Roxy Music
Viva!

THE REVIEW

The career of Roxy Music began thanks to a very peculiar episode when the hugely popular John Peel was invited to attend the concert of a band that was struggling to make its way through the south of England but had already gained significant success, especially in Italy. In that 1971 concert, Genesis was performing, with Roxy Music as the supporting act. John Peel was literally blown away by the atmospheres created by Eno, Ferry, and company, so much so that it is said he left satisfied after their performance, without even staying for the rest of the concert. From then on, in his program, Roxy Music was included daily, and the whole world fell in love with their elegant way of making rock.

For the band, the live dimension was always a cornerstone: the pathos created was always immense, and at Brian Eno's behest, they began to record every concert on tape, something that continued even after the brilliant keyboardist left the band. During the 1975-1976 period after the release of the excellent Siren, Roxy Music went through a sort of time suspension, during which each member preferred to focus either on a solo career, like Bryan Ferry, or on parallel projects, such as Phil Manzanera with 801 or with Quiet Sun. To avoid losing the market, the label decided to release a live album, as had become the norm. From the tapes, material for a single, yet dense and rich, was selected, covering concerts from 1973 to 1975 and attempting to highlight the magical atmosphere of their performances as best as possible.

And the choice was positive, although not with the best and variable audio quality. From the very first percussive start of the album, you enter a dimension full of great tension that leads to the explosive and dynamic intro of “Out Of The Blue”: Paul Thompson's drum is dry, precise, it doesn’t add to the groove nor does it take away, with not a single different stroke than necessary, and when Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay start, the climax is at its peak. The editing made everything seem as if it came from a single evening and the fluidity of the work is ensured, thus the bouncing sigh of “The Bogus Man” ignites in its devastating crescendo. John Wetton and Eddie Jobson are a duo with exquisite technique, they would later reunite in UK, but here you must hear the class with which they elevate the melodic and nervy themes of the lengthy “If There Is Something” with a series of magical solos among which stands the hypnotic, spacey, and psychedelic one by Phil Manzanera on the guitar and the unsettling and atmospheric “In Every Dream Home A Heartache,” with a Ferry that's nothing short of stellar. The finale brings us to the classic ‘encore’ track with the fierce “Do The Strand,” fast, wicked, and venomous like the bite of a rattlesnake.

Engaging music, as warm as a tropical summer, but fresh as a mountain breeze, despite its years. Among the best live performances of the era. A must-have!

P.a.p. – sioulette.