FLESH + BLOOD

"Flesh+Blood" is the seventh full-length studio album by UK pop/rock act Roxy Music. The album was released through E.G. Records in May 1980 (and Atco/Reprise in the US). The linup has changed since "Manifesto" (1979) as drummer Paul Thompson decided to leave the band before entering the studio. Therefore the drums on the album are played by three different session drummers in Allan Schwartzberg, Andy Newmark & Simon Phillips. With the departure of Thompson, Roxy Music are down to the trio of Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards), Andy Mackay (saxophones, oboe) and Phil Manzanera (guitars, additional bass).

The more straight forward, accessible, and commercial direction that the band took on "Manifesto" (1979) is pretty much continued on "Flesh+Blood" and it wouldn´t be wrong to state that "Flesh+Blood" is the least adventurous album by Roxy Music in terms of experimenting with their sound. The compositions are of high quality though and if you enjoy sophisticated pop/rock there are loads of features to enjoy on this album. It´s not hard to understand why the album became an instant commercial success for Roxy Music as it feels like it´s designed for that very purpose. The album spawned no less than three hit singles in "Over You", "Oh Yeah", and "Same Old Scene", which further enhanced the success of the album.

Like "Manifesto" (1979) before it, "Flesh+Blood" is, despite of its commercial success, an album which divides the waters as some feel that Roxy Music sacrificed some of their sophistication and art rock credibility after their return from the 1976-1978 hiatus, in favor of a more streamlined accessible and hit oriented sound, while others obviously enjoyed the new more commercial sound (it´s hard to argue against positive album sales and hit singles). No matter what opinion you share "Flesh+Blood" was arguably a success for Roxy Music and it features high level musical performances, a well sounding professional sound production (courtesy of Rhett Davies and Roxy Music), and catchy songwriting. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.