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Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Roxy Music Live



The 1970s was the time for glam rock and Roxy Music was one of the most successful bands around. Tickets to see Roxy Music live were much in demand and they enjoyed single and album chart success. The band have disbanded and re-formed for different projects over the years. The debonair Bryan Ferry was the charismatic front man and he has also sustained a solo career. Ferry founded the band along with Brian Eno, who later left and became a sought after record producer. Their debut single was Virginia Plain. Other members included Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson. The band always had an air of sophistication and they benefited from the songwriting skills of Ferry.

After disbanding in 1983, they came together in 2001 to embark on a concert tour in celebration of their 30-year history. Once again, eager fans could see them live. They also worked a short tour of the USA in 2003. In 2002, a concert DVD was released titled Roxy Music Live at the Apollo, which contained 20 songs, rehearsal footage and interviews with the band. They also performed in the 2005 Isle of Wight Festival, which was their first live appearance in the UK since 2002. Summer of 2005 provided another treat for fans when the band participated in the Live8 concert at Berlin. In 2006, the band toured Europe and took the opportunity to focus on destinations that they had not played in previously. This included concerts in Macedonia and Serbia.

There have been a number of live albums released over the years, the next best thing to listening to Roxy Music live. The first one was Viva, released in 1976 and recorded at the Apollo in Glasgow, City Hall in Newcastle and Wembley Arena. The record features Do the Strand. The High Road is an EP, released in 1983, and again, recorded at the Glasgow Apollo. The four tracks are Can't Let Go, My Only Love, the Neil young penned Like a Hurricane and Jealous Guy, the John Lennon song that Bryan Ferry had released as a solo record. The Heart Still Beating album from 1990 was pieced together from various performances in Europe during 1982.

Concert Classics was recorded during the Manifesto Tour, at the Rainbow Music Hall in Denver, Colorado in 1979 but was not released until 1998. The Valentine album came out in 2000 and Concerto came out the following year, with the majority of tracks taken from the 1979 Denver concert. Other Roxy Music live albums followed with Vintage (2001), Ladytron (2002), Reflection (2002), and Roxy Music Live (2003).

The DVD titled Roxy Music - The Thrill of it All: A Visual History 1972-1982 captures the band at the height of their powers with footage from UK and European concerts and promotional videos. There is also footage from appearances on German television and on the popular UK shows, Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test. There are other Roxy Music live DVDs of particular concerts and highlights of tours.

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