Decadence is nothing new in rock. The original Velvet Underground flaunted it, David Bowie exploited it, the New York Dolls seem to have sunk in it. What is different about Roxy Music, pop's latest specialists in depravity, is the wit with which Bryan Ferry, Roxy's guiding light and lead vocalist, evokes not only decay but also a last fling in the face of fate. To quote the opening track on Country Life, Ferry, standing on the precipice, relishes "the thrill of it all."

Ferry approaches decadence, not through tales of self-destruction or redemption, but by depicting romance corrupted. It's easy to moan about heroin, like Lou Reed, or trumpet the coming superman, like Bowie; the prescribed response is either shock or, if one is inured to such antics, a yawn. But to fashion an album filled, like Country Life, with relatively straightforward love songs that come out sounding like the Decline of the West is no mean feat.

Ferry himself has mastered the role of the sallow blueblood, pitting l'amour against l'ennui. Yet as he dipicts his modern "hero" in "Casanova," the compulsive hedonist is doomed to a life of ephemeral satisfactions. When Ferry warbles, "All I want is the real thing/And a night that lasts for years," the clattering guitars and drums help him transform a cliché into a desperate plea.

Eros here becomes an uncertain escape, rather than means of fulfilling desire. As Ferry promises his partner in "The Thrill of It All," "All the pleasure that's surrounding you/Should compensate for all you're going through." In the end, Ferry's l'amour is reduced to an idle fantasy: Small wonder that he closes the album in a powerful hard rock stupor, babbling about his "prairie rose" in Texas. It is precisely this reduction of affection to salon masturbation that makes Country Life, like its predecessors, an album about decadence.

Thus far, American listeners have been cool toward Roxy's brand of dissolute rock, perhaps because of the band's pretensions. Some critics even seem to prefer Ferry's solo efforts (These Foolish Things and Another Time, Another Place), with their bizarre recastings of such familar oldies as "The 'In' Crowd." But what is interesting about Ferry is not so much his singing (that, taken by itself, is at best a curiosity); rather it is his total conception. To date, Ferry's chosen vehicle for that conception has been Roxy Music, not his solo ventures.

Further reading on Super Seventies RockSite!: Album Review: For Your Pleasure Album Review: Stranded Album Review: Siren Seventies' Greatest Album Covers: Country Life "Glam Rock 101"

Mindful of his difficulties in cracking the American market, Ferry has designed Country Life with an eye to commercial acceptance. He may in fact have succeeded: Thanks to the glossy production and direct lyrics, Country Life makes about as accessible an intruduction to Roxy Music as Ferry is likely to cut. While it may lack the dark mysteries of Stranded, 1973's Roxy LP, the album does boast an aura of malignant lust all its own.

Roxy Music, given the nature of Ferry's posturing, risks sterility by reiterating the same themes for much longer. Despite such limitations, Stranded and Country Life together mark the zenith of contemporary British art rock.

- Jim Miller, Rolling Stone, 2/27/75.

Bonus Reviews!

It's rather difficult to describe Roxy Music by way of comparison to other artists, because they truly have a sound of their own. Monsterous in Britain for several years, they have yet to break here. However, they've managed to become a shade more commercial and with Atlantic's large push on them and lead vocalist Bryan Ferry as a solo, this set could do it. Ferry's vocals are unique to say the least, and combined with his lyrics, it's sometimes hard to tell whether he's serious or kidding. One assumes it's a bit of both. In any case, there's some straight rock here, some ballads that combine the elements of pop, classical and jazz, some superb musicianship and, of course, the often brilliant vocals and writing of Ferry. Production and arrangement way above average as well. Roxy Music requires some listening, so do yourself a favor and listen. As far as rock goes, they are far above most. Best cuts: "The Thrill Of It All," "All I Want Is You," "If It Takes All Night," "Casanova," "A Really Good Time," "Prairie Rose."

- Billboard, 1975.

The Teutoni-textures of this music are proof negative of Bryan Ferry's deep-seated romanticism. But what happens when romanticism goes sour? And what is Phil Manzanera doing on that Nico record that closes with her version of "Deutschland Uber Alles"? Oh well, I've always said good rock has to be dangerous. But when did I say it could be slow? B+

- Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981.

Arguably their best album, Country Life's everything-and-the-kitchen-sink art-rock production and steely dissonance reached a pinnacle with tracks like "The Thrill of It All," "All I Want Is You," and "Casanova." "Out of the Blue," one of their finest songs, showcased Eddie Jobson on a powerfully phase-shifted violin solo. The beautifully unsettling "Bitter-Sweet" reflected Byran Ferry's flirtation with Germanic melodicism and fascist imagery. * * * * *

- Rick Clark, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

 Main Page | The Classic 300 | Readers' Favorites | Other Seventies Discs | Search The RockSite/The Web