Roxy Music: Country Life - 1974
"Don't want to learn about etiquette from glossy magazines.."
Not quite as seminal as the first three Roxy Music albums, Country Life was released in 1974 and its cover fascinated me as a 15 year old schoolboy. I wonder why! Women were women in those days. Indeed. Funny how some albums in those days were inextricably linked to their covers, this is one of those.
Brian Eno was long gone now, and, just as on its predecessor, Stranded, I am not sure his tape loops and so on were particularly missed. Many will disagree with that, of course, but it is indisputable that this album still showcases mid 70s Roxy Music at their very best - alternating between majestic, unsettling art rock and glamorous, elegant pop/rock. The glam accoutrements that still hung around on Stranded's Street Life and Serenade were all but gone by now, however - this was intended to be a cool, serious adult avant-garde rock album.
Here we go then - one-night stands and cut-price souvenirs...
After the previous album opened with the poppy glam energy of Street Life, here the opener, The Thrill Of It All, was much different - a six and a half minute intense, inscrutable almost industrial rocker. This was a somewhat bloated, but still exciting number, remaining instantly recognisable as Roxy Music. It has an impressive, slow build up intro, great sax and guitar, and the chorus lines supply a bit of catchiness, but overall it is an enigmatic, albeit powerful song. It also suffers a little from a muddy production, something that also affects All I Want Is You.
Surprisingly, the track in between these two, Three And Nine, has excellent, clear sound. The afore-mentioned number is an appealing, melodic and whimsical Bryan Ferry tune containing hidden qualities that tend to get overlooked somewhat (fine saxophone and harmonica and an impressive vocal).
The lead-off single, All I Want Is You, with its storming opening guitar riff, is the most underrated of Roxy's excellent 45s. It is often not mentioned in the pantheon of great Roxy singles, the attention going to Virginia Plain, Street Life and Love Is The Drug. This is a pity as it bristles with pop rock energy from the first second when that huge dazzling guitar riff opening gives it life. Lyrically, it has its beguiling moments too - "don't want to learn about etiquette from glossy magazines..." has Ferry hinting that his new-found cool style is self-created, not learnt from secondary sources. "An old refrain it lingers on - l'amour, toujours, l'amour..." has Ferry dipping into French once more, echoing A Song For Europe slightly, highlighting his cultured persona - he is a lusty, enthusiastic lover, but an erudite, educated one. Gone was the tuxedo for Top Of The Pops, though, it was plain black t-shirt and jeans, but this was a calculated move to show that Ferry could be "cool-casual" as well as lounge bar smooth. The song resurrects the old Virginia Plain abrupt ending too.Then there is the stunning Out Of The Blue with its great bass line and stunning Phil Manzanera guitar, augmented by Eddie Jobson’s electric violin. This was probably the album's best track - proper mature Roxy laid-back rock. A fine live version of it appears on the 1976 live album, Viva!.
If It Takes All Night is a jazzy, boogie-blues singalong number, with an excellent, upbeat, Andy Mackay saxophone solo in the middle. Ever the Francophile, Ferry dips into French again on the "Madame Claude, d'accord.." line and uses the word "ennui".
Ferry continues his European tour, this time heading for Germany on Bitter-Sweet. This is more than a little clunky, however, with its overbearing "sturm und drang" Teutonic chorus (the German lyrics for which Ferry was assisted on by the two German models who appeared on the cover). I have never quite got into it, I have to say.
Triptych is, like Stranded's Psalm, quasi-religious and more than a little odd. Some Elizabethan-style keyboards are an innovative presence. Despite its somewhat clumsy chorus part, it is appealing, in an inexplicable sort of way. These are two "challenging" tracks that require several listens to fully appreciate. The exemplify the accentuated "seriousness" of the album.
The urgent, slightly mysterious Casanova sees a return to the Roxy of old, sniping, slightly tartly, at the contemporary “jet set” that Ferry so wanted to belong to (although I prefer the more mellow, funkier version that appeared on Ferry's Let's Stick Together album in 1976). It is one of the album's more instantly appealing numbers, full of punch and a great bass line from John Gustafson.
A Really Good Time is an underrated and piano-powered number, this is classic laid-back Roxy rock balladry with Ferry's voice to the fore, a sonorous chorus and another great bass line. It also showcases Eddie Jobson's attractive orchestration.
There is a signing off in true Roxy overblown rock style here with Prairie Rose. Again, Phil Manzanera’s guitar is spectacular as is the bass (again). Incidentally, although the song is a homage to the state of Texas, it was written before Ferry met Texan Jerry Hall, long thought to be the inspiration for the song.
This was not a bad album at all, but at the time I was a tiny bit underwhelmed, which is a little bit unfair. For many, this is seen as the most artistically complete Roxy Music album. I can understand why they may think that, but I prefer the previous three outings overall. There was just more quirky creativity on those offerings than on the slightly impenetrable, obtuse vibe of this one.
The non-album 'b' side from the recording sessions for this album was Your Application's Failed. 1974's 'b' side, from the All I Want Is You single was yet another instrumental. It was slightly longer than the previous ones, clocking in at over four minutes. It is a saxophone and guitar-driven number and is probably my favourite of the 'b' sides (not that any of them were up to much). It was a shame, though, that Roxy's 'b' sides did not reflect the top quality of their albums. The track is notable for drummer Paul Thompson's only vocal contribution to Roxy's songs - he says the title once, half way through, in his Geordie accent.
The track has the feeling of being an instrumental written for lyrics that never arrived, with a definite verse/chorus structure.
