Country Life

Great album, but also a bit schizophrenic. Side 1 is loaded with glammy bangers like The Thrill of It All, All I Want Is You, and Out of the Blue, heavy on guitar heroics and swirling synths. Side 2 highlights more of the show tune side of Brian Ferry--not bad exactly, but the effect is that of a slowly deflating balloon after the pumped up Side 1. Still a fantastic listen overall. Early Roxy Music quite underrated in my opinion.

I've only listened to one other Roxy Music album, "For Your Pleasure," and it was because of this site. I don't think I recognize any of these tracks by title, so I'm mostly going into this blind. I'm afraid it's the same situation as "For Your Pleasure" so I'm copy-pasting my review from that album: I don't hate this, but the vocal style is a little off-putting. It's not bad, but I don't feel I'll be coming back to this again.

Wow risqué cover! The cancel culture would Not allow this now 😂 not bad but not my type

Dense and hard. But worthwhile.

I rather enjoyed this. Bryan Ferry is a bit of a tool and probably the worst thing about it, but I particularly enjoyed the first half, which had some really nice instrumentation and a good stomp. It tailed off a bit towards the end but a generally strong effort.

I thought this album was going to be the schmaltzy New Romantic rubbish, and to be fair, it wasn’t completely devoid of it, but there were also a few tracks that I enjoyed a lot more than I was anticipating and wouldn’t be amiss if played by an 80s post punk band à la Magazine et al., ‘out of the blue’ in particular. Wasn’t expecting to enjoy it but found it surprisingly pleasing at times, a little boring at others.

Roxy's fourth album is their most noisy and muscular, assisted ably by Chris Thomas's production and its cover is the stuff of legend. This is the one album that didn't have any tracks on the 1986 street life compilation so I discovered it in the 90s and the presence of 'Out of the blue' really turned my head with Eddie Jobson's violin electric solo. When I saw them on the 2001 reunion this track was a centrepiece. If it weren't for Bitter sweet and Triptych (which are still ok) I could give the album 5 stars as the first side is so confident sounding, no wonder they called the 74-5 era 'Roxymania'

I don't think I've ever actually listened to this before, but it was good and I enjoyed it! I'd listen again for sure.

4.5 stars. Glam rock at its best (or at least close to Roxy’s best). Maybe a 1/4 point lost for the incessantly tacky sexy cover (the only good Roxy Music album cover is “Avalon”— because it’s cheesy but at least vixen-free!).

For a band I'd never heard before this was pretty banging.

Mildly interesting but ultimately not entertaining or compelling for me. Standout Track: Casanova

Perfect album

Pretty surprising album. Liked it more than I thought

I really liked this. I would Never have guessed this is 52 years old as it sounded very fresh and interesting

tremendo album, me sorprendió para bien, pensé que roxy music era un poco humo, 7/10 tho se hace un poco repetitivo para la mitad

I enjoyed this a bit more than their For Your Pleasure album, hell I eve finished this one. Still not crazy about them, but definitely more tolerable

Started out pretty well, but quickly grew bored of the mix and match nature of each song. Everything felt all over the place and not in a good way. I wasn't really impressed with this one.

This started really strong. I enjoyed the first 3 tracks a LOT. Middle was a bit repetitive for me. Ended really strong instrumentally, although the closing track was a touch long.

647/1101 - Really dynamic and great textures. Seriously amazing instrumentation throughout. Really creative blend of classical instruments with rock and jazz staples.

Arty but tuneless.

I liked it better after a second listen. The only thing lacking is a hit single or two.

There's like 2.5 redeemable songs in here. The rest is impressively bad. 3/10

Not a fan

This was good, I enjoyed it. Not my favorite sound/genre, but I listened to it twice and had a good time. Three stars.

I am aware of Roxy Music and have 8 songs liked by them on Spotify - but none on his album. This album is just not grabbing me. I listened 3 times and most of it is either just completely forgettable or annoying to me - or both. The most annoying part is his voice - I don't really like the weird crooning style he does. The one where he sings in German ("Bitter Sweet") is horrible. The one where he sounds like he wants to be Elvis ("If It Takes All Night") is also really bad. I can see how this probably influenced Talking Heads but I generally like Talking Heads better. I ended up liking 1 song - "Out of the Blue". I'll have to see if I still like it after it comes up on my playlists. It looks like that is the most streamed song on this one. I guess in this case I'm like everybody else. Liked songs on Spotify: 1/10 Rating: 1/5

*1974. *Allegedly glam rock, but this is softer and more digestible. *Starts out pretty good, and then gets into some weird, loud songs ("Bittersweet" was the only song I wanted to change immediately). *This one was enjoyable but forgettable. I listened to it a couple of times through on a plane and couldn't tell you much about it. *It looks like they have a couple other albums on the list, so looking forward to those. RATING - 6.5/10

I expected so much from the cover and got nothing in return. Favorite tracks: All I Want Is You.

decent 6/10 best song - out of the blue

Really like the guy's voice but really hate the album art. Has kind of a 50s vibe to it, with the heavy vibrato and funk chords and stuff. It gives it a nice classic vibe that is somehow hard to evoke even from other music of the era.

i appreciate that it gets feral in the second half after a fairly standard A side. they got clattering pianos and harpsichords n shit on here. i like the album cover too and i'm not sure how much of that is aesthetics and how much of that is carnal. deserves to be one of the 1001? i think 3 Roxy Music albums is a bit excessive and i'd cut this one first.

This was fine. Would it have been included on this list if it had a boring album cover? There is much worse music on this list, so maybe the author genuinely appreciates this album for its sonic qualities...but the question has to be asked. I have to imagine this caused quite the stir when it came out so the cover has to be part of this album's legacy. I also have to imagine the cover choice greatly improved album sales.

Frank N. Furter vibes

Weird album, some parts were very interesting Standout songs: The Thrill of it all All I want is you

Wow....one star for the album artwork at least. The music was shit

This is my 3rd Rocy Music album and so far For Your Pleasure is the Winner. Country Life is a fun album you can see how they evolved the sound, but I felt there is 2 distinct parts: first with an evolved sound and some country music twang in the guitars and the sencond more serious (strating with Bitter Sweet). I wuite enjoyed the aalbum but I don't know why itbis so hard to grade a Roxy Music album. 3/5

Fine. A little lackluster. A rock solid 2.5 but boobs on the album cover is worth .01 so I’m rounding up!

Do appreciate the diversity of the tracks.

After an excited first listen, I find this a little anticlimactic. It's one of those super famous album covers, it's described as art-rock which I can find myself enjoying easier than most, but it doesn't feel like a timeless classic. It barely feels classic. It kind of feels like extra music for Bowie lovers, just to add some slight variety to your collection. The second half of the album, however, had enough theatrics and talent to merit a second listen. Maybe this album is a bit of a slow burn. The second listen was worse, I've already learned their tricks and the esthetic alone isn't enough to pull me in. It wasn't until the album started over that I stopped to wonder if it had switched to "the good part". It's a tolerable album, it sounds really good on a good sound system, I'm just not very impressed with the finished product. 2.6/5

Not bad. Took a couple of listens to grow on me, doesn't feature any of my favourite Roxy songs, and stumbling into oompah band music at one point is utterly ridiculous. Still, it definitely has something, and you can see why the punks preferred them to Zeppelin et al. I'd put ut on the 3/4 boundary, but i'm feeling generous.

I remember this when it first came out in 1974. When you were 13 and found this in the record rack your heart skipped a beat. I didn;t know who Roxy Music or Bryan ferry were not until a few years later when a friends elder brother was selling his albums to fund a car and I bought this and a few other Roxy albums from his collection. I still have them today and often go back to Bryan's unique voice. Other than the cover not my favourite album by them but certainly worth a listen even after all these years.

I kept thinking I would like this more than I did. I really wanted to like it, as an avowed fan of Art Rock. There are some songs I enjoy. And there are some I don't. And there are some that feel like the band thinks they're so clever and like "you should think we're clever too" and that just bothered me. 3.5

Certified 100% Forgettable. Sounds like it's a lot more fun for the musicians to play than for the listener to hear. Smart putting tits on the cover to make some aspect of the album interesting.

Not impressed

I like some of Roxy Music's stuff, but this album was a tough listen. Felt like I was in a German cabaret in Bitter Sweet.

A solid 1st side but weakening on the 2nd. Ferry's unusual singing/delivery style is not up to par on this one. Still 3 or 4 good cuts on here.

Generally enjoyed this! Weird glam rock? When they decided to get a bit weird like in "Bitter Sweet" or "Triptych" I enjoyed it a bit more than the rest. "Three and Nine" "Out of the Blue" and "Prairie Rose" were decent as well!

Även utan Eno är det fantastisk pop i glamvågens efterdyningar och som ett förebådande av new romance. Som förebilder är de gigantiska. All brittisk pop från och med sent sjuttiotal står på deras axlar. Men det är inte bara historia, det är bra också! Jag måste börja lyssna mer på Roxy Music-bra. Men en femma är det ju inte - då måste det vara en klassiker, så en stark fyra.

Liked this 3

Oh I do love a great opening track to an album, and this one is superb. Unfortunately there’s too much outside of my wheelhouse to make this an album I’d love. But I’ve trimmed the art/kraut rock nonsense from my download and have a mighty fine 6 track album to enjoy again someday. Highlight ‘Out of the Blue’

'Yawn' was my reaction to this when it appeared on the list. I had never listened to it, but the cover is iconic. It was interesting to discover the Can connection. So, I stuck this on and all my Bryan Ferry preconceptions fell away. It is a right banging record! From the opener up until 'Bitter-Sweet' there was some top quality tunes rocking their way into my ear holes. The above mentioned song felt like a bit of a mis-step, but they were art rockers after all. I had to play 'Cassanova' three times on the bounce as this song is by far the best of a very good set of tracks. I shall be hunting for a copy of this to file it in my collection next to 'FLM' as I'm not sure where else to put it.

Fapping isn't as good as the music. 3/5

I’m not sure why I hadn’t really messed with Roxy Music earlier in my life - but here we are. Bryan Ferry and company put out great records.

I liked most of this album but the sound and title was pretty misleading. Not the vibes I expected.

…taste acquired? Look, I don’t need a dozen Roxy Music albums on any list, but here we are. I’m not gonna go back and look at my previous ratings, but I’ve come to like Roxy Music. I didn’t say love, and I don’t get why several best of lists have them on multiple times. Something about them having as many albums as Dylan or the Beatles or whatever gives them this real underdog quality I like

I don’t want to live in this country. I think this is in the running for biggest album artwork mismatch to what the album is but it will be hard to top any Meatloaf album in that regard. Speaking of the artwork, the 70’s bush is real!

Meh

Not as terrible as the cover suggests.

Nothing stuck out nor was very memorable about this

I mean, it’s alright but it’s not very memorable.

Generations of musicians stroked it to this album cover. Every one that did drew something from the music therein. One track sounds like Duran Duran, another like Mott the Hoople, another like the Soup Dragons. I mean, hell, the harmonies on "Prairie Rose" sound like fucking Poison. Just something for everyone. Screaming guitars, high camp, sexiness and sultriness, sadness and elation. Well worth your time.

Not a huge Roxy Music fan, but I like this album. I really like the first song, The Thrill of It All.

Meh. Didn’t do it for me. Likely need to revisit.

לא יודע לא עפתי. היו כמה שירים נחמדים אז זה 3

I like this. It's fun. BUT. It comes off as key-party sleazy. 3

443/1089 i didn’t really care for self-titled but this opening track is already outdoing my expectations omg i’m hooked for now and it held my interest throughout, i really enjoyed listening to this one, it didn’t feel dated really faves: The thrill of it all, Triptych, A really good time, Casanova, Bitter sweet 79/100

Correcto

I’m 10 from the end and cannot believe I’m still getting Roxy Music albums. ….don’t tell me there’s still more Elvis Costello, too?! As with the others, tracks on this album are either kind of cool or pretty annoying, and sometimes it shifts within the same song. Compared to the other Roxy Music albums, this may have has less of the annoying bits, though they’re still there. 2.5-3?

Would have been 3 as it’s not bad but the cover is just too louche.

Buen disco, con una portada que ayudó a venderlo. Roxy Music sigue funcionando sin Brian Eno. No desmerece de la gran cosecha de 1974.

I hate it when artists treat me like I’m smart. I’m not smart. I don’t want an artist to nod and wink at me and go “hey, we know this whole ‘rock & roll’ thing is a put on, you know it’s a put on, so we’re going to be obvious about how this whole thing is a sham and kind of make fun of it while we do it because we are all in on the joke.” No. I paid for my ticket. Put on the damn show. Don’t be meta. Don’t make the frame part of the painting. I am not a savvy consumer who doesn’t want to be lied to. I am here to be fooled. That is the implicit contract between the artist and the audience. We don’t want reality. We have that 24 hours a day. We want the illusion. We want to believe in rock and roll and that music can save our mortal souls. Stop being so cute and make some rock & roll music.

Definitely among the more enjoyable art rock I've heard, which is a major compliment given my general disdain of the genre.

This was a pleasant surprise. "Love Is The Drug" is the track I think of with this band, and I hate that song at a visceral level. I saw this album in my queue and it was demotivating thinking I'd be subjected to 45 minutes of that. I didn't love it but it was much better than feared. Proto power pop.

I really enjoyed it, but it feels like it deserves multiple listens to really get into it. Energetic, enigmatic, eerily, elvish.

British art rock 1974 All i want is you Out of the blue

I have never actually listened to Roxy Music before but I am familiar with Bryan Ferry thanks to my mother having a copy of his Bob Dylan tribute album, Dylanesque. The first track, The Thrill Of It All, is a great opener that really showcases the musicianship of the group. I did not expect such awesome, distorted guitar work to be honest. The rest of the album is all over the place musically. The group can do it all and do it well. Bitter Sweet is another stand out for me. It sounds like a song from a weird, animated German musical or something of the like. Triptych into Casanova are also great. They sound like rock music for a medieval party. Overall this was a really cool album with a lot of different musical influences throughout.

Coveret er NM, musikken er VG at best.

You can really hear that all the money here went into the cool Synth work and production, they couldn't even afford clothes for the girls on the cover. I really should listen to this Roxy Music album more, because it might just be my new favorite after listening to it. It has all the energy of my favorite songs of their early work, but even more of it and done even better. I can't really find flaw with it, just really up my alley.

One helluva album

Sempre achei que a capa desse disco fossem duas travestis. Achava ousado e progressista. Descobri hoje que são, na verdade, a irmã e a namorada de um membro do Can. E surpreendentemente, isso é bem mais estranho do que minha suspeita inicial. Enfim. Gosto das partes de saxofone aqui, são legais. As melodias são agradáveis, muitos refrões memoráveis. O álbum inteiro é repleto do sleaze esperado do Roxy. Possui um estilo inconfundível. Os solos de guitarra são incríveis, porém são raros. Gostaria de mais deles. Seções vocais são comuns, mas eu não gostei tanto assim dessas partes. Mas tudo bem, paz. Álbum bom. 4/5

2.5

This is a good deal better than the first Roxy Music record I got. I like the music pretty good, but I’m still not in love with the singer. He doesn’t detract from the rest of the music as much on this one though. The cover art is solid. 7/10

3.5

I expected a bit more from an album with a cover this famous. Quite mid.

Liked this when it was weirder. The boogie-woogie rock parts reminded me of bad Aladdin Sane numbers. Amazing production though! 3.5 but will round up.

I like art- and glamrock, and this is in that wheelhouse. It didn’t stand out to me though as a particularly compelling listen.

nicht so meins

I wanted to like this more than I did. It was good, but not great.

Pretty good.

My 3rd album by Roxy music and I feel exactly the same about this as the others. It's good. Sometimes it's really good. But overall it's not an album I'd keep returning to.

Roxy Music is over represented in this list.

These poor ladies deserved to represent better music.

Tried to listen closely to this multiple times and just could not stay focused on it. Idk if that’s about me or the music. It sounded good and I enjoyed it in the background but other than the opening track and the wacky German one and parts of Triptych nothing jumped out at me. It felt like I should have liked it a lot but maybe I was too tired and sad and preoccupied today. I’m sorry Mr. Eno I do generally like your music! Second act montage needle drop in my biopic: “The Thrill Of It All”

this was an exciting one to come up on my work computer. Hm! Stolen valor that they are using these hot bitches on the front and then I'm having to listen to some guy sing, I was expecting a girl band Three songs in and I took a break to go on tiktok and heard some bars of moving out by Billy Joel and switched over to that, the music was alright but it just dragged man idk, drinking bourbon on my cougch after work now, thinking about the bush for these lovely ladies so you know what I'll give em a three for that mwah Do I think they lezzed out? Truly I know nothing about this band but I sure hope the lovely ladies on the cover did

i only had it in me to listen to this once today so i dont have many thoughts on this album but i liked it fine! doesnt hit for me the way their later stuff does . the album cover is excellent, i would buy the vinyl just for that lol definitely can hear that eno sound in a few tracks, somebody give this guy a yamaha dx7 already all i want is you is my favorite for sure

As this one was finishing up, it occurred to me that it had felt more like I was listening to Britpop than glam (and not just in the sense that Suede likes Roxy Music). Being 20 years ahead of your time is impressive! Shame it couldn't be with better songs, though.

Bryan Ferry is such a pervert.

Really enjoyed this, wasn’t expecting to. Always loved Roxy / Ferry’s singles usually found album tracks a bit weak. This was a good all rounder.

6.8

I mean, it was ok. I usually like art-rock / experimental type stuff but this was a bit too polished and normal sounding for that genre, in my opinion

Roxy Music always good. Hadn't listened to them in a while.