Roxy Music ” Flesh and Blood”

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#451 in the Series) is Roxy Music, Flesh and Blood

I see Avalon mentioned all the time. I see Country Life, Siren and some of the other albums mentioned all the time. What am I referring to? The answer to the question about ‘What is your favorite Roxy Music album.   What I almost never see is Flesh and Blood.  Having said that, when I do listen to this album, I find myself digging it as much as, if not more, those other classic titles.

There might not be one song as perfect as ‘Avalon’ or as memorable as ’Do the Strand’ here, maybe that’s why it gets short changed.  There also was a couple of cover tunes (Wilson Pickett and Steve Cropper’s “In The Midnight Hour” and The Byrds’“Eight Miles High”) so maybe that’s it?  Usually, Bryan Ferry saved them for his solo works.

For me however, front to back, song for song, I love this album. Oh yeah, I know there are the cover songs, but they’re great versions. They didn’t just play note-for-note remakes. They are now clearly Roxy Music tracks here.

Some of the best original tracks here are ‘Oh Yeah” (or as many people know it ‘There’s a Band Playing, on the Radio.’), “Same Old Scene”,” My Only Love” and “Over You.”

This album also would have fit with the title of And Then There Were Three. For yes, now they were just three.  Paul Thompson had left the band before the recording had begun. That left Roxy down to just Bryan Ferry (Vocals, Keys), Phil Manzanera (guitar, bass) and Andy MacKay (sax). The other original members of the band were Brian Eno, Graham Simpson and Eddie Jobson. I’d list their instruments but they left, so the hell with ‘em.

Flesh and Blood peaked at #35 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart.  As far as singles, ‘Over You” had the highest shelf –stop, it peaked at #80 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

All songs written by Bryan Ferry except as noted.

Side One

1. “In the Midnight Hour” (Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper) – 3:09
2. “Oh Yeah” – 4:51
3. “Same Old Scene” – 3:57
4. “Flesh and Blood” – 3:08
5. “My Only Love” – 5:16

1. “Over You” (Ferry, Phil Manzanera) – 3:27
2. “Eight Miles High” (Gene Clark, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) – 4:55
3. “Rain, Rain, Rain” – 3:20
4. “No Strange Delight” (Ferry, Manzanera) – 4:44
5. “Running Wild” (Ferry, Manzanera) – 5:03

Personnel

• Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards, piano, synthesiser on 4, guitar on 4 and strings on 5
• Phil Manzanera – guitar, bass on 6
• Andy Mackay – saxophones and oboe

Additional personnel

• Allan Schwartzberg – drums on 1, 2, 6–10, percussion on 4, 5
• Andy Newmark – drums on 4, 5
• Simon Phillips – percussion on 5
• Alan Spenner – bass on 3–5, 8, 10
• Neil Jason – bass on 2, 7, 9
• Gary Tibbs – bass on 1
• Neil Hubbard – guitar on 1, 2, 5, 7–10
• Paul Carrack – strings on 2, organ, piano on 10

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