Track Listing

1. Avalon
2. More Than This
3. Jealous Guy
4. Over You
5. Same Old Scene
6. Oh Yeah!
7. Angel Eyes
8. Dance Away
9. Both Ends Burning
10. Love Is The Drug
11. Out Of The Blue
12. All I Want Is You
13. Mother Of Pearl
14. Street Life
15. Do The Strand
16. Pyjamarama
17. Virginia Plain
18. Re-Make/Re-Model

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #977 in Music
• Released on: 2001-06-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
At the start of the 1970s, when the music world was ruled by grim longhairs and wafflesome prog rockers, Roxy Music appeared to have beamed in from another planet. Impossibly alien and exotic, they bucked contemporary trends by being kitsch, avant-garde, experimental and yet unashamedly pop. Bryan Ferry was the louche, sensual front man, Brian Eno threw his deconstructionist spanner in the works and they played songs that sounded like demented, sexy logarithms. After Eno left in 1973, frustrated that Ferry was marginalising his input, Roxy became a different beast entirely, developing a suave, sophisticated pop-soul that abandoned the art-rock niche to embrace a wider audience. This lush Best Of compilation, released to accompany their reunion tour (minus Eno), captures both sides of Roxy and, true to the subversive spirit that informed their early years, does so in reverse order. This anti-chronology means they open with the languid, supper-club croon of 1980s hits "Avalon" and "More Than This", plus the beauteous cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", then peel back the years through mid-period gems like "Dance Away" and "Love Is The Drug" before closing with the hyperventilating, superbly twisted bubblegum of "Pyjamarama" and "Virginia Plain". A bonkers track-listing then but an essential souvenir of a band--and a talent--in a million. --Ian Gittins

CD Description
Best-of compilation for the reformed Roxy Music. Founder members Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno have had long-running solo careers. This album includes all their best known hits including 'More Than This', 'Love Is The Drug' and their cover of John Lennon's 'Jealous Guy', their only UK No.1.

Customer Reviews

An intrigiung & successful retrospective...
Compiling a one CD “Best of Roxy Music” is a tough task. Why?... well, not only did the group re-invent itself in personnel & style on at least three occasions during its 10 year life but, the strength of its most effective albums (in particular “For Your Pleasure”, “Country Life”, “Flesh + Blood” and “Avalon”) lies in their cohesion, making the selection of individual tracks out of context extremely difficult. So… better to forget any pretensions to a “Best of…” title and to consider this compilation for what it actually is: an intriguing and successful retrospective.

Intriguing because it’s sequenced “back to front”, starting off with the “radio friendly”, beautifully crafted tracks produced at the end of their career and then progressing backwards (in time at least!) to the distinctly less “easy listening” and far more radical outings from the beginning of their career. Compare this album’s first track (“Avalon”, from their last studio recording) to its last track (“Re-Make/Re-Model”, from their first record) to witness the scale of the change involved. Successful, because it gradually takes the listener from the familiar to the “strange” and, in so doing, pretty effectively maps out the group’s career while providing, on the way, an excellent “sampler” of what’s to be found on their individual albums. A job well done but, “The Best of…”: unlikely/impossible!

A Tale of Two Roxy's !!
A very "interesting" cd - especially for those souls who think of Roxy Music as always being the quintessentially last word in pop elegance.

Tracks 1 - 8 summarise this elegant, very slick body of work after they re-formed in 1978 following a two year break. This was commercially their most successful period. Overall the material was fairly gorgeous and tasteful, but for me sometimes a little too eager to please the dinner party set. "Avalon" for me is the standout track from this time. It's detatched beauty was the last word in atmosphere and chic.

As the CD continues, we trail through Roxy's (in my opinion) more glorious past. The slick stuff was also edgy and weird ("Mother of Pearl"). Some classic pop-rock was offered ("All I want is You", "Street Life" - yeah, Roxy could be very noisy in their young days). The perfectly-formed art-pop-kitsch of "Virginia Plain" has been copied to an extent by the likes of Air today. And as for the anarchic "Remake/Remodel" - well that should show you that our Bryan didn't start out by crooning alone !

If you only know Roxy's more (relatively) recent offerings and you're prepared to have your perception of them changed for ever - this CD is a steal !

"Make me a deal and make it straight..."

What a glorious history
Get out your glitter, your platform shoes, those little pillbox hats with veils - whatever it was you wore to those Roxy concerts in the 70s - and prepare to enjoy yourself. I'd forgotten how much good music Roxy had made over the years.

I put this CD on and not one bad track. It's a real jaunt down memory lane and a great testimonial to one of the most original groups ever. To quote Mr. Ferry "It's a new sensation, a fabulous creation" ......!