5 Album Set

Just had to have it.

I’ve listened to this CD several times since I got it. It’s so good that I never get tired of it.

This will be fun. Five albums, one star possible for each. Reviewed as presented, chronologically. Here goes:Siren, 1975 - The fifth studio album, it seems to be "transitional", but not exactly. The first two (Roxy Music and For Your Pleasure), were very interesting bits of eccentricity. Siren showed a more focused effort to reach the masses. Mission accomplished! " Love Is The Drug" reached even my remote area of North America, and shared radio time with David Bowie's Young Americans singles. "Love..." is a great song, to this day, but the highlight of Siren has to be "Both Ends Burning". The rest is a bit of pastiche; bits of early Roxy, bits of Beatles, etc. A very good listen, start to end. ONE STAR!Viva, 1976 - Live album showcasing eight songs from the band's five releases to this point in time. This is a recording of a band that was prime, confident in their catalogue, and this disc is as stunning now as when I first heard it almost forty years ago. Given the price of this five album set, this alone is worth the cost. Just powerful and timeless. ONE STAR. I could go on, but I need to move on, to......Manifesto, 1979 - At this point in my life (I was twenty, for god sakes!), I had learned the language of punk. The soundtrack of my life was now much broader, and much more harsh. But this album was released here in the States during the fall of my decadence. Side One, titled I believe " East Side", startled and intrigued. This is the actual transitional album for Roxy Music. Side one shows the edge the group was known for. Side two, again noted on vinyl as "West Side", pointed toward the station this band would reach just a few years hence. " Ain't That So", a great song , opened this side, and it was troubling to my ears. This album is .5 for me.Flesh + Blood, 1980 - Here is Roxy Music, in their ninth year as a band, opening an album with a tepid cover. "The Midnight Hour" is, without a doubt, a great song. Roxy does it no favor here. And, really, the opening track of the first studio album in five years is a terrible version of a Motown staple? One song in, I knew I misspent money on this. Things get worse. "Oh Yeah", second song, replete with eighth-grade lyrics...? The proto-disco " Same Old Scene" is fine, if you completely ignored Bowie's Young Americans and Station To Station; otherwise, very passe. Title track "Flesh And Blood" provides three minutes of relatively interesting music. Actually, if not for the once again sophomoric lyrics, this sounds good today.After this came the blockbuster, hot tub, Chardonnay album of the 20th century, Avalon. The album that my grandparents liked more than I did. The precursors to this smash hit are to be found on both Manifesto and, especially, on Flesh + Blood, and to my ears, marked the end of my love affair with this once interesting and artistic group.The fifth album included in this package is a "live" album, Heart Still Beating, released in 1990. Live in quotes due to the fact that at this point, a reunion effort, after all the money had been spent from Avalon, and there was no fire left. No heart. No beating. Just still. Quite possibly the worst "live" album in history, this iteration of Roxy was suffering from the "Avalounge" syndrome that would consign them to the bins along with the likes of Spandau Ballet. Really, who thought it a good idea to cover Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane", as if played on a Carribean pleasure cruise?Enjoy the first two of this set. Pay attention to the third disc (Manifesto), as it has one foot in the origin, one in the future. Ultimately, each will decide which version of this band they prefer. I can't think of a better cross-section of an iconic band's career than these five albums.Three stars only for the fact that some of the music just sucks.

This is an amazing bargain for Roxy fans, or rock fans in general. I wish there were more sets like this out there for other artists. I purchased this, and along with "Roxy Music: The Early Years", "Avalon" (CRUCIAL), and the live 2003 reunion album really makes a great collection for Roxy fans. Can't recommend this enough. Honestly I would have paid more than twice the price for this nice box set. I also highly recommend the live album "Concerto" if you can find it. Long live Roxy!!

Three studio albums and two live albums fromThe middle/late period Roxy Music. All the studio albums are the remastered editions. Each comes in a paper sleeve that is a replica of the LP sleeve. All for under $20. A single Roxy Music CD costs about that much, and this collection includes Viva!, which is impossible to find as a single disc. Don’t hesitate. Buy this!

I was given an Apple iTunes gift card so I purchased the "albums" Viva Roxy Music and Siren. But after downloading both LPs, several of the tracks became locked and could not be played. Really, iTunes?!!! You won't let me play "Love Is the Drug" or "Whirlwind" off of Siren? Or "Both Ends Burning," "Out of the Blue," "If There Is Something," and "Do the Strand" off of Viva? (that's half of the album!)Then I saw this compilation. I already owned Manifesto, but I was happy to acquire Flesh+Blood and Heart Still Beating (a live album -- but I think Viva is the better live album -- Phil Manzanera shines on guitar).Five CDs for the price of two? Possibly one? This is a good value.

Great five CD set for any big Roxy Music fan! You can’t do much better than this set, especially at this price! Great for any fan or even just someone who wants to learn more about this remarkable and iconic group!

Great comprehensive collection of some of Roxy Music's best albums.

Cracking box set of a great bands work. Firstly it’s well priced. No frills little card sleeves with no lyrics so that keeps the cost down. Good quality cd’s so all you need.Sadly it’s lacking Avalon which could have replaced Viva or Manifesto which are the weaker albums in the set.Bought this set for Flesh and Blood which for me is their best album, ever track a good one and the live album Heart still beating is also great which contains hits from most albums. Really recommend this one.5 stars if Avalon was here!

Wonderful music .Great sound. Great value. If, like me , you maybe have 3 or 4 Roxy vinyls ,and only a 'Hits' cd, that rarely get played, this collection is the perfect way to remind yourself just how truly fantastic Roxy Music were. It just arrived and I'm listening to the discs in the car with a big smile in my heart and on my face. The music is That good. Buy it.Just don't buy it ,or anything else from 'MusicMagpie ' , who have become a bunch of mercenaries.Approximately 6 sterling to mail this box ,or even a single cd. Taking advantage of Covid and Brexit it seems based on the lame excuse I had thrown at me.Big Thanks to Dodax for delivering all my cd orders for £1.82.Nagairy deliver for £1.82 also.As do many others.Thanks .

Although all the albums are very good, I purchased this set mainly to get the live album 'Viva'. I originally bought the latter album on cassette in 1976 and it got lost somewhere along the way. 'Viva' still sounds great with Roxy perhaps playing at the peak of their powers in a live setting. 'Viva' has been hard to find or expensive to source on CD for a time now. This set is a real bargain and well worth getting to compliment your probably scratched vinyl versions.

I bought this initially for "Viva" that I bought in 76' and still have the original vinyl copy.I really like all the Albums in this set, and it's a great way to collect the later Roxy Music CDsThe packaging is very basic, but that doesn't detract from the music enclosed.I hope that sometime in the future, the first four albums will be released in the same format.To summarise, if your new to Roxy Music this is a cheap way to get into the Bands later years.

Out of a meddi;y album my better half liked the single Roxy music track on it so I purchased this.Granted there is a lot of tracks on the five albums but the quality to me often sounds more like a handheld mic being waved about at the back of gig than any studio recording. If you are really into Roxy music, maybe seen a few of there live performances then this would be more the buy for you but it was not really for me.