"AVALON" ROXY MUSIC (1982)

A great title track is par for the course when it comes to great albums. If the title track doesn’t cut it, what does that say about the album itself? This month, the Mental Jukebox will be playing some of my favorite title tracks – inspired by @NicolaB_73’s music Twitter challenge, #TopTitleTracks.

You can’t copy Bryan Ferry’s vocals and you wouldn’t even try. And you can’t mimic the intricate instrumentation because the soul of the song is Roxy Music, not just the melody. Roxy Music gave the music world an unusual, progressive rock tilt in the 70s, then elevated pop music in the 80s. Of course, there are more than two phases to the band’s musical journey. But these were the two broader eras. The title track to the renowned Avalon album is a perfect example of the latter.

I’ve been binging on Roxy Music lately, spurred on mostly by their big reunion tour. I’ve come to the hard, sober conclusion that I like the idea of Roxy Music more than I like the actual band. Scattered across several innovative and influential albums, there really are only one or two songs from each album that I really like. It’s a bit ironic that it’s the most mainstream of their albums – Avalon – that’s the one that I love from beginning to end. The production qualities on the title track are phenomenal with its rich, vast soundscape, and Ferry’s lyrics, equally sublime.

“Much communication in a motion. Without conversation or a notion. Avalon.”

"MORE THAN THIS" ROXY MUSIC (1982)

Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs

Many bands have covered this song over the years. But one thing they haven’t been able to do is capture the unique sound of Roxy Music. This is a band that gave the music world an unusual, progressive rock tilt in the 70s, then elevated pop music in the 80s. “More Than This” was a prime example of the latter. You can’t copy Bryan Ferry’s vocals and you wouldn’t even try. And you can’t mimmic the intricate instrumentation because the soul of the song is Roxy Music, not just the melody. Still, Avalon was a departure, a sharp turn the other way for the band. And “More Than This” led the way.

Like many tracks from the Avalon album, “More Than This” is more akin to a gorgeous symphony than a rock song like the band’s early stuff. No one instrument overpowers the rest. Like lovers finishing each other’s sentences, each instrumental interlude seems to answer the other – from Manzanera’s understated guitar strums to Ferry’s airy synth arrangements to Mackay’s sax flourishes. Roxy Music’s “More Than This” achieves a delicate balance that no cover has been able to recreate.

“It was fun for a while. There was no way of knowing, like a dream in the night. Who can say where we're going. No care in the world, maybe I'm learning why the sea on the tide has no way of turning.”

"AVALON" ROXY MUSIC (1982)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #SeptSongLyricChallenge

Day 19

I’ve been binging on Roxy Music lately, spurred on mostly by their big reunion tour. I’ve come to the hard, sober conclusion that I like the idea of Roxy Music more than I like the actual band. Scattered across several innovative and influential albums, there really are only one or two songs from each album that I really like. It’s a bit ironic that it’s the most mainstream of their albums – Avalon – that’s the one that I love from beginning to end. The production qualities on the title track are phenomenal with its rich, vast soundscape, and Ferry’s lyrics, equally sublime.

“Now the party's over, I'm so tired. Then I see you coming out of nowhere. Much communication in a motion. Without conversation or a notion. Avalon.”

"SLAVE TO LOVE" BRYAN FERRY (1985)

Inspired by Albumism, I’m doing my own version of Flying Solo with individual tracks. Band breakups and hiatuses are never fun, but these solo jams were defining moments in my life’s soundtrack.

Bryan Ferry and the tail end of Roxy Music’s catalog is a guilty pleasure of mine. They were certainly far more progressive and experimental early on. But then the band ventured into a more atmospheric space that flirted dangerously with soft rock.

“Slave to Love” is a continuation of the Roxy Music era that brought us “More Than This”, “Avalon”, “Dance Away”, among others. Rather than fall into the predictable trap of standard “Lite FM” fare, Ferry turned to soundscapes and a soaring guitar solo at the 2:30 mark reminiscent of late Pink Floyd recordings.

“Tell her I'll be waiting in the usual place with the tired and weary. And there's no escape.”

"STEPPIN' OUT" JOE JACKSON (1982)

Growing up on MTV, I witnessed the heavy and ubiquitous airplay of Joe Jackson’s musical transformation. Almost overnight, this artist went from new wave to something with hints of jazz. “Steppin’ Out” was one of the more overt expressions of the shift. It stuck out like a sore thumb on MTV. The most impressive thing about “Steppin’ Out” was that it represented Joe Jackson’s own stepping out of a budding new wave career and into a musical unknown.

“Now the mist across the window hides the lines. But nothing hides the color of the lights that shine. Electricity so fine, look and dry your eyes.”