UKRichard wrote:
I've never really thought of it before, but there's never been a BF album where the record company and the man himself hasn't lauded the stella lineup and great playing of the musicians but that was very rarely the case with Roxy. Maybe it's because Roxy were well established as a group and the core members at least were readily identifiable, whereas on his solo records pretty much everyone was a guest.
As for IYM, save for a brace of songs, I've always considered it a weak album and that extends to the production values. I remember reading at least once how much BF disliked the album himself. To me it sits neither comfortably alongside Siren, nor as the segway between BF's first two outings (plus the LST collection) and the vastly superior TBSB. It's pretty hard to say with conviction that IYM was a rip-roaring success and with the abject failure of TBSB, I'd argue we have the reformed Roxy - however much some may have disliked it - to thank for BF's subsequent longevity.
Fanatical Fandangoists,
The ever thoughtful UKRichard makes salient points. Albeit in the first paragraph W2 thinks he asks and answers his own question. Highlighting guest artists is just the difference between the protocols associated with group and solo efforts.
With regard to IYM, although it is the BF album that W2 plays less but when he does give it a spin, he finds its brashness refreshing and there are some gems. Particularly TIT, TJ & IYM.
UKRichard’s contention that the relative lack of commercial success of both IYM and the vastly superior TBSB led Bryan to retreat into ‘Roxy’ could be correct. At the end of the day, artists have to eat and in our hero’s case, eat well.
That said, BF’s musical journey continued unabated and the 3 ‘Roxy’ albums that followed were truly phenomenal culminating in the flawless ‘Avalon’. Surely one of the greatest albums of all time !
Salutations et tres bon unlock,
Windswept.