Roxy Music - Re-modelled (1972)

I was contacted last week with a suggestion for a possible post from Roxy Music, as apparently it's understood that Bryan Ferry was not too impressed with Pete Sinfield's production of the band's debut album, so much so that when he launched his solo career in 1973 he took to re-recording songs from the record for b-sides to his singles. It would be great if he'd recorded all of them, but he only did four - 'Chance Meeting', 'Sea Breezes', '2HB', and 'Remake/Remodel', so we'll never know how he felt the rest of the songs should have sounded. However, on researching whether this would be a feasible task to undertake, I found that the 2018 re-issue of the first Roxy album included as bonus tracks a complete set of demo recordings. We therefore have takes of all of the songs just as they were recorded in the studio, and before Pete Sinfield got his hands on them, so after they were given a quick polish, it's just possible that this is how Ferry wanted the album to sound. The title was a no-brainer, given that this is a re-modelling of the original album, so give it a listen and see who you think was right - Ferry or Sinfield. 

Track listing

01 Re-Make/Re-Model
02 Ladytron
03 If There Is Something
04 2HB
05 The Bob (Medley)
06 Chance Meeting
07 Would You Believe?
08 Sea Breezes
09 Bitters End
10 Virginia Plain

Roxy Music - The Pride And The Pain (1982)

Having just watched a documentary about Roxy Music on BBC4, and being reminded  just what an innovative and ground-breaking band they were in their early days, I think now is the time to post this little collection. Neither side of either of their first two singles appeared on an album until reissues started to appear in the CD era, and while having one non-album single wasn't unheard of at the time, having two in a row was a statement of intent - Roxy Music weren't going to play by the rules. While most people cite the presence of Brian Eno as the reason that the band sounded so unique, in my opinion Andy Mackay was an unsung hero in shaping their sound - how many electric oboes had you heard before their first album came out. Adding Eno and Mackay's input to Bryan Ferry's idiosyncratic vocals, Phil Manzanera's under-stated guitar, and having the whole thing underpinned by the powerhouse rhythm section of Paul Thompson and Graham Simpson made for a band that confounded expectations. Even after they'd broken into the big-time they still looked after their fans by including exclusive songs on the b-sides of most of their singles, and this often gave them the chance to try something a bit different, so all the songs on this collection are well worth a listen.

Track listing

01 Virginia Plain (single 1972)

02 The Numberer (b-side of 'Virginia Plain')

03 Pyjamarama (single 1973)

04 The Pride and the Pain (b-side of 'Pyjamarama')

05 Hula Kula (b-side of 'Street Life' 1973)

06 Your Application's Failed (b-side of 'All I Want Is You' 1974)

07 Sultanesque (b-side of 'Love Is the Drug' 1975)

08 Trash 2 (b-side of 'Trash' 1979)

09 Manifesto (Remake) (b-side of 'Over You' 1980) 

10 South Downs (b-side of 'Oh Yeah' 1980)

11 Lover (b-side of 'Same Old Scene' 1980)

12 Always Unknowing (b-side of  'Avalon' 1982)