Roxy Music. So underrated

[The fasting showman]

5 hours ago, silverfoxnik said:

Great to see this thread spring back to life.. 

 

I'm a lifelong Roxy fan; Virginia Plain was the first 7" single I bought back in 1972..

 

Watching them performing it on Top of the Pops was as mind blowing to me as an 12 year old kid as seeing Bowie performing Starman on the show that same year! 

 

Their influence can't be overstated enough IMHO ; they were a driving force in bringing the glamour back into rock & roll at that time, influenced countless other influential bands/artists like Bowie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Japan, Duran Duran etc, etc.. And in Ferry and Eno, the had two stunningly original artists and songwriters... 

 

My personal preference will always be for their first, brilliantly original run of albums made with the original lineup, as opposed to the late 70s, early 80s sound they morphed into when Ferry brought in different group of technically better (maybe?), but less interesting musicians.. 

 

In terms of their bass players, Graham Simpson, John Gustafson and John Whetton resonate most with me in terms of their playing styles, bass lines and sound.

 

(... weird how their surnames all end in 'on'??) 

 

And JG was a really significant bass player in the development of the first Wal Pro Bass model back in the mid-70s. 

 

Awesome! 

A huge influence on so many great bands. I've always thought to myself that 'She sells' off Siren could just as easily been a song by either Japan or Madness. 

There's not many other ways that those 2 great bands could cross-over!

[Old Man Riva]

9 hours ago, silverfoxnik said:

Great to see this thread spring back to life.. 

 

I'm a lifelong Roxy fan; Virginia Plain was the first 7" single I bought back in 1972..

 

Watching them performing it on Top of the Pops was as mind blowing to me as an 12 year old kid as seeing Bowie performing Starman on the show that same year! 

 

Their influence can't be overstated enough IMHO ; they were a driving force in bringing the glamour back into rock & roll at that time, influenced countless other influential bands/artists like Bowie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Japan, Duran Duran etc, etc.. And in Ferry and Eno, the had two stunningly original artists and songwriters... 

 

My personal preference will always be for their first, brilliantly original run of albums made with the original lineup, as opposed to the late 70s, early 80s sound they morphed into when Ferry brought in different group of technically better (maybe?), but less interesting musicians.. 

 

In terms of their bass players, Graham Simpson, John Gustafson and John Whetton resonate most with me in terms of their playing styles, bass lines and sound.

 

(... weird how their surnames all end in 'on'??) 

 

And JG was a really significant bass player in the development of the first Wal Pro Bass model back in the mid-70s. 

 

Awesome! 

Pretty much mirrors my thoughts! Seeing Roxy on Top of The Pops was amazing. 
 

My uncle and aunty went to see them in Coventry on their first tour at Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University). There was an old motel (The Chase) on the outskirts of Cov near where my uncle lived, that had a late bar, and was a stopping off place for bands at the time. By chance Roxy were staying there so my uncle got me their autographs (on an old brown envelope that had his gas bill in it - no idea why he was carrying that around with him!). I put it away somewhere safe at my mum’s, so safe I’ve not seen it for over fifty years! 
 

I can’t really put into words how their music changed my world as a kid. The first two albums were so influential. The Bogus Man used to genuinely scare me (so much so, when I was playing side two I’d skip to the second track!). An amazing piece of music.

 

A wonderful band, whose music I still love as much today as I did when I was a kid… 

[silverfoxnik]

4 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

Pretty much mirrors my thoughts! Seeing Roxy on Top of The Pops was amazing. 
 

My uncle and aunty went to see them in Coventry on their first tour at Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University). There was an old motel (The Chase) on the outskirts of Cov near where my uncle lived, that had a late bar, and was a stopping off place for bands at the time. By chance Roxy were staying there so my uncle got me their autographs (on an old brown envelope that had his gas bill in it - no idea why he was carrying that around with him!). I put it away somewhere safe at my mum’s, so safe I’ve not seen it for over fifty years! 
 

I can’t really put into words how their music changed my world as a kid. The first two albums were so influential. The Bogus Man used to genuinely scare me (so much so, when I was playing side two I’d skip to the second track!). An amazing piece of music.

 

A wonderful band, whose music I still love as much today as I did when I was a kid… 

Wonderful story @Old Man Riva! 

 

Don't you sometimes wish you could go back to those days when your mind hadn't been brainwashed by the tyranny of Spotify playlists and the FM Radio driven genre-ification (if there is such a word) of music?

 

Or so overloaded with years and years of hearing new bands and artists, that everthing sounds like something else...? 

 

...Back to that time when your mind could be blown away by a new startling, daring and creative band like Roxy were...?

 

I really miss that. 

 

 

[Old Man Riva]

11 minutes ago, silverfoxnik said:

Wonderful story @Old Man Riva! 

 

Don't you sometimes wish you could go back to those days when your mind hadn't been brainwashed by the tyranny of Spotify playlists and the FM Radio driven genre-ification (if there is such a word) of music?

 

Or so overloaded with years and years of hearing new bands and artists, that everthing sounds like something else...? 

 

...Back to that time when your mind could be blown away by a new startling, daring and creative band like Roxy were...?

 

I really miss that. 

 

 

My formative music years began in the early 70s, through Radio1 and Top of The Pops. I personally think the quality of the ‘pop’ music (i.e. 45s heard on the radio and seen on a Thursday night on the telly) were as high as in any era. Many years later artists like Bowie, Roxy, Mott the Hoople etc. are viewed as seminal and influential acts, but to me and my mates at the time, they were the just some of the pop stars of the day.
 

Other than Slade Alive and the first Roxy album, all I’d heard at that point were singles. So there’d be the aforementioned, along with the likes of Alice Cooper, T Rex, Sweet, The Faces regularly appearing on the telly on a Thursday evening. It was all we knew, so felt the norm. And then it would be discussed next day at school, in some detail!

 

This is not to denigrate or dismiss other eras (and most folk probably feel their generation was/is the best) but I feel blessed that I grew up when I did, for many reasons, but especially for my first steps into music.

 

That’s a long-winded way of saying “I agree”!

[dannybuoy]

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of playing bass with Phil Manzanera at a wedding reception in his garden when my best friend married his step-daughter! We played a short set (Let’s Stick Together, Love Is The Drug, No Church In The Wild) while the main function band took a break.

[silverfoxnik]

2 hours ago, dannybuoy said:

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of playing bass with Phil Manzanera at a wedding reception in his garden when my best friend married his step-daughter! We played a short set (Let’s Stick Together, Love Is The Drug, No Church In The Wild) while the main function band took a break.

Wow - what a cool thing to have done! 😎

[squire5]

On 14/04/2023 at 20:47, JohnR said:

Alan Spenner. ❤️

Alan was the original bassist on the London cast production of Jesus Christ Superstar.Some sterling bass work on that album.

[BassBiscuit]

20 hours ago, prowla said:

Well, that takes the biscuit!

I see what you did there...!!☺️

[Misdee]

I read an interview with Bryan Ferry where he was talking about the succession of bass players Roxy  had during their classic era. He singled out John Wetton as being an extraordinary player, as well as Alan Spenner, who he said would still be in Roxy had he not died. He also really liked John Gustafson.

 

Bryan also made a point of mentioning that Alan Spenner was a big fan of Marcus Miller's bass playing, and was pleased when Bryan hired him for Live Aid ect.

 

I seem to remember there was a track on Bryan Ferry's solo album  Olympia that had three bass players on. I think it was Flea, Mani and Marcus Miller. No skimping in the bass department for our Bryan !

[Misdee]

On 17/04/2023 at 14:49, toneknob said:

And here's Tony Levin miming on Top Of The Pops to what I think is another Spenner line. Is that Andy Newmark on drums?

 

Tony Levin playing a Steinberger. Collectors item!

[Old Man Riva]

4 hours ago, Misdee said:

I read an interview with Bryan Ferry where he was talking about the succession of bass players Roxy  had during their classic era. He singled out John Wetton as being an extraordinary player, as well as Alan Spenner, who he said would still be in Roxy had he not died. He also really liked John Gustafson.

 

Bryan also made a point of mentioning that Alan Spenner was a big fan of Marcus Miller's bass playing, and was pleased when Bryan hired him for Live Aid ect.

 

I seem to remember there was a track on Bryan Ferry's solo album  Olympia that had three bass players on. I think it was Flea, Mani and Marcus Miller. No skimping in the bass department for our Bryan !

The first time Marcus Miller (knowingly) came onto my musical radar was in 1985, when he appeared as a session player on Bryan Ferry’s Boys and Girls, and Cupid & Psyche 85 by Scritti Politti. His bass line on The Chosen One is fab (though Wikipedia credits it to Alan Spenner, which I’m pretty sure isn’t correct), and is well worth a listen for anyone who hasn’t heard it.

 

For full disclosure, I know it may be considered heresy, but I’m not really a fan of Marcus Miller (sorry!), but his playing on The Chosen One I could listen to all day…

Edited 3 hours ago by Old Man Riva