Mmmmmm... Flesh & Blood!

Overall Album Score: 7.4 out of 10

Well, this certainly isn't Shakespeare, but Flesh & Blood is a significant improvement from the Roxy Music's previous Manifesto. Nevertheless, this is a far cry from the band's glory years! Again, the Roxy Music continue down the pop-music path that they had established with Siren and completely butchered with Manifesto.

Fortunately, though, the band FOCUSED themselves this time and rendered up a few minor gems in the process. "In the Midnight Hour," opening the album, is a pleasant and catchy rendition of an old 60s song. Immediately following that is "Oh Yeah," which, if it ever gained the radio intention that it was probably designed for, it was a delight for 1980 listeners to hear. Also, there's "Over You," which is the Roxy Music attempting to create a Cars-esque New Wave song. Slightly lesser than these songs is the notable, thoughtful album closer "Running Wild," and the danceable "Same Old Scene." Since I just mentioned half of the songs from the album, it can be said that this album is half-worthwhile! The other half leaves quite a lot to be desired. Although, none of them are repulsive, vomit-inducing garbage ... all of them have a quirk about them to make it mildly amusing.

As far as the Roxy Music's innovation goes ... they've still pretty much got it. They still have fine arranging skills. Bryan Ferry is still a great singer with excellent vocals. However, by 1980, what the band had traditionally been doing was no longer wild and unusual. They sound like a regular New Romantic band, now ... the very genre that they pioneered!

If any of Roxy Music's previous albums (or their finale Avalon) converted you as a big fan, then Flesh & Blood would be recommended, but keep in mind that you'll be slightly disappointed.

Overall Album Score: 7.4 out of 10 (This is, overall, a pleasant album, but it does leave us Roxy Music fans pining for their former glories.)

Average Song Score: 7.7 (This score is probably higher than it has any right to be. Nevertheless, there are some good songs in here, and there's something good about all of the bad ones that saved it from being garbage.)

Album Tilt: 7.5 (This is not a particularly entertaining album, but it's listenable.)

Artist Rating: 7.0 (Feebleness is written all over this thing. While they definitely have recovered from their disappointing previous effort, Manifesto, they haven't fully recovered, either.)

Track Reviews

In the Midnight Hour 9/10

Oh crap! This album was released in 1980! No wonder it sounds like an 80s song! ... Well, 1980 was, at least, when everybody and their dog wanted to start sounding like the Roxy Music did in 1975 and I guess the Roxy Music was no exception! This is a perfectly peculiar, catchy and fun-to-listen-to pop number. It's a mighty fine and pleasant way to begin this! Already, we can tell they have figured out what to do after that raggedy Manifesto. This is a cover from an old 60s song.

Oh Yeah 9/10

Do you know what this is almost sounding like? ABBA! ... For some reason, I can sense a little bit of influence from that Swedish quartet in this. Except, I think the Roxy Music made this into a little bit more of an adult contemporary thing. Nevertheless, I must like it, because I gave it a 9. It's perfectly entertaining and pleasant, you know.

Same Old Scene 8/10

Oooooh ... This one's a nice danceable New Romantic number, and it exhibits all the skill these guys have always had. I'm not too utterly impressed with it because unlike the previous two tracks, I don't find it very infectious. I'm not sure the track layering here was done in the greatest of taste, either. It's a pretty good song, though.

Flesh and Blood 7/10

This definitely isn't filler ... it's just not too great. The greatest aspect of the title track, here, is undoubtedly that jerky New Romantic beat. Other than that, everything else is quite feeble. ...Oh! The Roxy Music are still pale shadows of their former glory!

My Only Love 6.5/10

This is a bit of a disappointing New Romantic type number ... it could be worse, but it could also be much better! It's okay to listen to ... though I doubt that I'm really enjoying myself. The atmosphere is hardly breathtaking and the melody is hardly good enough to make up for that! Dragged on for more than five minutes, this is filler!

Over You 9/10

Hrugh? The riff on this one is almost a dead ringer for "Blitzkreig Bop," but it's really quite a lovely and pleasant (and very light) New Wave song a la The Cars. The instrumentation here was done exceptionally well (as opposed to the previous two) and particularly at the end of the track ... it's really quite beautiful! It's too bad that Roxy Music couldn't carry this on for the rest of the album!

Eight Miles High 6.5/10

Odd! This is a cover of an old Byrds song! You know ... I never particularly cared too wildly for that Byrds song, anyway, so ... I guess I don't care for this cover, either. They turn this into a disco song, too, which is ... interesting. I think this one's a bit sloppy, too.

Rain Rain Rain 6.5/10

I can appreciate these groovy guitars! (Roxy Music certainly don't make these songs bland, which is a great quality about a band ... even if they forgot how to make an album full of consistent songs.) Other than that, though, there really isn't much here, is there? Noooooope!

No Strange Delight 7/10

NO DISCO! ... There's no melody, either. Everything else seems to be into place, though. But, man! Just because you are a good singer and you have great musicians, without a melody, you're songs can get very hollow! This is slightly better than those last two, however!

Running Wild 8.5/10

The last thing I want to do is leave this track underrated, but I'm not positive that it is a major highlight from this album. However, a good melody was actually scraped out for this one. It sounds quite a bit more soulful and MUCH more thoughtful, though, than anything in the album. The instrumentation is solid, but it doesn't really sound utterly quirky. ...Not that I really demand that it sounds quirky. At any rate, the Roxy Music chose the right track to end this album with.

Do you like flesh and blood? Leave your comments here, you vampire you.