Roxy Music - "For Your Pleasure" (1973)
Roxy Music is one of those bands that I think I know so well. I mean, everyone knows about Roxy Music. That Bryan Ferry sings in the band is common knowledge, that Brian Eno was a member for some time is also an interesting fact that you don't have to be a music expert to know. Their album covers with (sometimes lightly dressed) ladies are also public domain. But when push comes to shove, I don't really know much about how they actually sound. In my youth, I bought their album Avalon on CD, but have never really liked it, and therefore not listened to it a lot. I have a Greatest Hits collection on CD focusing on their early years, but since the emphasis is on (in my opnion) pretty rowdy songs, it hasn't been played a lot on the stereo. So I realize that I in reality don't know much about the band. They have been something like the principal in my elementary school, everyone knew who he was and had great respect for him, even some fear, we knew what he looked like and where his office was, but no one had ever talked to him and hadn't really an idea of how or who he was. Maybe he was really nice? Only the thugs knew, but I was not of them.
I bought this album a few months ago, it was Roxy Music's second album and the last Brian Eno took part in, before he started his successful solo career as a musician and producer. It's a very good album, surprisingly good actually considering my half-reluctant attitude of the reasons mentioned above. Yes, I would even say it's a fantastic album which, in this moment, I'm ready to give a spot on my top-10 list. In any case the top-15.
It starts out with the somewhat rowdy rock number Do The Strand. I mentioned earlier that I usually don't like their more noisy songs, but this opening track works really well. Another highlight on the A-side is the closing track, the beautiful and strange In Every Dream Home A Heartache, an ode to an inflatable doll. A dark song that breathes tragedy and isolation while, at the same time, somewhere there's lurking some sort of humor - "I blew up your body, but you blew my mind." Isn't a song dedicated to an inflatable doll humor in itself?
The B-side starts with the album's longest track, a piece that leans heavily toward art-rock, The Bogus Man, a dark and hypnotic creation that clocks in at just over nine minutes. Maybe a few minutes too long, if I must complain on something.
The B-side's, and thus the album's, closing track is this record's climax. The title track is a fantastic song that made me realize that Bryan Ferry is a song and text writer that not many can compete with. The other songs on this album provides enough information to prove this, the title track is more of the final confirmation of this. A beautiful first third, and then an end with an extended instrumental passage that one suspects Brian Eno being the creator of. A perfect farewell from him.
Other non-mentioned songs on the album are also really good creations, if I should mention some weaker spots it's the more noisy Editions of You, and the track Grey Lagoons on the B-side is also of a little lesser quality.
The woman on the cover was Bryan Ferry's girlfriend at the time, they used to be on the band's album covers.
Should I finally resort to some gossip, I have read (online course) that Bryan Ferry's current wife is one of his son's former girlfriends. It feels a bit strange and many questions arise. One can for example consider how this affects the father-son relationship, personally I would feel very weird about my dad getting together with one of my ex girlfriends. But maybe I'm just being narrow-minded?
Tracklist
Side A
1. Do The Strand 4:00
2. Beauty Queen 4:35
3. Strictly Confidential 3:42
4. Editions Of You 3:40
5. In Every Dream Home A Heartache 6:25
Side B
1. The Bogus Man 9:22
2. Grey Lagoons 4:11
3. For Your Pleasure 6:58
Usually I link to the original album versions, if possible, but this live version from 2001 is great. What a way to end a concert!
No comments:
Post a Comment