Product Description

The self-titled first Roxy Music album opens with what seems to be a ambient recording from a cafe--glasses clinking, low talking, and so on. It sets up a mood of casual elegance that the band explored throughout their career, from sophisticated glamour all the way through decadence. The first song, "Re-Make/Re-Model" becomes, after the cafe introduction, apunchy rock track that mixes an insistent rhythm section, Andrew Mackay's saxophone playing, and Bryan Ferry's unmistakable voice into a cultured warble (the song's "chorus", by the way, is "CPL 593H", the licence plate number of a car).
Roxy Music's early work is a strange hybrid of glam rock, cocktail jazz, and English music hall. The band has a joke at the expense of each, and is clearly enjoying themselves. Other standouts include the classics "Virginia Plain" and "2HB". The first was the band's first single and arguably the most successful song from their early period, with catchy lyrics, a fabulous bridge section, and a beat you can dance to.The second is a ballad inspired by the film CASABLANCA featuring a bubbling synthesizer and saxophone under Ferry's "Here's looking at you, kid" chorus. This is a must-own.

Track Listing

1. Bitters End
2. Bob
3. Chance Meeting
4. If There Is Something
5. Ladytron
6. Remake/Remodel
7. 2HB
8. Would You Believe
9. Sea Breezes
10. Virginia Plain

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2679 in Music
• Released on: 1999-09-13
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Customer Reviews

Remade-Remodelled and sounding better than ever.
You can read loads of thoughts about this iconic album in the other reviews. What you need to know that the other reviews don't mention is the vastly superior sound quality on this CD compared to the original LP. I don't know what it was about the original LP, (the cut, the production, the engineering, the studio?) but it always sounded to me as though it had been recorded in a cardboard box. I note that King Crimson's Larks Tongue in Aspic was also recorded at EG's Command Studios and that sounded flat to me too. Anyway, this mix is much improved and polishes this diamond very nicely.

Way, way ahead of its time
Released in 1972, quite what to make of this album was anybody's guess. Here we had quasi-futuristic keyboard sounds, weird and wonderful noises a-plenty but backed with rockabilly bass, searing prog-rock lead guitar and fifties rock n roll saxophone. It had a soon-to-be iconic cover that made everyone notice it as they flipped through the album sleeves in the shops. We had vocalist Bryan Ferry's bizarre voice, greaser's quiff and lame jacket looking like something out of Sha Na Na; Brian Eno looked like something out of "Dr Who"; as did Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay had, of all things a Teddy Boy hairdo and outfit. Then there was good old Paul Thompson, the archetypal "brickie in make-up" on drums. What a wonderful, awe-inspiring mix. Forget Ziggy Stardust, this lot truly took the biscuit.

And the music. Oh yes, the music. Was it retro ? Was it now ? was it futuristic ? Nobody knew what to say about it, other than we kidded on that we liked it. Some thirty years plus later we all know that we really did like it. It was magnificent, from the blistering rocky lead-off "Re-Make Re-Model" (an ode to a car numberplate, CPL593H); through the weird noise dominated "Ladytron"; the almost portentous prototype of Rocky Horror's "Time Warp" in "Would You Believe" to the cod-rock n roll of "If There Is Something" complete with soaring saxophone breaks - it was an avant-garde masterpiece, possibly one of the most strange and creative debut albums ever released. Particularly when one considers that it was released amidst a backdrop of Slade, T.Rex, Gilbert O'Sullivan and The Sweet.

It still sounds challenging today. I don't think one can ever say they truly love this album from beginning to end but they sure as hell admire it, with all its complexities and stylistic idiosyncracies.

Incidentally, the accompanying hit single, the magnificent, timeless "Virginia Plain", was never on the original album release, making it even less appealing at the time to the mass market.

An original sound when it was released that has stood the test of time well.
Walking past my local record shop in the early seventies I noticed the big Roxy Window display. I'd heard the single, Virginia Plain, and had time to kill so I thought I'd pop in and check it out. Standing there with the cans on this strange music came flooding into my ears(after some party chat noises) - Remake,Remodel, with each of the band having a little showcase. The stereo was great, thru Ladytron & If There is Something. This was really different, excellently produced, full of wierd noises , great sax & clarinet and those Elvis impersonator vocals. I'd heard Virginia Plain but then came the multi layered 2HB.
It's always a bit self conscious being stood in a record shop listening to an album so I bought it on the spot, took it back to my bedsit and played the other side. A great debut album, much better than most of the subsequent stuff. Groundbreaking in its time and arguably one of the first glam-rock albums. This CD captures it all perfectly.