Roxy Music: Bryan Ferry (vocals, piano); Phil Manzanera (guitar); Andrew Mackay (oboe, saxophone); Eno (keyboards, synthesizer, tapes); Graham Simpson (bass); Paul Thompson (drums). Recorded at Command Studios, London, England in March 1972. All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology. The self-titled first Roxy Music album opens with what seems to be a ambient recording from a cafe--glasses clinking, low talking, and so on. It sets up a mood of casual elegance that the band explored throughout their career, from full-on glamour all the way through decadence. The first song, Re-Make/Re-Model becomes, after the cafe introduction, a punchy rock track defined by an insistent rhythm section, Andrew Mackay's saxophone playing, and Bryan Ferry's unmistakable voice, a kind of cultured warble (the song's chorus, by the way, is CPL 593H, the license plate number of a car). Roxy Music's early work is a strange hybrid of glam-rock, cocktail jazz, and English music hall. The band has a joke at the expense of each, and is clearly enjoying themselves. Other standouts include the classics Virginia Plain and 2HB. The first was the band's first single and arguably the most successful song from their early period, with catchy lyrics, a fabulous bridge section, and beat you can dance to. The second is a ballad inspired by the film CASABLANCA featuring a bubbling synthesizer and saxophone under Ferry's Here's looking at you, kid chorus. This is a must-own.