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Roxy´s most complex song
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Author:  steve [ Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:26 am ]
Post subject:  Roxy´s most complex song
Happy new year everybody!

Just out of interest: From a musical point of view, what do you think is the most complex composition of Roxy Music?

I guess you can´t compare anything they did to Queen ("March of the black Queen" for example) or other major bands of their time, because to me their music was more or less...
- a vehicle for the exquisite lyrics by Mr. Ferry ("Dreamhome", "Mother of Pearl", "Just like you"...)
- there to transport certain moods (just take the "Avalon"-Album as a whole)

I would go for "Amazona" - really nice and sometimes "odd" time-changes... :)
Author:  Zappa [ Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
Off the top of my head, I would go for She Sells. Nice twists and turns.
Author:  Windswept2 [ Sat Jan 03, 2015 1:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
Philosophical Philanderers,
Bonne année et bonne santé!
Monsieur Steve has posed a very interesting question.
Personally, I've always considered a number of Roxy songs to have quite complex constructions and to choose one is a challenge but two good examples could be 'Mother Of Pearl' and '2HB'.
That said, complex or not I always considered their work to have a depth, darkness, romanticism and humour that put them right at the forefront of modern music.
Salutations,
Windswept
Author:  DCJ [ Sat Jan 03, 2015 3:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
Roxy and BF never really recorded any truly "complex" songs as far as I far tell (they were a far cry from Yes or King Crimson!). The Manzanera co-writes such as Amazona, Prairie Rose, Manifesto, and Out of the Blue have an edge to them that BF solo tunes lack. And while Andy's Song for Europe is elaborate and beautiful, I wouldnt' characterize it as complex.

Although not complicated, the arrangement for If There is Something is among the most notable Roxy tracks in that it keeps evolving into distinctive parts. Ladytron also has an organic structure that, while not complex, is also quite distinctive.
Author:  Windswept2 [ Sat Jan 03, 2015 4:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
[quote="DCJ"]they were a far cry from Yes

Cher DJC,
Happy New Year.
Thank God they were a far cry from Yes!
I thought the word was complex not weird.
Salutations,
Windswept
Author:  DCJ [ Sun Jan 04, 2015 2:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
I was never a huge fan of Yes, and indeed their oblique lyrics (Sharp Distance??? hmmm...) could certainly grate. But I listened to them plenty thanks to 70s FM radio and found that songs like Roundabout weren't so bad... I like to think of Yes as a thinking man's Rush! Possessing a modicum of charm if taken in small doses.

Now that I'm thinking about it, the first Yes album has a decent cover version of the Beatles' Every Little Thing. Oh the things that we remember 40 years on...
Author:  Oberon [ Sun Jan 04, 2015 7:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
First of all, BF is an artiste rather than a musician.
One reason why BF has been my icon during all these years is that his music has given me so much inspiration - when I paint and write.
All his music has a kind of spiritual depth which one is almost absent in popular music as a whole.
A song can be simple and good - zamba - or complex and good - Mahler symphony 9.
By the way, I confess that I like to listen to Yes now and then. Going for the one, Relayer Topographig Oceans are all great for the right occasion. We should be generous; in our garden there are robins singing as well as gulls and blackbirds.
Author:  Bill [ Tue Jan 06, 2015 6:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
Always thought Out Of The Blue was really great song with a lot going on in it. In my very humble opinion, probably the best bass line of any RM track.
Author:  pianoman [ Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
Very interesting topic. Roxy Music wasn't a prog rock band at all. Yes, early Genesis etc. had started to show our parents that rock music was more a serious art than a matter of fun or protest. With classical arrangements, lots of chords and weird rhythms. But Roxy was somehow different. I think that songs like 'Chance Meeting' or 'The Bogus Man' had more attributes of jazz (or modern classical music) than of prog rock. But after all I second steve's opinion that 'Amazona' was their most complicated song because of all those time changes. And it consists of several different parts. Well done, boys :-) !
Author:  rendezvous [ Wed Jan 07, 2015 1:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Roxy´s most complex song
I was never into prog rock and complicated time changes or 27 minute organ or drum solos were anathema to me.

But Steve's initial post wasn't about just "technical wizardy."

For overall wall of sound-so-much-happening-brilliance I'm always blown away by Casanova from CL; stunning keyboards and powerful vocal from Bryan, Phil's stratospheric guitar, Andy's urgent sax, and Paul being Paul and boxing it together with thunderglue. It's a monster track.

I'm not that keen on She Sells, seems a bit too much like being clever and tricksy for the sake of it, but live in '75 it was great!

Otherwise, Mother of Pearl has so many moods, and after the manic intro you end up flaoting around in the wordplay and sounds, love the xylophone bits around the lyric "a simple tune." Always makes me smile.
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