News

While Roxy Music essentially broke up at the start of this decade – having performed on and off since 1972 – guitarist Phil Manzanera promised a box set covering the band’s first album back in 2014. Now, it’s one of the latest reissue announcements in a rapidly-filling 2018 release schedule.

UMC will release a 3CD/1DVD version of the British art-rockers’ debut on February 2. In addition to the original album (presented as mastered by Bob Ludwig in 1999), two discs of unreleased material will be included (all mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios), with early demos, outtakes and BBC sessions included. The DVD features a remix of the album in 5.1 surround sound by Steven Wilson (confirmed by the acclaimed engineer/musician to have been completed in 2012), a handful of British television appearances and unearthed footage of the group at The Bataclan in Paris – the only surviving footage of a show with bass player Rik Kenton, the last musician to officially fill this spot during the band’s existence.

Organized by singer Bryan Ferry (who had unsuccessfully auditioned for King Crimson after Greg Lake’s departure), Roxy Music’s self-titled debut featured Ferry, saxophonist/oboist Andy Mackay, keyboardist Brian Eno, guitarist Manzanera and drummer Paul Thompson. (Bassist Graham Simpson was replaced by Kenton for the Top 5 non-LP single “Virginia Plain”; upon Kenton’s depature, the band never had a permanent bassist.) Manzanera’s distinctive guitar style and Eno’s keyboard textures (the precursor to his lengthy career as a producer and cornerstone of ambient music after departing the group in 1973) lent the band a style unlike few others in British pop. “We certainly didn’t invent eclecticism,” Mackay later said, “but we did say and prove that rock ‘n’ roll could accommodate – well, anything really.” Roxy Music became the group’s first U.K. Top 10 album; every studio effort placed therein, as well.

Championed by BBC disc jockey John Peel (two of the band’s sessions are present here) and Richard Williams of Melody Maker (who contributes liner notes in the accompanying 136-page hardcover book), and featuring a glamorous album sleeve with actress Kari-Ann Muller (outtakes of which are used for the CD mini-jackets in the box set), Roxy Music is an album that demands discovery – and this deluxe edition (also available as a 2CD cutdown featuring the album and BBC sessions) or newly-pressed 180-gram LP) is a fine way to do so.

Full track list and Amazon links are below.

Roxy Music: Super Deluxe Edition (Virgin/UMC (U.K.), 2018)

3CD/1DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Disc 1: Original album (originally released as Island Records ILPS-9200 (U.K.)/Reprise MS 2114 (U.S.), 1972 – Bob Ludwig master from Virgin ROXYCDX1 (U.K.)/ROXYCD1 (U.S.), 1999)

1. Re-Make/Re-Model
2. Ladytron
3. If There Is Something
4. Virginia Plain (not on original U.K. pressings – Island single WIP 6144, 1972)
5. 2 HB
6. The Bob (Medley)
7. Chance Meeting
8. Would You Believe?
9. Sea Breezes
10. Bitters End

Disc 2: Demos and outtakes (previously unreleased, exclusive to box set)

1. Ladytron (Early Demo – April/May 1971)
2. 2 HB (Early Demo – April/May 1971)
3. Chance Meeting (Early Demo – April/May 1971)
4. The Bob (Medley (Early Demo – April/May 1971)
5. Instrumental (Outtake)
6. Re-Make/Re-Model (Outtake)
7. Ladytron (Outtake)
8. If There Is Something (Outtake)
9. 2 HB (Outtake)
10. The Bob (Medley) (Outtake)
11. Chance Meeting (Outtake)
12. Sea Breezes (Outtake)
13. Bitters End (Outtake)
14. Virginia Plain (Outtake)

Disc 3: BBC Sessions (previously unreleased)

1. If There Is Something (John Peel Session – 1/4/1972)
2. The Bob (Medley) (John Peel Session – 1/4/1972)
3. Would You Believe? (John Peel Session – 1/4/1972)
4. Sea Breezes (John Peel Session – 1/4/1972)
5. Re-Make/Re-Model (John Peel Session – 1/4/1972)
6. 2 HB (John Peel Session – 5/25/1972)
7. Ladytron (John Peel Session – 5/25/1972)
8. Chance Meeting (John Peel Session – 5/25/1972)
9. Virginia Plain (John Peel Session – 5/25/1972)
10. If There Is Something (John Peel Session – 5/25/1972)
11. The Bob (Medley) (BBC In Concert – 8/3/1972)
12. Sea Breezes (BBC In Concert – 8/3/1972)
13. Virginia Plain (BBC In Concert – 8/3/1972)
14. Chance Meeting (BBC In Concert – 8/3/1972)
15. Re-Make/Re-Model (BBC In Concert – 8/3/1972)

DVD

• 5.1 surround mix of original album by Steven Wilson (2012)
• Re-Make/Re-Model (Live @ The Royal College of Art – 6/6/1972)
• Ladytron (Live on The Old Grey Whistle Test – 6/20/1972)
• Virginia Plain (Live on Top of The Pops – 8/24/1972)
• Re-Make/Re-Model (Live on Full House – 11/25/1972)
• Ladytron (Live on Full House – 11/25/1972)
• Would You Believe? (Live @ The Bataclan, Paris – 11/26/1972)
• If There Is Something (Live @ The Bataclan, Paris – 11/26/1972)
• Sea Breezes (Live @ The Bataclan, Paris – 11/26/1972)
• Virginia Plain (Live @ The Bataclan, Paris – 11/26/1972)