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 Post subject: 1974
PostPosted: Sat Nov 23, 2019 11:55 pm 
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1974

What a year in retrospective in the Roxy-Ferry-world.
On one side you have the country-life-tour, which I consider the best Roxy-tour ever. On the other hand you have Bryan’s experimental remake-remodel of rock-pop classics presented on the TFT and ATAP albums. All experimental and radically different to what had ever happened up to that point in pop music history.
The Country Life tour presented a superb Roxy Music, leaning on the incredible Thompson-Wetton (RIP) rhythm-section backed up by the extremely talented and by this time confident Eddie Jobson. Remember that John Wetton came almost directly from one of the most adventurous, inspired and improv versions of King Crimsom ever, to share his fabulous bass playing in the Roxy context. I have listened through my collection of more than a dozen Roxy 1974 recordings and I’m staggered even today. Eddie Jobson can’t get enough credit for his playing on this 1974 tour. If there is something has never been better. It’s amazing how Eddie plays the lead through this epic version of this song. I often can’t hear what’s keyboard and what’s his plexi-violin. Letting Andy and Phil do their solos better than ever. Anyway it’s superbly played, and listen to Wetton’s “offensive” bass playing on Out of the blue, giving the song the best attitude ever. And then there’s 3&9, Beauty Queen, the QL-classics and so on, never better.
And then we have Bryan’s solo stint. 2 lps within a year or so, causing a revolution in the “covering a pop song” world. Bryan’s 2 first solo-albums were decades ahead of their time. Presenting versions of “classics” in his own special style, so different from the originals. He shocked the music world with his versions of Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan numbers, and many more. Later many artists have followed in his footprints with huge success. Bowie’s “Pin-ups” were pale compared to Bryan.
The 1974-tours made deep impressions with many people on this list. Most prominent is of course Windswept 2, who has praised those RAH-1974--gigs for years. Actually I thought it was a dvd with video-footage. I must admit I was a little disappointed realizing it was an audio only release, but then again, audio is of course most important.
And I hope for more releases of Roxy anno 1974.


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 7:59 am 
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Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 7:23 pm
Posts: 1568
doc wrote:
1974

What a year in retrospective in the Roxy-Ferry-world.
On one side you have the country-life-tour, which I consider the best Roxy-tour ever. On the other hand you have Bryan’s experimental remake-remodel of rock-pop classics presented on the TFT and ATAP albums. All experimental and radically different to what had ever happened up to that point in pop music history ...............................
..........And I hope for more releases of Roxy anno 1974.


Hipsters,
Great words from “doc”.
The historic importance of ‘74 just can’t be overestimated.
After the R&B, Soul and Rock explosions of the ‘60s we had entered an era of musical tribalism that squeezed the glamour out of live performances.
Nothing typified it more than the short career of ‘Free’. Great musicians, with great songs who dressed like refuse collectors. Their audiences often reacted accordingly and concerts often dissipated into near riots.
OK, there had always been an unruly element in rock but by the time we hit the early ‘70s it had gone mainstream and many live performances had just become boring and were often events to be survived rather than cherished. Hence the ban implemented by TRAH and the boom in private members clubs that became night time homes for ‘The ‘In’ Crowd’.
The birth of ‘Roxy’ put glamour back into live music. Fans started to dress up for gigs and their cinematic performances got audiences dreaming again.
Ferry’s solo career ran in tandem and his first two albums showcased creative interpretations of an eclectic mix of his personal favourites. They showed that you could ‘own’ songs and make them yours rather than just ‘cover’ them. The arrangements remain both dramatic and haunting and both ‘TFT’ and ‘ATAP’ stand the test of time incredibly well.
When he launched his first ‘solo’ tour in ‘74 he not only entertained, he educated and consigned the musical tribalism that had started to beleaguer rock to history. He showed how contemporary all styles of music could be with a sprinkle of ‘Ferry Dust’ and that the only thing that mattered and was truly cool was good music.
All of this was magnificently brought to life at TRAH in 1974 on an evening that those of us lucky to be there will never forget.
W2 is indecently excited that we are going to have an album commemorating the historic moment that launched our hero into the most eclectic and glamorous of musical careers.
Salutations,
W2


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:43 am 
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Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:12 pm
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Music is never easy. Deciding on the pro and cons often ends up in contradicting oneself. I`ve always had a soft spot for Roxy, but lo and behold, save me for all the other bands that came along. Queen, Sparks, ELO, Supertramp, Slade, Sweet, Bad Company, and the 60s was barely over when we got Gilbert O`Sullivan. What lame acts.

"Bryan’s experimental remake-remodel of rock-pop classics presented on the TFT and ATAP albums. All experimental and radically different to what had ever happened up to that point in pop music history." - These are big words. They are cover albums. Nice at the moment, then soon forgotten. Some people never bought Bryan`s vision. To this day, they still cling to Neil Young. Meself, I`ve long since moved over to that period of easy listening that early BF partly seemed to emulate. ("Another Time, Another Place", wasn`t that a line from Engelbert Humperdinck?)


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:49 pm 
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Another Time, Another Place is also the title of a 1958 film with a pre-James Bond Sean Connery in a lead role. The plot seems rather melodramatic, (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_T ... (1958_film) but so was BF circa 1974!


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 6:40 am 
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le freak wrote:
Music is never easy. Deciding on the pro and cons often ends up in contradicting oneself...........Queen, Sparks, ELO, Supertramp, Slade, Sweet, Bad Company, and the 60s was barely over when we got Gilbert O`Sullivan. What lame acts.

"Bryan’s experimental remake-remodel of rock-pop classics presented on the TFT and ATAP albums. All experimental and radically different ...........They are cover albums. Nice at the moment, then soon forgotten. Some people never bought Bryan`s vision.


Cher le freak,
Music is always in the ear of the beholder but W2 certainly wouldn’t compare the Roxy/Ferry canon with the fodder you identify. You’ll be adding Garry Glitter and Sweet to the mix soon !
If conflation is to be had it is surely with the rampant quality of that epoch : Robert Palmer, Marvin Gay, Steely Dan , Curtis Mayfield, David Bowie, to name but five ......all different but in the same qualitative league.
As for your assertion regarding TFT & ATAP, W2 couldn’t disagree more violently. doc’s words are spot on. Apart from the fact that nobody’s forgotten them, they spawned a whirlwind of imitations with everybody from Bowie to George Michael trying their hand at the classics. In Windswept’s not so humble opinion only Palmer came remotely close to Ferry in the interpretations game and he played with a straighter bat.
En fin, il fault etre juste. The two albums celebrated with the release of next year’s live LP were and remain absolutely groundbreaking - who could possibly forget the magnificent interpretations of songs as diverse as ‘Hard Rain’, ‘The In Crowd’, ‘Smoke Gets In My Eyes’, and ‘Tracks Of My Tears’ ?
Salutations,
W2


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 11:00 pm 
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While TFT was among the albums we enjoyed in 1974, it was actually released in 1973 and a month before Stranded.

In fact 1973 was nominally BF's most prolific calendar year, with three album releases: FYP (March), TFT (October) & Stranded (November).

The arrival of Eddie Jobson in lieu of Eno certainly coincided with BF's most productive period for albums, though, with four releases in only thirteen months: TFT (Oct '73); Stranded (Nov '73); ATAP (July '74); Country Life (Nov '74).

For all that I think FYP is the jewel in the crown (hard as it is to choose between the first four Roxy albums), the comparatively lightweight TFT was probably the BF album that I came closest to wearing out during my schooldays, along with IYM (which should arguably have been the sixth Roxy album).

I'm looking forward to the release of RAH '74, but disappointed that we'll probably never see anything issued from the '77 tour (from which there are some good quality bootleg recordings), as IYM is apparently BF's least favourite album.


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 7:34 am 
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Smudge wrote:
disappointed that we'll probably never see anything issued from the '77 tour (from which there are some good quality bootleg recordings), as IYM is apparently BF's least favourite album.

The man's mad! IYM (with the exception of Tokyo Joe!) is the best thing he's done by a country mile.

1974 though; Roxy at their absolute peak, the Newcastle City Hall concert still blows me away to this day!!!


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:20 pm 
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Smudge wrote:
While TFT was among the albums we enjoyed in 1974, it was actually released in 1973 and a month before Stranded.......


Cher Smudge,

W2 thinks doc’s reference to ‘74 is the show and forthcoming album of the RAH evening not the launch of TFT.

Salutations,

Windswept.


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:29 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2015 6:03 pm
Posts: 94
Smudge wrote:
I'm looking forward to the release of RAH '74, but disappointed that we'll probably never see anything issued from the '77 tour (from which there are some good quality bootleg recordings), as IYM is apparently BF's least favourite album.


One of the 1977-gigs can be watched on my Youtube-channel + several other Roxy/Ferry-videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNAL4YhHnVk&t=10s


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 Post subject: Re: 1974
PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 8:18 am 
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Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 7:23 pm
Posts: 1568
Hipsters,
W2 has always thought that one of the greatest legacies of the ‘74 fandango was the late, great Robert Palmer’s ‘92 RAH show when he showcased his ‘ Ridin’ High ‘ album.
When the sublimely talented Palmer decided to investigate the great American songbook it was clearly the first two Ferry solo albums and ATGB that he looked to.
He chose a slightly different mix of songs and included three tracks from his ‘Don’t Explain’ album and for sure, mixed his own cocktail - it was no plastic interpretation- but the influence is there for all to see.
When he came to promote the album and took to the stage with a 40 piece orchestra in ‘92 it was little surprise that he picked TRAH to do it.
What a homage! W2 was also at that show and often wonders if Ferry
was in the audience ?
Salutations,
Windswept


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