Roxy Music - Live at the Apollo
Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera mused in a 2003 interview about being "considered old dogs that were about to be shot and put out of their misery" before the band embarked on this 2001 tour, their first in some 18 years. He needn't have worried. Manzanera and fellow original members Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, joined by an array of excellent musicians, singers, and even dancers, are in fine fettle for this 110-minute London concert (a documentary is also included). It certainly helps to have a clutch of stylish, appealing songs available, ranging from early hits like "Virginia Plain" and "Do the Strand" to later fare like the seductive "Avalon" and "Dance Away." OK, so the urbane, ever-dapper Ferry may not be the world's greatest singer, and these tunes are hardly world-changers... but with Roxy Music it's all about the vibe, and these folks have it in spades. Cheers, fellows.--Sam Graham