Roxy Music - Japanese SHM-SACD Reissue Series '2015 (8x SACDs) [PS3 ISO + Hi-Res FLAC]

2015's collection of Roxy Music, released in Japan as SHM-SACDs. Features DSD flat transfer from the U.K. original analogue master tapes. Includes all of the band's studio albums: Roxy Music (1972), For Your Pleasure (1973), Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974), Siren (1975), Manifesto (1979), Flesh and Blood (1980), Avalon (1982).

Falling halfway between musical primitivism and art rock ambition, Roxy Music's eponymous debut remains a startling redefinition of rock's boundaries. Simultaneously embracing kitschy glamour and avant-pop, Roxy Music shimmers with seductive style and pulsates with disturbing synthetic textures. Although no musician demonstrates much technical skill at this point, they are driven by boundless imagination – Brian Eno's synthesized "treatments" exploit electronic instruments as electronics, instead of trying to shoehorn them into conventional acoustic patterns. Similarly, Bryan Ferry finds that his vampiric croon is at its most effective when it twists conventional melodies, Phil Manzanera's guitar is terse and unpredictable, while Andy Mackay's saxophone subverts rock & roll clichés by alternating R&B honking with atonal flourishes. But what makes Roxy Music such a confident, astonishing debut is how these primitive avant-garde tendencies are married to full-fledged songs, whether it's the free-form, structure-bending "Remake/Remodel" or the sleek glam of "Virginia Plain," the debut single added to later editions of the album. That was the trick that elevated Roxy Music from an art school project to the most adventurous rock band of the early '70s.

Tracklist:

01. Re-Make/Re-Model
02. Ladytron
03. If There Is Something
04. 2 H.B.
05. The Bob (Medley)
06. Chance Meeting
07. Would You Believe?
08. Sea Breezes
09. Bitters End

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,72 GB

On Roxy Music's debut, the tensions between Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry propelled their music to great, unexpected heights, and for most of the group's second album, For Your Pleasure, the band equals, if not surpasses, those expectations. However, there are a handful of moments where those tensions become unbearable, as when Eno wants to move toward texture and Ferry wants to stay in more conventional rock territory; the nine-minute "The Bogus Man" captures such creative tensions perfectly, and it's easy to see why Eno left the group after the album was completed. Still, those differences result in yet another extraordinary record from Roxy Music, one that demonstrates even more clearly than the debut how avant-garde ideas can flourish in a pop setting. This is especially evident in the driving singles "Do the Strand" and "Editions of You," which pulsate with raw energy and jarring melodic structures. Roxy also illuminate the slower numbers, such as the eerie "In Every Dream Home a Heartache," with atonal, shimmering synthesizers, textures that were unexpected and innovative at the time of its release. Similarly, all of For Your Pleasure walks the tightrope between the experimental and the accessible, creating a new vocabulary for rock bands, and one that was exploited heavily in the ensuing decade.

Tracklist:

01. Do The Strand
02. Beauty Queen
03. Strictly Confidential
04. Editions Of You
05. In Every Dream Home A Heartache
06. The Bogus Man
07. Grey Lagoons
08. For Your Pleasure

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,7 GB

Without Brian Eno, Roxy Music immediately became less experimental, yet it remained adventurous, as Stranded illustrates. Under the direction of Bryan Ferry, Roxy moved toward relatively straightforward territory, adding greater layers of piano and heavy guitars. Even without the washes of Eno's synthesizers, Roxy's music remains unsettling on occasion, yet in this new incarnation, they favor more measured material, whether it's the reflective "A Song for Europe" or the shifting textures of "Psalm." Even the rockers, such as the surging "Street Life" and the segmented "Mother of Pearl," are distinguished by subtle songwriting that emphasizes both Ferry's tortured glamour and Roxy's increasingly impressive grasp of sonic detail.

Tracklist:

01. Street Life
02. Just Like You
03. Amazona
04. Psalm
05. Serenade
06. A Song For Europe
07. Mother Of Pearl
08. Sunset

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,65 GB

Continuing with the stylistic developments of Stranded, Country Life finds Roxy Music at the peak of their powers, alternating between majestic, unsettling art rock and glamorous, elegant pop/rock. At their best, Roxy combine these two extremes, like on the exhilarating opener "The Thrill of It All," but Country Life benefits considerably from the ebb and flow of the group's two extremes, since it showcases their deft instrumental execution and their textured, enthralling songwriting. And, in many ways, Country Life offers the greatest and most consistent set of Roxy Music songs, illustrating their startling depth. From the sleek rock of "All I Want Is You" and "Prairie Rose" to the elegant, string-laced pop of "A Really Good Time," Country Life is filled with thrilling songs, and Roxy Music rarely sounded as invigorating as they do here.

Tracklist:

01. The Thrill Of It All
02. Three And Nine
03. All I Want Is You
04. Out Of The Blue
05. If It Takes All Night
06. Bitter Sweet
07. Triptych
08. Casanova
09. A Really Good Time
10. Prairie Rose

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,68 GB

Abandoning the intoxicating blend of art rock and glam-pop that distinguished Stranded and Country Life, Roxy Music concentrates on Bryan Ferry's suave, charming crooner persona for the elegantly modern Siren. As the disco-fied opener "Love Is the Drug" makes clear, Roxy embraces dance and unabashed pop on Siren, weaving them into their sleek, arty sound. It does come at the expense of their artier inclinations, which is part of what distinguished Roxy, but the end result is captivating. Lacking the consistently amazing songs of its predecessor, Siren has a thematic consistency that works in its favor, and helps elevate its best songs – "Sentimental Fool," "Both Ends Burning," "Just Another High" – as well as the album itself into the realm of classics.

Tracklist:

01. Love Is The Drug
02. End Of The Line
03. Sentimental Fool
04. Whirlwind
05. She Sells
06. Could It Happen To Me?
07. Both Ends Burning
08. Nightingale
09. Just Another High

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,71 GB

Returning to action after four years of solo projects, Roxy Music redefined its sound and agenda on Manifesto. More than ever, Roxy sounds like Bryan Ferry's backing band, as the group strips away its art rock influences, edits out the instrumental interludes in favor of concise pop songs, and adds layers of stylish disco rhythms. Although the songwriting is distressingly inconsistent, there are a number of wonderful moments on the record, particularly in the sighing "Angel Eyes" and the heartbroken "Dance Away." Still, trading sonic adventure for lush, accessible disco-pop isn't entirely satisfactory, even if it is momentarily seductive.

Tracklist:

01. Manifesto
02. Trash
03. Angel Eyes
04. Still Falls The Rain
05. Stronger Through The Years
06. Ain't That So
07. My Little Girl
08. Dance Away
09. Cry, Cry, Cry
10. Spin Me Round

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,73 GB

An even slicker record than Manifesto, Flesh + Blood precariously balances between alluringly seductive, sophisticated soul-pop and cloying, radio-ready disco-pop. At its best, the album is effortlessly suave and charming – "Over You" is one of their greatest singles, and "Oh Yeah" is nearly as persuasive – but much of the record is devoted to ill-formed, stylish lounge-pop. In particular, the reliance on reworked covers of "In the Midnight Hour" and "Eight Miles High" is distressing, not only because it signals a lack of imagination, but also because it suggests that Flesh + Blood is simply a lesser solo effort from Bryan Ferry. And even the handful of undeniably strong moments can't erase the feeling that Roxy Music were beginning to run out of ideas.

Tracklist:

01. In The Midnight Hour
02. Oh Yeah!
03. Same Old Scene
04. Flesh And Blood
05. My Only Love
06. Over You
07. Eight Miles High
08. Rain, Rain, Rain
09. No Strange Delight
10. Running Wild

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,69 GB

Flesh + Blood suggested that Roxy Music were at the end of the line, but they regrouped and recorded the lovely Avalon, one of their finest albums. Certainly, the lush, elegant soundscapes of Avalon are far removed from the edgy avant-pop of their early records, yet it represents another landmark in their career. With its stylish, romantic washes of synthesizers and Bryan Ferry's elegant, seductive croon, Avalon simultaneously functioned as sophisticated make-out music for yuppies and as the maturation of synth pop. Ferry was never this romantic or seductive, either with Roxy or as a solo artist, and Avalon shimmers with elegance in both its music and its lyrics. "More Than This," "Take a Chance with Me," "While My Heart Is Still Beating," and the title track are immaculately crafted and subtle songs, where the shifting synthesizers and murmured vocals gradually reveal the melodies. It's a rich, textured album and a graceful way to end the band's career.

Tracklist:

01. More Than This
02. The Space Between
03. Avalon
04. India
05. While My Heart Is Still Beating
06. The Main Thing
07. Take A Chance With Me
08. To Turn You On
09. True To Life
10. Tara

DSD flat transferred from U.K. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2015.


Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,51 GB
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