THE HIGH ROAD

"The High Road" concert finds Roxy Music in 1982 in France, being filmed on their "Avalon" tour. The show would be aired originally on the BBC and was near the close of this chapter in their career. Gone is powerhouse drummer Paul Thompson, replaced by the agile Andy Newmark who is very good but in a different way from Thompson's thunder. Newmark has a considerably lighter touch but a busier playing style and his enthusiasm was impossible to conceal-he's all smiles throughout the show. This show catches the band at the height of their slick phase when the pop music being played wasn't apologetic in the least. I figured this would be a bit of a low point between the band's early glories and their later redemption at the "Apollo" but instead I found it to be one hell of an enjoyable concert DVD. The band is definitely ceding ground to Ferry's larger-than-life image at this point but nevertheless everyone delivers the goods. The set list is quite good with rousing rockers like "Both Ends Burning" and "Do the Strand" balanced with the moody pop of "Avalon" and the dramatic "Song for Europe" which seemed to move Ferry emotionally. My personal favorite was a splendid version of "My Only Love" which just cooked. Also quite interesting was a cover of Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane" which was bound to pale in comparison to the original, and did, but some nice guitar work nonetheless. Roxy Music is a band I detested in my youth and it amazes me how our tastes change as we grow older and more patient. I can now see the great beauty in some of these songs that was lost on me in my twenties. I also notice how much more I like Roxy live than on the studio albums, they seem to pack much more gut and immediacy, as opposed to just more volume and theatrics like some acts. In terms of quality I have to give the slight edge to the "Apollo" show for the vastly superior audio quality and video production, and the extra goodwill that is obvious from the original band reuniting. But "The High Road" remains a very good and recommended document from this period. Every Roxy fan should see both this and the Apollo show but Avalon-era fans especially will enjoy the vibe of this one.

"The High Road" is a DVD of Roxy Music that was released in 1983. It was taken from a recorded live show filmed on their "Avalon" live tour in Frejus, France on 27th August 1982. It must not be confounded with the live EP with the same name that has only four tracks, "Can't Let Go", "My Only Love", "Like A Hurricane" and "Jealous Guy". This was taken from a recorded live show, filmed on their "Avalon" live tour at the Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland on 30th August 1982.

The line up of Roxy Music on this concert is Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards), Phil Manzanera (lead guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe), Neil Hubbard (guitars), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Alan Spenner (bass guitar), Andy Newmark (drums), Jimmy Maelen (percussion) and Fonzi Thornton, Michelle Cobbs and Tawatha Agee (backing vocals).

"The High Road" has fourteen tracks. The first track "The Main Thing" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "Avalon". The second track "Out Of The Blue" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "Country Life". The third track "Both Ends Burning" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "Siren". The fourth track "A Song For Europe" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "Stranded". The fifth track "Can't Let Go" isn't a Roxy Music's track. It's a Bryan Ferry's track. It was originally released on his album "The Bride Stripped Bare". The sixth track "While My Heart Is Still Beating" was originally released on Roxy music's album "Avalon". The seventh track "Avalon" was originally released on Roxy music's album "Avalon". The eighth track "My Only Love" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "Flesh + Blood". The ninth track "Dance Away" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "Manifesto". The tenth track "Love Is The Drug" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "Siren". The eleventh track "Like A Hurricane" isn't a Roxy Music's track. It's a Neil Young's track. It was originally released on the Neil Young's album "American Stars 'n Bars". The twelfth track "Editions Of You" was originally released on Roxy Music's album "For Your Pleasure". The thirteenth track "Do The Strand" was also originally released on Roxy music's album "For Your Pleasure". The fourteenth track "Jealous Guy" isn't also a Roxy Music's track. It's a John Lennon's track. It was originally released on the John Lennon's album "Imagine".

As is usual with Roxy Music, the live band is in damn good shape, extremely cheerful and bursting with energy. This makes the appearance very dynamic, which is further reinforced by the stage images of them. Bryan Ferry is sweating profusely, what is also usual, and at some point he takes off his jacket and bow tie. Andy Newmark seated behind Ferry in the centre of the stage bangs the drums like an animal. But the much stronger use of guitars compared to the studio productions, there are two guitarists, Phil Manzanera and Neil Hubbard, both of whom also sing as soloists, contribute to the rocking, swinging effect of the recording. After "The Main Thing", the track list is followed by a block from the 70's, introduced by the classic "Out Of The Blue". Then there are a few songs from the albums since "Manifesto" and finally a fat mix of cover versions and classics from the 70's. Similar to the live compilation of "Heart Still Beating", this concert can also be called a best live compilation of Roxy Music. It's a rich mix of hits like "Avalon", "While My Heart Is Still Beating", "Dance Away", "My Only Love", "The Main Thing" and "Jealous Guy" and challenging classics like "Out Of The Blue", "A Song For Europe", "Do The Strand", "Both Ends Burning", "Love Is The Drug" and "Editions Of You".

Conclusion: Strangely, my review is only the second one here. Like Finnforest, I also know Roxy Music for a long time, since the 70's. Roxy Music was one of the first prog rock bands I knew. However, unlike him, I always loved them. Roxy Music always was one of my favourite bands and they became as one of the most important bands in the development of my musical culture. About "The High Road", this is a great DVD that shows an excellent live performance of Roxy Music. It's a very well representative DVD of the band's musical history, because it has songs from seven of their eight studio albums. The exception is their eponymous debut studio album "Roxy Music", without any song on it, which is somehow very strange and incomprehensible. The two first studio albums from the group, "Roxy Music" and "For Your Pleasure" are in general considered the two best and most progressive albums of the band and "Re-Make/Re-Model", "Ladytron" and "Virginia Plain", three of the songs of that album, are songs usually performed live by Roxy Music. "The High Road" has an excellent selection of tracks superiorly performed live. Even the weakest tracks "Can't Let Go", "Dance Away" and "My Only Love" are great, when played live. The picture and sound are perfects but it has no extras.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)