Product: High Road [VHS]
Rating: 3.0
End of the Line
Before Roxy's recent reformation, this was the most complete concert available for the band. The band was supporting their most successful album "Avalon". While many of the performances are memorable, the band's sound had become quite slick at this point incorporating more disco type beats. Without the powerhouse drumming of Paul Thompson (Andy Newmark is a great drummer and more diverse but he lacks Paul's thumping sound)the songs are more lanquid, loose and relaxed. If you're a fan of the band's last trio of albums ("Manifesto", "Flesh + Blood" and "Avalon")this is the perfect chill out album full of sweet melodies and love songs.I'm a long time Roxy Music fan and prefer their latest concert video "Live at the Apollo" because it captures much of their fire evident in their concerts prior to 1976. With original drummer Paul Thompson back firmly in the rhythm chair, it's a superior performance all around. The only people missing are Eno (who was invited but didn't want to participate)and Eddie Jobson (keyboards and electric violin). Covering their entire history, "Apollo" gives the listener a better sense of what this groundbreaking band was all about. Also, the video direction is better for "Apollo"."The High Road" is still a great document of the end of the line for Roxy Music. I had this on video and laserdisc and purchased it on DVD simply because I'm a die hard fan. The song selection for both is extremely good and Roxy fans will be pleased to have documents from both parts of the band's career. Your preference will probably be dictated by what stage you got into Roxy Music (i.e., "Avalon" vs. "Country Life" or even "For Your Pleasure").