards, harmonica), Andy Mackay (oboe, saxophone), Phil Manzanera (electric guitar) and Paul Thompson (drums) with studio players such as Alan Spenner and Gary Tibbs (bass guitar) and Paul Carrack (keyboards) contributing to the album. The LP was dominated by three singles, two, ‘Dance Away’ and ‘Angel Eyes’ hit big #2 and #4 respectively in the UK, while ‘Trash’ stalled at #40. The album was not as warmly received by critics, but sold quite well, reaching #7 in the UK, and charted higher, #23 in the US than any Roxy Music album before or since.

Disc seven comprises the May 1980 LP ‘Flesh and Blood’, a real change for Roxy Music with Ferry writing five of ten songs and co-writing three others. The album marked the first to include cover tunes, the Wilson Pickett/Steve Cropper ‘In The Midnight Hour’, a smash for Pickett, and the Roger McGuinn/Gene Clark/David Crosby penned Byrds classic ‘Eight Miles High’. By this point Roxy Music had become a trio with only Ferry, Mackay and Manzanera remaining after drummer Thompson’s exit. Studio players such as Carrack, Spenner and Tibbs returned, joined by drummers Alan Schwartzberg and Andy Newmark among others. The album was less well received critically although its singles, ‘Over You’ and ‘Oh Yeah’ were praised, both reaching #5 on the charts, while the LP topped the UK charts and reached #35 in the US.

Disc eight showcases Roxy Music’s studio swan song LP, the May 1982 release ‘Avalon’, which marked a return to all original songs, Ferry penning seven tunes while co-writing the remaining three, and contained the group’s first instrumental, the Ferry/Mackay composition ‘Tara’. The album followed the release of the band’s non-LP single release of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ which topped the charts when released in February 1981, marking the band’s first and only #1 single. As for the album, it was dominated by its three singles which include two Roxy Music classics, the haunting ‘More Than This’ which reached #6, while the LP’s beautiful, romantic title track peaked at #13, and the wistful ‘Take A Chance With Me’ made #26. ‘Avalon’ gave Roxy Music its third #1 UK album, reaching a respectable #53 on the US charts.

‘The Complete Studio Recordings’ is rounded out with two discs, thirty two tracks, of singles, b-sides and alternate mixes. The first disc opens with the pre-LP single ‘Virginia Plain’ and its b-side ‘The Numberer’. Next up is the hit Island Records mix of ‘Pyjamarama’ followed by an alternate Polydor Records mix of the tune followed by the Island b-side ‘The Pride And The Pain’. The US single edit of ‘Do The Strand’ precedes b-sides ‘Hula Kula’ and ‘Your Application’s Failed’. A UK edit and the US single edit of ‘The Thrill Of It All’ are followed by the US single version of ‘Love Is The Drug’ and its b-side ‘Sultanesque’. The single edit of ‘Both Ends Burning’ and its b-side, a live take on ‘For Your Pleasure’ leads to the b-side ‘Trash 2’. 7” single and 12” dance versions of ‘Dance Away’ are followed by the same combination of takes on ‘Angel Eyes’. The set’s final disc opens with the single edit of ‘Oh Yeah’ followed by a remake of ‘Manifesto’ and b-sides ‘South Downs’ and ‘Lover’. Next up is the band’s only #1 hit, the non-LP single cover version of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ and its b-side ‘To Turn You On’. Single versions of ‘More Than This’ and ‘Avalon’ are followed by the latter’s b-side ‘Always Unknowing’. US and UK single versions of ‘Take A Chance With Me’ lead up to the box sets closing tracks, 12” and remix versions of 1982’s ‘The Main Thing’, a gorgeous ending to an incredible collection.

‘The Complete Studio Recordings’ contains 74 tracks spread across Roxy Music’s eight studio albums along with 32 bonus tracks of single, b-sides and alternate mixes, 106 tracks total. As for chart success, all of the albums reached the UK Top 10, six making the Top 5, while the band had a total of sixteen Top 40 singles, ten which made the Top 10 and seven peaking in the Top 5. Each of the studio albums comes with original artwork and complete musical credits. The one shortcoming of the set is that it has no booklet or any information beyond the cursory track listings on the disc sleeves. However, complete musician credits and other details are available in the box sets entry at discogs.com.

Regardless, this gorgeous ten disc box set is absolutely the last word on the studio recordings of Roxy Music and is the perfect companion to the new 308 page ‘Lyrics’ by Bryan Ferry which contains the lyrics to all the tunes he wrote for Roxy Music’s studio recordings to date. The box set will appeal to Roxy Music fans, fans of 1970s and 1980s rock music and classic rock in general and comes highly recommended.

Kevin Rathert

Roxy Music ‘The Complete Studio Recordings’ (Virgin, 2012)