The Definitive Tribute To Roxy Music and their Far-Reaching
Alan Heaton | Doylestown, PA | 10/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fans of Roxy Music who have been waiting for something new from the band will love this well-rendered and thorough homage by Burning Sky Records. Take Refuge In Pleasure: The Songs of Roxy Music Revisited is quite possibly the best Roxy Music tribute album yet released. The first sign that the album will satisfy fans craving the "Roxy Style" is the lovely photo of up-and-coming Australian model Sheridyn Fisher on the front cover. Sheridyn recently was named the winner of the Playboy Swimwear Australia competition, and she fits perfectly in the great Roxy Cover Model Tradition alongside such luminaries as Jerry Hall, Amanda Lear, Marilyn Cole, and Kari-Ann Muller.
Happily, the music is also worthy of the Roxy Tradition. There are 15 tracks in all. Eleven are covers of Roxy Music songs. There is at least one song from each of their 8 studio albums, from their debut Roxy Music all the way through Avalon. The tracks are presented in chronological order, so the listener can re-live the evolution of the band from their glam rock beginnings to the suave elegance of the Avalon era in a single album. The album also pays tribute to the "Roxy Progeny" -- the work of Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera outside of Roxy Music - 4 covers of Roxy Progeny songs are included as Bonus Tracks.
Here's a brief take on the tracks:
1.) "Re-make/Re-model" - Promising young UK band NOMAD 67 takes a raucous grunge/punk approach while still paying respect to the original.
2.) "Ladytron" - Italian artist Carlo Senna completely re-vamps an already-strange song and makes it stranger. What is up with the mysterious phone conversation (in Italian) deep in the mix?
3.) "Virginia Plain" - UK artist Ken Morrison gives a very cool Ultravoxy New Wave spin to Roxy's first-ever single.
4.) "Pyjamarama" - US/UK band Sartre's Lobster add a sleek 1980's Bowie-like sheen to this classic song.
5.) "Do The Strand" - Swedish powerpopsters The Drowners rock up this cover, which has a Scott Weiland/Queens Of The Stone Age vibe to it.
6.) "Mother of Pearl "- US band Lostdog in Loveland also take a Bowiesque slant on one of Roxy Music's more inventive songs. The Bowie slant makes sense, given that longtime Bowie piano player Mike Garson plays on the track!
7.) "Out Of The Blue" - Swedish band Weekend Wars does a powerful and largely faithful rendition, featuring male and female vocals. Eddie Jobson's famous violin solo is replaced by an effective guitar-driven climactic outtro.
8.) "She Sells" - US artists Matt Harris (of The Posies) and Ian Moore combine on a great retro take on this song, featuring some soaring Pink Floyd style backing vocals.
9.) "Angel Eyes" - US band Electric Newton Overdrive also put a retro spin on this track, with alternating male and female vocals reminiscent of Elton John and Kiki Dee.
10.) "Same Old Scene" - Burning Sky Records has also released a tribute to 1990's US powerpop legends Jellyfish. This cover by Spanish band Cokeroque sounds exactly like what a Roxy Music song would sound like if covered by Jellyfish - amazing.
11.) "To Turn You On" - Spanish artist Amelia Ray puts a decidedly female spin on this romantic song, making it even romantic and impassioned than the original.
12.) "Needles In The Camel's Eye" - The first of the four Bonus Tracks, this cover of the Eno/Manzanera glam classic by UK band The Wolfmen (featuring Marco Pirroni of Adam and the Ants fame) is even more rocking than the original version.
13.) "Baby's On Fire" - US artist Tommi Zender completely reinvents another Eno classic, giving it a sexy, bossa nova-meets-East Los Angeles feel.
14.) "Slave To Love" - Tasmanian band The Evening Dolls rock up this Bryan Ferry single with crashing guitars and soaring vocals.
15.) "War Brides" - UK band Out of the Blue (an assemblage of students from England's Grammar School at Leeds) give a spunky, spirited take on this Andy Mackay song from 1976's Rock Follies TV show.
All in all, it is hard to imagine a more thorough and enjoyable tribute to Roxy Music. This is a great listen, and will more than tide over Roxy Music fans until the next Roxy-related release.
That said, the packaging for Take Refuge In Pleasure: The Songs of Roxy Music Revisited does contain a teaser card for a Deluxe & Delightful Edition containing 42 tracks on 3-CDs. It is only available from the Burning Sky Records website. Well worth checking out.
"
Great Roxy covers
David Bell | UK | 08/23/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album has some stylish covers that reflect the variety of the originals. If only Bryan Ferry's later work showed the creativity of these songs. Well worth getting by any Roxy fan.
My only minor niggle is the track selection. Some - Remake Remodel, She Sells even Virginia Plain surprisingly, bring new character and stand alongside the originals and Slave to Love is far better. Songs like Ladytron, To Turn You On, & Baby's on Fire fail somewhat.
I have Deluxe and Delightful, the full 3CD set and this contains some storming covers that are missing on the single CD - If It Takes all Night, Just Like You, End of the Line, Trash. If attracted by this CD listen to some of the missing tracks on MySpace and consider splashing out on the full 3CD set."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1