. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – Roxy Music – Live at Paris Theatre, London – 1972 – BBC Radio 1 In Concert Series.
When Roxy Music arrived on the scene in 1971, they were by and large the antithesis of what had been going on musically prior to that time. Rock was in something of a holding pattern – it hadn’t quite gotten into the Next Thing yet. Roxy Music represented something new – a glimpse at what was to become Glam, but also shades of Prog and Experimental with a Pop sensibility thrown in.
With the suave good looks of lead singer Bryan Ferry coupled with Eno’s flamboyant and eclectic keyboards and Phil Manzanera‘s soaring and fractured guitar solos, it was a band that gave listeners pause. Roxy Music became a household name within months and over the years has become one of the most influential bands to come along in decades.
Tonight’s concert comes just around the time Roxy Music started making huge strides. In 1972 their first self-titled album and a string of singles which would connect with a Pop audience. It was recorded at the BBC’s Paris Theatre in London for the In Concert Series on Radio 1.
Roxy Music had the great good fortune of being able to connect with a wide range of musical genres and tastes – they were enjoyed by the experimental audience as much as the Glam audience as well as the Pop Audience. Later they would connect with the Punk audiences as well as the New Wave audience and influence a whole genre of electronica in the 80s.
Listening to them during this early period is a fascinating experience. Imagine, if you can, that nobody really sounded like them before – that there was something strange and instantly appealing about them. Pretend you’ve never heard them before and you might get an idea of what audiences in 1972 were getting turned on to. Why they were such a breath of fresh air at the time.
And it would also help if you cranked it up too.
Enjoy the half-hour time travel.
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