Roxy Music/IL, USA 1983

ROXY MUSIC in 1983 was in a state of countdown until its demise. A new excavation master who conveys the site is now available. What is recorded in this work is “May 14, 1983 Chicago Performance”. This is the best audience recording. The biggest point of this work is the surprising sound that pulls out the heart, but first of all, the position of the show. Let’s look back at the time when they were heading towards collapse while creating the famous album “AVALON”. 1982 [May “AVALON” released] August 12th – September 19th: Europe (22 performances) ← *Official September 22nd – October 1st: UK (8 performances) 1983 February 1st – 10th: Japan (7 performances) April 29th – May 28th: ​​North America (21 performances) ←★Here★ This is ROXY MUSIC in 1982/1983. The official excavation live album “HEART STILL BEATING” remains from this tour, but its main performance was in France during the early “European” tour. On the other hand, the Chicago performance of this work is the final stage. This was the 10th show of the “North American” tour, which surpassed even the Japan tour, and it was Sago’s countdown concert. This vacuum-packed show is part of the much-talked-about “A COVID-19 QUARANTINE RELEASE!” series that is currently attracting collectors around the world. As the name suggests, this series is a treasured master that has been released to overcome the restrictions on going out due to the new corona vortex, and is an ultra-excellent recording series of Chicago in the 1980s. This week, the Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins editions will also be released at the same time, but the biggest feature of this series is the intensely on-direct feel. Anyway, the extremely thick core with no sense of distance is vivid, and along with that, even the smallest details are super vivid. Although the somewhat rough feel cannot be compared to official works, it cannot be compared to the sound that is normally imagined in “audience recording”. If this weren’t for the music from 37 years ago, it has such a direct feel that you’d think, “Maybe it’s IEMs?” What is depicted with such a super vivid sound is a full show near the end of ROXY MUSIC. Although the set is close to “HEART STILL BEATING”, it is not exactly the same. Let’s compare and organize them here. Early ROXY MUSIC (6 songs)・FOR YOUR PLEASURE: Editions of You/Do the Strand (★)・STRANDED: A Song for Europe・COUNTRY LIFE: Out of the Blue・SIREN: Both Ends Burning/Love Is the Drug Restart After that (11 songs)・MANIFESTO: Dance Away・FLESH+BLOOD: My Only Love・AVALON: India/The Main Thing (★)/While My Heart Is Still Beating/Tara (★)/Avalon・Others: Can’t Let Go/Impossible Guitar/Like a Hurricane/Jealous Guy *Note: Songs marked with “★” cannot be heard on the official version “HEART STILL BEATING”. …and it looks like this. It roughly follows “HEART STILL BEATING” and the Japanese performance’s masterpiece “KYOTO 1983”, but there are also famous songs that can’t be heard there. In particular, “Tara” is a repertoire that could not be heard even in the video version of “THE HIGH ROAD”, and the encores “Do The Strand” and “Jealous Guy”, which were not recorded in “KYOTO 1983”, are also included. You can fully experience all of it with the best sound of bare feet on the sound board. And the performance that spells out the set is the highlight. Anyway, because there is no sense of distance and the separation of each instrument is vivid, the expressive power of the ensemble is strong. The rhythm section and synths build the foundation of the song, and percussion, saxophone, vocals, and guitar are layered over and over again, building up a magnificent and profound world. Even though it’s a large household of 11 people, each note overlaps but doesn’t mix, creating a wonderful sound space. This work is a live album where you can experience such an ensemble with your whole body and face it as if it were right in front of you. Anyway, it’s an intense and strong sound. I can’t believe it’s the 80’s… No, even by modern standards, doubts like “This is an audience recording!?” run through my mind, crushing all conventional wisdom to pieces. This is a live album where you can enjoy a full show of ROXY MUSIC, which pursues the beauty of the moment as it approaches collapse, with such a high-quality direct sound. Live at the U.I.C. Pavilion, Chicago, IL, USA 14th May 1983 ULTIMATE SOUND!! Disc 1 (44:32) 1. WXRT Intro 2. India 3. The Main Thing 4. Out of the Blue 5. Both Ends Burning 6. A Song for Europe 7. Can’t Let Go 8. While My Heart Is Still Beating 9. Impossible Guitar Disc 2 (53:31) 1 Tara 2. Avalon 3. My Only Love 4. Dance Away 5. Love Is The Drug 6. Like a Hurricane 7. Editions of You 8. Do The Strand 9. Jealous Guy Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards Phil Manzanera – guitar Neil Hubbard – guitar Alan Spenner – bass Andy Mackay – saxophone, oboe Guy Fletcher – keyboards Tawatha Agee – vocals Michelle Cobbs – vocals Fonzi Thornton – vocals Jimmy Maelen – percussion Andy Newmark – drums