[.ca] Siren

From Amazon.com:
Released before Roxy Music became a de facto Bryan Ferry project, but after their Brian Eno-influenced art-rock stage, Siren is a snapshot of a band in flux, and loving it. There's little of the boundary-pushing primitivism that marked their self-titled debut. Still, Ferry's youthful edge and the band's rough-hewn melodicism will shock those expecting to hear the adult-contemporary silkiness found on 1982's massive-selling Avalon. Both camps should nevertheless admire this record for so recklessly and beautifully straddling that massive stylistic gap. Featuring their first modest hit in the U.S., "Love Is the Drug," the record overflows with choruses that reveal their hooks slowly while drawing on sunny, spare instrumentation and Ferry's loopy, still-developing croon. As the band wrestles between glam-pop, sleek dance tunes, and shiny, Moody Blues-esque rock & roll, they don't sound at all like a band running from its past. Ferry and his cohorts are just taking back the reins, revealing the brisk melodies and strong songwriting that were the one constant in Roxy Music's lifespan. --Matthew Cooke

The Seeds of the New Romantic Movement:
It's safe to say that the New Wave/New Romantic Movement of the late 1970's straight through to the mid-1980's would not exist without Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music. Their mark is everywhere. That mark is personified in 1975's SIREN. It is with this album that ROXY MUSIC bridged the gap between their brash, earlier Art-Rock albums to their soulful and ... later works. It's safe to call this album transitional, but one also has to call it brilliant. We all know LOVE IS THE DRUG- possibly ROXY MUSIC's greatest hit. Musically and lyrically, this song sets the pace for the rest of the album. Each of the eight finely crafted songs that follow go back and forth between hard-rocking tales of debauchery and haunting ballads of desperation. While the former is best represented in a song like the fiery and wild "Both Ends Burning," the latter is best represented by the eerie and ironic "Sentimental Fool." What Ferry and Co. do, though, is take everything one step further at the end of the album. The beautiful "Just Another High" is Roxy Music at their finest- a song that, in the course of nearly seven minutes, brings together all the debauchery, hedonism, heartache and emotion. When Ferry croons, "I'm just another crazy guy...Playing with love was another high," one senses the despair of a man who gambled with passion and tempted fate a bit too much. It's incredibly powerful and touching. (Ironically, the song foresees the messy and painful demise of Ferry's relationship with model Jerry Hall, who is also featured on the cover of the album). While it's tough to pick the one single ROXY MUSIC album, I think SIREN is the album that may very well capture the band at a peak. If someone were new to ROXY MUSIC, I would tell them that SIREN, along with the later AVALON, are the two places to start.

Hey now be carefull Terrence dont bring the cranster in here:
Yes this was the last of the early(before the split)Roxy but wasnt the best. This was on the way down when there early Ideas were almost gone. If you want the real real deal get For Your Pleasure,Stranded or Country Life(my favorite).For me Stranded was probably the most polished of the early Roxy inventive style/ideas that started to get lost on Country Life and was lost on Siren.No group has matched music like The Bogus Man,In Every Dreamhome a Heartache, Song For Europe and Prarie Rose for being completely different,heavy and melodic. Strange but great tracks.I think when Siren came along they were all spent on there early inventivness and needed a break. They later hit the spot with Avalon but this was a more comercial Roxy but never the less Briliant.But Terrence keep old Cranky and his best friend Sanjay out of here. I watch everyday for the update on Duran Duran and Britney,Led Zep and the Who fight with great anticipation and enjoyment, but dont bring the fight in here.

A pop masterpiece from Roxy Music:
Start to finish, I think this is Roxy Music's most entertaining album. It moves, it grooves, and it's gorgeous pop music at its best. In recent years, more people seem to gravitate towards "Country Life" (the one made before "Siren") as the better album, but I still prefer "Siren." Nothing against "Country Life," it's a very good album, more eclectic than "Siren," and Roxy Music rocks ferociously on the opening and closing numbers of that album. However, there are spots on "Country Life" where the music gets a little dull. Start to finish, "Siren" doesn't let up, and not only does it rock, it's also a good dance album. Traces of disco can be found on most of the songs, and it's pretty impressive how easily this band mixes those elements with their art-rock ambitions. Though this a far more accessible and mainstream sound than the one heard on "For Your Pleasure" (also recommended), they still retain an edgy, chaotic element in this music, particularly in the arrangements, which is immediately apparent on "Love Is The Drug." It never sounds too soft or too safe. What clinches this album for me is the closer. The band gets lauded quite a bit for its style and experimentation, and they can come off as being real cool (in a good way), but they are capable of some real tender moments, too. That's what you hear on "Just Another High." Right off the bat, you hear this hard, metallic sounding guitar playing a gorgeous melody, and that sets the tone of the song. It's a break-up song, full of bitterness and regret, and while it does begin with some biting, sarcastic lines, this is a genuinely felt performance without a trace of irony. It's a perfect marriage of lyrics, performance (one of Ferry's best vocals), and music, and possibly the emotional high point of their entire catalog.

One of my favorite Rocy Music albums:
In October of 1975, English art rockers Roxy Music released their fifth album Siren. I first heard this album whilst working at a record store last year and put the original vinyl on and was just blown away from how great it was that I bought the CD the next day. The song Love is the Drug kicks off this album in a grand way and is a catchy tune(for years I thought the song was recorded in the 80s but it has aged very well). End of the Line follows and features a classic Bryan Ferry vocal with an excellent violin solo from Eddie Jobson. Sentimental Fool follows and is my favorite track on the album hands down. Whirlwind ends the first half of the album with some killer guitar work by Phil Manzanera. Side Two kicked off with the funky She Sells which is a great song. Could it Happen to Me follows and is another great tune. Both Ends Burning follows and was the other hit off of this album. Nightingale is a good tune as well. The album concludes with the classic Just Another High which is a great song all around. The album was produced by Chris Thomas, whom mixed Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and The Division Bell. Also, Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has worked with Ferry in the 80s(Live Aid and on Ferry's Boys and Girls and Bete Noire albums and the Is Your Love Strong Enough song and video) and Manzanera co-wrote the Floyd's One Slip on A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Get this and any Roxy Music album, highly recommended!

Another great Roxy Music album:
In October of 1975, English art rockers Roxy Music released their fifth album Siren. I first heard this album whilst working at a record store last year and put the original vinyl on and was just blown away from how great it was that I bought the CD the next day. The song Love is the Drug kicks off this album in a grand way and is a catchy tune(for years I thought the song was recorded in the 80s but it has aged very well). End of the Line follows and features a classic Bryan Ferry vocal with an excellent violin solo from Eddie Jobson. Sentimental Fool follows and is my favorite track on the album hands down. Whirlwind ends the first half of the album with some killer guitar work by Phil Manzanera. Side Two kicked off with the funky She Sells which is a great song. Could it Happen to Me follows and is another great tune. Both Ends Burning follows and was the other hit off of this album. Nightingale is a good tune as well. The album concludes with the classic Just Another High which is a great song all around. The album was produced by Chris Thomas, whom mixed Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and The Division Bell. Also, Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has worked with Ferry in the 80s(Live Aid and on Ferry's Boys and Girls and Bete Noire albums and the Is Your Love Strong Enough song and video) and Manzanera co-wrote the Floyd's One Slip on A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Get this and any Roxy Music album, highly recommended!

• Love Is the Drug
• End of the Line
• Sentimental Fool
• Whirlwind
• She Sells
• Could It Happen to Me?
• Both Ends Burning
• Nightingale
• Just Another High