Bit off topic, but I was lucky insofar as my older brother was into Roxy from the get go, so he bought all the records. When he left the parental home in 1975, i started collecting in earnest. Your comments took me back a bit Smudge, especially Reddingtons (alas, no more). I couldn't tell you what it was I bought from them but they were a good source of Roxy and BF imports. Remarkable how we came by things then compared to today - rather depended on something you wanted appearing in a lengthy full page advert in the music press, supplemented by catalogues sent out with orders. Certainly the F+B era was a good period for imports.
Good times - akin to the excitement of getting your hands on something new, as described by JO'B.

Something that really stood out to me was the cover art - I think it was the first one to use Peter Saville - compared to Manifesto it felt really contemporary and fresh - the whole package and sound felt like a Remake Remodel .. as I mentioned before - I was leaving school , leaving my village to start a new life and the feel and aesthetic of this album seemed in tune with that transition

Mes Amis,
Le Jardinier makes some excellent points.
Although F&B is probably the lesser played ‘Roxy’ album in W2’s collection it always surprises in a positive manner.
Perhaps it is more overshadowed by ‘Avalon’ than the rest ?
That said, it’s a solid piece of work with some fine moments.
Particularly notable is ‘Oh Yeah”. Has any English songwriter had a more evocative tilt at Americana than this ?
One of the terrific things about our hero’s song writing is his capacity to create a sense of place and time.
Cruising down ‘Highway One’ in a Mustang Convertible with the wind in your hair and love of your life by your side - physically or spiritually- is a must and this gem is the perfect musical accompaniment :
‘Some expression in your eyes - overtook me by surprise’
Pure poetry - fabulous stuff.
Salutations a tous,
W2

It remains a special album for me. I can see it is far more streamlined and basic in the construction of its songs than early Roxy but as J O'B says every band needs to evolve and I think sometimes simple is best. It was of its time and as influential in 1980 as early Roxy was in the 70s. 1980 was a special summer for me and Roxy at Wembley Arena on the Flesh + Blood tour was my first ever gig.

I still love this album greatly.

TGPT is gone, replaced by generic drum machine beats played by a couple of session drummers. That's down side of F+B for me. And the Song FB could use some input from PM and AM - BF's guitar is pretty much bloodless IMHO.

But I enjoy listening to the album and the lyric imagery of MOL is very evocative...

Seeing this thread prompted me to look up some sales/chart data for F&B album that I have collected over the years.

Huge in the UK. Can't remember exact details, but seem to recall 60 weeks on the chart? It was #6 on the year end charts for 1980 (later pushed down a place by 'Duke' by Genesis when Xmas week sales were added and chart updated. Also sneaked in as 100th best seller of 1981 with estimated additional sales of 100,000 for that year.

#1 in New Zealand.

Certified Gold in France & Germany. The first Roxy album I can find certified in those countries.

Charted high in several other countries, though I haven't been able to find Australian peak to-date.

No idea of total sales, but would have comfortably been Roxy's biggest seller in UK & internationally - until 'Avalon' of course.

It was an album I found in record collections of (female) friends who wouldn't normally buy a Roxy LP. One of them grew up in the communist GDR and her vinyl copy was even pressed in East Germany! Obviously F+B was successful there, too. Of course the content was absolutely non-political whereas the Leni-Riefenstahl-inspired cover might have been overlooked .

Flesh + Blood was an album that was released during my first year at Augsburg university. At the same time a Roxy concert in Augsburg was announced (including TGPT ) but shortly before it would happen I became ill and had to sell the tickets .

WS2 is right in saying that Oh Yeah was a classical pop ballad, a wonderful love song, somehow a typical Roxy song and a radio classic still played today. I never understood why Same Old Scene though its rhythmic style, its melody and Andy's sax didn't become a big hit . The title song and RRR were some kind of filling material but Eight Miles High and especially No Strange Delight were absolutely Roxy-esque.

Thanks to Gardner's thread I'm often listening to F+B now, thinking of the time when I was 20 ...

PS: I read this thread during a short trip to Venice when we were at the lido ("down the Lido, and we like the Strand ..." ). Not to mention Boz Scaggs' Lido Shuffle .

Pianoman said 'Thanks to Gardner's thread I'm often listening to F+B now, thinking of the time when I was 20 ...'

I think this is also true for me - thinking I was 18

Cher amis!

Also in my case this album was released during an interesting time in my own life; I was working night time shifts in order to earn money so I could travel to Japan. So, one of music's magic is that peculiar relation with time.
Anyway, the great pianoman touches on something worth some pondering. BF;s music has something that attracts females. Mme Oberon's favourite song is Oh yeah! What a contrast this is to almost all other acts from the 70s. Some years ago when I attended the memorable show in Athens, I estimate that two thirds of the audience were ladies. By the way, pianoman, give RRR another listening, it has its charm.
Please play Running wild at O2!

Salutations à tous!

Mme Oberon's favourite song is Oh yeah!
Oh, Oberon, Mrs. Pianoman and Mme Oberon obviously could be sisters .

By the way, pianoman, give RRR another listening, it has its charm.
Well, I gave RRR a lot of listenings in the last four decades . At least I like Andy's very "dry" saxophone parts in it.