Roxy Music - Siren (1975)

Dan:

In Miami I had a friend Rafael who was into rock music. About 1984, he turned me on to Roxy Music, a band I had never heard of before. I looked into them and was not sure whether I would like a "glam" band or not. Fortunately, my first acquisition was Siren, their fifth album. I got the impression that the first track, "Love Is the Drug," was the favorite single, but it was the only track that I did NOT like. The rest of the album was full of interesting songs that typify Roxy Music's distinctive approach to progressive rock. "She Sells," "Sentimental Fool," and "Both Ends Burning" are the most engaging for me, but the whole album is completely satisfying. Even the weirdest songs have irresistible hooks. Thank you, Rafael!

I then explored the rest of the band's records, including the live EP The High Road. The only disappointments were the self-titled first album and Manifesto. I noticed the increasingly polished production that began around the time of Flesh + Blood and Avalon but viewed it positively. I also became a huge Bryan Ferry fan, collecting most of his solo albums. 

Part of my admiration for Roxy Music is because Bryan Ferry is exactly one year younger than me, and we do look a bit alike, so I'm told. (My other doppelgänger is Righteous Brother Bill Medley, who is four years older than me). Of course, I'm not debonaire, don't smoke, and can't sing or make any remotely musical sounds (that's why I have the Hi Fi). I've never worn a white dinner jacket either, although our Florida home did have a swimming pool.

Several of Ferry's solo albums, such as Another Time, Another Place, cover old-timey songs from the 1950s and earlier - definitely pre-prog. Many critics pan these albums for their song choices and the retro style productions. My belief is that the choices of standards and Motown classics are a sincere tribute to the music that he grew up listening to. He's not mocking anybody like you might think. This is what we old-timers listened to growing up in the 50s and 60s. 

Steve:

I was given many opportunities to hear Roxy Music in my youth, thanks to Dan. For a few years, I think they were the most-played band on his stereo. Siren, Stranded, Country Life, and Avalon are the ones I remember hearing the most. The High Road EP and VHS concert video were also frequently played. I also recall assisting Dan in making a Roxy Music mix tape. By the time I was out of high school, I was an old pro at Roxy Music, although I did not have any albums of my own. No need, he had them all!

In one of my most surreal high school memories, my sister Amy (3 years my junior) was having a birthday party at our house, and my friend Tim's rock band was the entertainment. The repertoire was mostly punk rock, but there was one cool song I wasn't familiar with. When I asked them, it turned out to be "Virginia Plain", from Roxy Music's first album. As Dan mentioned above, he didn't regard that album very highly, so I had not heard it before. It was right there on his shelf, though.  

Back to Siren. Roxy Music's fifth album represents the peak of the original band's run - their first five albums are all rightly considered rock classics and became key steppingstones that moved rock in more artful directions, leading the way for glam rock and New Wave at the same time. "Love is the Drug" remains one of their more popular songs, though I confess I'm a little tired of it by now; the real meat of the album is elsewhere - practically no weak tracks on the whole record. Hard to even choose a favorite, but it may be "Just Another High", with "She Sells" not far behind. Oh, and "Whirlwind". Goodness me, what an album. Listen to it today!