Early lineup with Eno and Rik Kenton

Until 30 minutes ago, I had no idea what I was going to blog about. As I sometimes do, I headed over to my collection in Discogs.com and hit the “random item” button [sort of like the one on the right sidebar of this blog] and was rewarded with an LP I forgot that I had. Roxy Music: “The Atlantic Years | 1973-1980.” One of those records you pay a dollar or two for…just because. Then I got the idea to check and see how many of the Roxy Music compilations did I have in total. There were enough to blog about, that’s for certain! Here’s the story.

ATCO Record| US \ LPO | 1977 | SD 38-103

Roxy Music: Greatest Hits US LP [1977]

1. Virginia Plain
2. Do The Strand
3. All I Want Is You
4. Out Of The Blue
5. Pyjamarama
6. Editions Of You
7. Love Is The Drug
8. Mother Of Pearl
9. A Song For Europe
10. The Thrill Of It All
11. Street Life

This album was actually in my wife’s collection, but I probably would have bought it on my own at some point in the last 25 years! The selection of tracks is nothing to argue with. It was nice to see deep cuts like “Mother Of Pearl,” a single nowhere in the world, yet my absolute favorite Roxy Music song, was duly accounted for here. As Isaac Hayes would say, “daaaaaaaaamn right!” The cover by Mick Haggerty was a wonder with a gilded butterfly-wing fabric [?] background texture with a gold plated album sitting on it, subtly reflecting the traditional glamour muse model in the label area. I will admit that I pilfered the distorted reflection concept for my own JAPAN boxed set cover. I should play it to see which version of “Pyjamarama” it features.

Atco Records ‎| US | LP | 1983 | 90122-1

Roxy Music: The Atlantic Years 1973 | 1980 US LP [1983]

1. Dance Away
2. Angel Eyes
3. Over You
4. Love Is The Drug
5. Oh Yeah
6. Ain’t That So
7. My Only Love
8. In The Midnight Hour
9. Still Falls The Rain
10. Do The Strand

This was compiled by Atlantic Records, who held the license to Roxy in America for many years, but that didn’t stop it being released all over the world. Including the UK. Track selection is a bit strange, to say the least, but at least it only has two tracks from the previous “Greatest Hits.” I looked up the cover model on Discogs and she had hooked up with John Taylor of Duran Duran for several years following her usage on this cover. I don’t suppose that this cover had anything to do with their relationship? I believe my wife picked this up at a garage sale. She has a good eye. It’s the Peter Saville cover.

Reprise Records ‎| US | CD | 1986 | 9 25857-2

Bryan Ferry + Roxy Music: Street Life 20 Greatest Hits US CD [1986]

1. Virginia Plain
2. A Hard’s Rain A-Gonna Fall
3. Pyjamarama
4. Do The Strand
5. These Foolish Things
6. Street Life
7. Let’s Stick Together
8. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
9. Love Is The Drug
10. Sign Of The Times
11. Dance Away
12. Angel Eyes
13. Oh Yeah
14. Over You
15. Same Old Scene
16. In The Midnight Hour
17. More Than This
18. Avalon
19. Slave To Love
20. Jealous Guy

This was the first, but not the last, compilation to round up Ferry’s solo career with that of Roxy Music. How many other group leaders have their solo efforts so easily bundled together with their famous band like this? At the time I bought this, it was my only copy of “Pyjamarama” on CD, and no. I don’t know which version is here off the top of my head. It’s a good compilation for its time period with “Slave To Love” getting the nod of approval. At the time it was vital for me to have at least the singles from “Flesh + Blood” on CD format as I waited a long time for Virgin to re-issue that one on CD in the 90s. Plus, it had “Jealous Guy” on CD for the first time. The cover image of Ferry came from the early video performance of “Re-Make Re-Model” [I believe] and was nicely colorized by Keith Breeden. Apparently, this was sold with a TV ad campaign in the UK.

EG ‎| UK | CD | 1988 | EGCTV 2

Bryan Ferry + Roxy Music: The Ultimate Collection UK CD [1988]

1. Let’s Stick Together [’88 Remix]
2. The ‘In’ Crowd
3. Dance Away
4. Angel Eyes
5. He’ll Have To Go
6. Tokyo Joe
7. All I Want Is You
8. Jealous Guy
9. The Price Of Love
10. Don’t Stop The Dance
11. Love Is The Drug
12. This Is Tomorrow
13. Slave To Love
14. Help Me
15. Avalon

Only two years later another Ferry/Roxy comp hit the streets! A third of the songs were carried over from the last compilation but there were a few bones tossed to fans. “Let’s Stick Together” was a 1988 remix, the first post-modern Roxy Music remix [Bruce Lampcov/Rhett Davies], but pretty harmless. “He’ll have To Go” was another lost track from the “Bride Stripped Bare” sessions to resurface when they needed some new blood. At least the version of “Jealous Guy” was unedited here. The previous compilation had over a minute trimmed off. The best bait here was the “Help Me” single [Theme from ‘The Fly”] on the shiny silver disc. After passing up “Don’t You [Forget About Me]” Ferry made up for it in earnest in doing lots of movie themes. This was one of the good ones. The cover by Michael Nash Associates looked like something for the Japanese market. A bit perfunctory.

Virgin ‎| UK | 4xCD | 1995 | CDBOX5

Roxy Music: The Thrill Of It All UK 4xCD Digibook [1995]

Disc 1 [1972-1973]

1. Re-Make / Re-Model
2. Ladytron
3. If There Is Something
4. 2HB
5. Chance Meeting
6. Sea Breezes
7. Do The Strand
8. Beauty Queen
9. Strictly Confidential
10. Editions Of You
11. In Every Dream Home A Heartache
12. The Bogus Man
13. For Your Pleasure
14. Street Life
15. Just Like You
16. Amazona

Disc 2 [1973-1975]

1. A Song For Europe
2. Mother Of Pearl
3. Sunset
4. The Thrill Of It All
5. Three And Nine
6. All I Want Is You
7. Out Of The Blue
8. Bitter-Sweet
9. Casanova
10. A Really Good Time
11. Prairie Rose
12. Love Is The Drug
13. Sentimental Fool
14. Could It Happen To Me?
15. Both Ends Burning
16. Just Another High

Disc 3 [1979-1983]

1. Manifesto
2. Trash
3. Angel Eyes
4. Stronger Through The Years
5. Ain’t That So
6. Dance Away
7. Oh Yeah
8. Same Old Scene
9. Flesh And Blood
10. My Only Love
11. Over You
12. No Strange Delight
13. More Than This
14. Avalon
15. While My Heart Is Still Beating
16. Take A Chance With Me
17. To Turn You On
18. Tara

Disc 4 [Singles and B-Sides]

1. Virginia Plain
2. The Numberer
3. Pyjamarama
4. The Pride And The Pain
5. Manifesto (Remake)
6. Hula Kula
7. Trash 2
8. Your Application’s Failed
9. Lover
10. Sultanesque
11. Dance Away (Ext. Remix)
12. South Downs
13. Angel Eyes (Ext. Remix)
14. Always Unknowing
15. The Main Thing (Ext. Remix)
16. India
17. Jealous Guy

Wow! This one was The Bomb when it came out! The Roxy Music Boxed Set for the hardcore fan. The first three discs compiled highlights of the band’s seven studio albums. If this had been a 5xCD box, they could have fit everything on it in a “Police “Message In A Box” fashion. That said, “For Your Pleasure” was only missing “Grey Lagoons.” The real pull here for people like me with all of the CDs already, was that only the early version of “Manifesto” on LP had the original versions of  “Dance Away,” “Angel Eyes” on it. All re-pressings and all of the CDs opted for the very different hit single mixes. But that was nothing compared to the grail-like bounty of the fourth disc. All of the non-LP A/B-sides were here…mostly. The live B-side of “For Your Pleasure” was absent. The version of “Pyjamarama” here differed from the one of “Street Life.”

But there were mistakes made. “The Numberer” was in mono and the abstract ambient “South Downs” had its channels reversed. The cover looked like leftover “Mamouna” photography from the year before, but this was quite the thing to have, back in the day. The booklet was riveting reading. I’m still waiting for that Roxy Music coffee table book!!! The discs had outtakes of the album covers printed on them. I was very happy to have received this as a birthday gift from my wife after it came out and I don’t even remember dropping any hints!

Virgin| UK | CD | 2000 | CDV 2921

Bryan Ferry: Slave To Love – The Best Of The Ballads [with Roxy Music] UK CD [2000]

1. Slave To Love
2. Jealous Guy
3. This Love
4. More Than This
5. Falling In Love Again
6. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
7. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
8. Oh Yeah
9. Is Your Love Strong Enough
10. Zamba
11. These Foolish Things
12. Crazy Love
13. Sonnet 18
14. Avalon
15. Where Or When
16. To Turn You On
17. Windswept
18. My Only Love

It was a dozen years later since the last Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music compilation… time was ripe for another! A few tracks even came from Ferry’s 1999 solo album of jazz age covers, so it was up to date. The emphasis on ballads made this a canny product for the “VH-1” Ferry fan who didn’t want tracks like “Mother of Pearl” shaking things up. A few rarities surfaced here to ensare me. Hardcore ferry fans had already bought the OST to “Threesome” years earlier to get the excellent song “Is Your Love Strong Enough” from the [terrible] Ridley Scott movie “Legend” but for anyone else, that was a great reason to buy. “Sonnet 18” was a Shakespeare adaptation made for the Princess Diana tribute album [of course, Ferry would suck up to The Royals!] and since there was no way I would ever buy that, this was a boon for my collector’s gene. And finally, the mystery track “This Love” only ever appeared… here! The cover by Swedish designer…John The Fisherman[?] was perfunctory.

Virgin ‎| UK | SACD [hybrid] | 2001/3 SACDV 2939

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

When we saw the mandatory Roxy Music 2001 world tour [twice!] of course they had to put another compilation out! Like most, this one had the edit of “Jealous Guy.” But the track order went in reverse this time. Ooooookay. I only just got a version of this since it was hardly mandatory, when I chanced across a SACD of this in the bins of the local Mr. Ks priced as if it were the conventional CD. The fools!! I’ve learned that DSD mastering is usually worth paying attention to for the best analog transfer you are likely to hear, and even though I don’t have a SACD player in my possession, many SACDs are hybrid discs with a CD layer that can be ready by any CD player. Like this one.

I’ve found that the DSD mastering makes a difference even when dithered down to CD resolution. I’ve not yet given it critical listening but word has it that this is the worst of all possible worlds: a DSD mastered disc with brickwalling! Well, for what I paid I was willing to find out! I’ve already got the T-shirt and program book with this art… why not go for the SACD? That’s Susie Bick a.k.a. Ms. Cave on the stylish cover.

Virgin ‎| UK | 10xCD | 2012 | 5099944021726

Roxy Music: The Complete Studio Recordings UK 10xCD box [2012]

Disc 1 – Roxy Music

1. Re-make / Re-model
2. Ladytron
3. If There Is Something
4. 2 H.B.
5. The Bob (Medley)
6. Chance Meeting
7. Would You Believe?
8. Sea Breezes
9. Bitters End

Disc 2 – For Your Pleasure

1. Do The Strand
2. Beauty Queen
3. Strictly Confidential
4. Editions Of You
5. In Every Dream Home A Heartache
6. The Bogus Man
7. Grey Lagoons
8. For Your Pleasure

Disc 3 – Stranded

1. Street Life
2. Just Like You
3. Amazona
4. Psalm
5. Serenade
6. A Song For Europe
7. Mother Of Pearl
8. Sunset

Disc 4 – Country Life

1. The Thrill Of It All
2. Three And Nine
3. All I Want Is You
4. Out Of The Blue
5. If It Takes All Night
6. Bitter-Sweet
7. Triptych
8. Casanova
9. A Really Good Time
10. Prairie Rose

Disc 5 – Siren

1. Love Is The Drug
2. End Of The Line
3. Sentimental Fool
4. Whirlwind
5. She Sells
6. Could It Happen To Me?
7. Both Ends Burning
8. Nightingale
9. Just Another High

Disc 6 – Manifesto

1. Manifesto
2. Trash
3. Angel Eyes
4. Still Falls The Rain
5. Stronger Through The Years
6. Ain’t That So
7. My Little Girl
8. Dance Away
9. Cry, Cry, Cry
10. Spin Me Round

Disc 7 – Flesh + Blood

1. The Midnight Hour
2. Oh Yeah
3. Same Old Scene
4. Flesh And Blood
5. My Only Love
6. Over You
7. Eight Miles High
8. Rain Rain Rain
9. No Strange Delight
10. Running Wild

Disc 8 – Avalon

1. More Than This
2. The Space Between
3. Avalon
4. India
5. While My Heart Is Still Beating
6. The Main Thing
7. Take A Chance With Me
8. To Turn You On
9. True To Life
10. Tara

Disc 9 – Singles, B-Sides And Alternative Mixes A

1. Virginia Plain
2. The Numberer
3. Pyjamarama (Island Mix)
4. Pyjamarama (Polydor Mix)
5. The Pride And The Pain
6. Do The Strand (USA 7″ Mix)
7. Hula Kula
8. Your Application’s Failed
9. The Thrill Of It All (Edit)
10. The Thrill Of It All (USA 7″ Mix)
11. Love Is The Drug (USA 7″ Mix)
12. Sultanesque
13. Both Ends Burning (7″ Mix)
14. For Your Pleasure (Live)
15. Trash 2
16. Dance Away (7″ Version)
17. Dance Away (Canadian Extended 12″ Mix)
18. Angel Eyes (7″ Version)
19. Angel Eyes (12″ Version)

Disc 10 – Singles, B-Sides And Alternative Mixes B

1. Oh Yeah (7″ Version)
2. Manifesto (Remake)
3. South Downs
4. Lover
5. Jealous Guy
6. To Turn You On (1981 B-Side Version)
7. More Than This (7″ Version)
8. Avalon (7″ Version)
9. Always Unknowing
10. Take A Chance With Me (7″ Version)
11. Take A Chance With Me (USA 7″ Mix)
12. The Main Thing (12″ Version)
13. The Main Thing (Remix)

And finally, we have…this! All things to all people, the 2012 studio boxed set that while it lacked any live albums from the band, bent the rules just enough to give us the one live B-side the band released! All of the albums are in gatefold laminated cardboard sleeves with inner sleeves. Even the ones that were never gatefold. But the reason to buy is more than the 2003 remasters of the albums. This time there was two CDs packed with every conceivable rarity. 7″ edits for the USA? They’re here. The Canadian 12″ remix of “Angel Eyes?” Heck, I didn’t even know about that one until I got this set. The ne plus ultra of the Roxy Music fan’s collection.

Strangely enough, there are only a few Roxy Music comps missing from my collection. The main one I don’t have is at left, but I do have the all-important [at the time] JPN laserdisc version of that title that was packed with Roxy Music and solo Ferry music videos! I never set out to collect this many compilations, but the manner in which they trickled out was most sly indeed, ensuring my eventual purchase most of the time for one track or another. It helped that none of these were purchased as as new items [save for the gift my wife gave me].

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