COUNTRY LIFE

If Roxy Music had proved that they could produce an interesting progressive-glam amalgam without Brian Eno on Stranded, they perfected it on Country Life. Bryan Ferry goes full crooner more often than on any previous Roxy Music album, but thanks to Eddie Jobson's more prominent contributions the band's art rock credentials never take a dent. And with the combination of tight compositions and genuine emotional resonance taking the place of the cool detachment of preceding albums, the band were clearly going places. Plus despite all, the band can still get weird; check out Prairie Rose, the album closer, for a perfect mix of new Roxy cool and old Roxy neurosis.