I'm inclined to think FYP SDE will happen. The obvious time to release this would've been within a year of the RM SDE that commemorated the '45th' (46th) anniversary of that debut. It would have matched the scheduling of the original releases and the anniversaries - if '45' years was appropriate for RM, then surely it's appropriate for their magnum opus? Alas, no. So surely a 50th anniversay release beckons - well there's precious little left of 2023 to achieve that one, although as with RM, maybe we could stretch the definition of '50' to 51 with an early 2024 release?

I remain optimistic but tortuous doesn't even scratch the surface trying to describe this one. Some minor momentum in keeping the band visible in 2018 lost in the 5 years, 7 months (and counting) that has passed since. My optimism though is non-existent as far as any future RM SDEs are concerned. Viva, surely, would be simplicity itself - no demos, no promo appearances etc, just remaster the wider recordings (a la BF Live 1974) with some now well-established "enhanced artwork" and simply "flog" it. But I think I'll be pushing up the daisies before this or any other Roxy nuggets see the light of day.

It was around Christmas 1983/84 when I heard a radio presenter say that ‘Roxy Music had disbanded’. Not really a surprise at that time because the number of original members was constantly dwindling (some songs on Avalon with only one or two Roxy members plus the short playing time of the album etc.). And didn’t they have a hiatus between 1976 and 1978, too? So I wasn’t really concerned about this news.

But when Roxy came back as a performing band in 2001 I was pleasantly surprised and dreamt of a phenomenal album no. 9. In 2005/6 they at least tried to produce new material but then Dylanesque came out and I suddenly knew that this was the ultimate end of Roxy Music as a recording band since they would never try again ...

I saw them in 2001 and 2010 - but what a difference: in 2010 the band members seemed to have only half of the fun they had together in 2001 … OK, the Roxy SDE was a highlight - still waiting for a similar FYP edition. And the RnR Hall of Fame show brought them a little bit back into the minds and ears of rock music fans, but the following (farewell?) tour through the States, Canada and UK ignored their fans and their fame in continental Europe, Australia/NZ and Japan.

So what now? The time for a new album is over. Ferry seems to be unable to write any more lyrics and if he could his voice might be unable to sing them. Unfortunately it seems that nobody is inclined to raise new interest for this outstanding band. So Roxy lives on as a kind of garnish for classic rock or nostalgic radio programs throughout the world. Jealous Guy, Avalon, More Than This? - Oh Yeah!

-p-

I had great hopes for the 05/06 recording sessions but alas it was not to be. The addition of Eno and Chris Thomas gave me a lot of hope

Whilst it is not everything, Roxy Music is a vital part of the members musical journey. Without it their careers would have been so much different.

My view is that without that mix of the original band I doubt we would have heard much from any of the individual members. I may of course be wrong.

Roy Music is a special group of musicians with Ferry, Andy, Phil and Paul at its heart. The closeness of that relationship was evident at the 50th Anniversary shows which I thought were great.

If Roxy is ever to produce original music again, something I doubt, then I wouldn't be surprised if its a purely instrumental thing.

They all love their soundscapes and I think they could do something fantastic. Ferry holds the key

So Brian Eno is " touring!?!"

Sorry, but I've been on the South Hylton workingmens clubsite - and Pennywell Comrades club - nee mention of him there and there's a big tote double draw anarl!

So Brian Eno is " touring!?!"

Your scepticism is well founded; he's doing a handful of gigs, including two in London on the same evening.

He said after his show at the Acropolis with his brother that he would never tour, but that similar, occasional shows in places of particular interest might be possible (I paraphrase, but that was the essence).

Mes Amis,
Some great posts particularly from UK Richard et Rendezvous.
Personally I would welcome BF’s arrival on the political scene.
At least we’d be blessed with a well dressed PM and silent airwaves. Frankly it would be a great step up from Blair going completely mad with the Iraq invasion and the idiot Johnson thrusting the bordel qu’on appelle Le Brexit sur nous.
Etre serieux, I always find ‘The end of ROXY MUSIC…’ debates omit the glaringly obvious - why on earth would Bryan record with the band when he has had and is hopefully still having such a stellar solo career ?
‘Love Letters’ wasn’t five minutes ago and for all we know there could be more in the pipe.
That said, I find analogies with the Stones interesting because they always fail to mention that despite some pretty decent material (most recently with the theme song to ‘Slow Horses’’) Mick’s solo musical career has been a resounding belly flop and Keef’s Expensive Wino adventures at best average. The same is not true of ‘The Bonny Lad’ whose solo sales have probably outstripped those of Roxy many times over.
Furthermore, when does a true artist ever go back ? Do we think David Hockney will be painting swimming pool scenes soon ? W2 thinks this as likely as BF recording with Roxy again.
Il faut tourney la page,
Salutations a tous. Meme les gens du South Hylton !
Windswept.

Salutations a tous. Meme les gens du South Hylton !
Windswept.[/quote]

Been going through a lot of domestic hell W2, so my apologies for my brief visits here lately. You cheer me up! Cheers.

Dear Mr. Windswept,
I've been thinking for a long time about whether I should post this here and I know it will give you a big shake of the head...
Without Roxy, Bryan would never have achieved his celebrity status. Did he even have a number 1 album or song after Avalon?

I also never liked the excursion into jazz (AEWBF tour). I was live at the Admiralspalast in Berlin (2013?). Yes, the show lasted unusually long for Ferry standards, a little over 2 hours, the master himself was on stage for maybe 60-70 minutes, the rest was jazz from his band. I didn't like it because I'm not a jazz fan.

The worst tour for me was Dylanesque. Absolutely unnecessary, made from scratch, both the album and the tour.

1999/2000 was the ATGB tour. Finally seeing Bryan live on stage again after Mammouna was great, but the songs from the thirties weren't and aren't my thing either.

Since Roxy's split, Mr. Ferry has certainly brought a lot of joy into my life, but there are also things that I can't understand.

In any case, I think it's good that Mick Jagger never followed these paths. It's better to release solo albums that don't have the impact of a Stones album than to devote themselves to musical styles that would certainly have been silly for Mick. Whether Bryan distinguished himself in these aforementioned musical performances is certainly to everyone's taste. I'm happy for you if you like the songs from Love Letters, and I mean that honestly, but I haven't heard these songs in months and I don't miss them.

Roxy rule o.K. ....

Blimey, Windswept won't be the only one shaking his head I'm sure.

I'm sure 'celebrity status' has rarely been the motivation for BF or most performers of their generation (that's largely within the purview of the narcissistic social media / reality tv generation) - he and others are artists first and foremost. If they're successful, some of the trappings of so-called 'celebrity' will come their way but it's hardly something to be "achieved".

Secondly, whether he'd have been successful without Roxy - a band he created, not merely hitched a ride upon - is an utterly facile argument because its absolutely impossible to prove.

Finally, yes he did have a number 1 album.

As for the rest, OK you don't like jazz, and songs that have have stood the test of almost a century arent your 'thing'. They're probably not Mick's either - thank goodness: I think he'd likely have Cole Porter spinning in his grave. That BF can turn his hand to so many genres shows his dexterity as an artist - it would indeed probably be "silly" for Jagger to do so - he does, after all, have one 'style' in his repertoire.

Viva versatility.

I don't want to badmouth or write down the versatility and the many artistic facets that Bryan fills perfectly.
For me personally, there have only been two songs since 2000 that I still enjoy listening to today and that still fascinate me: I thought and Rhythm or Rhyme. Everything else is certainly interesting and audible, but it doesn't give me much joy or enthusiasm. For an artist who has so much taste and style, that's simply not enough for me over two decades. I also think that Bryan was much more dependent on his Roxy Boys than some people realize. It's not for nothing that they all played on his solo albums; sometimes it was also important to bring them in (Eno) to end the endless production of an album and finally finish it.
And they proved on their last tour that they can still do it together. The pace was a bit slower, but the show as a whole package was perfect.

VIVA ROXY MUSIC.