That cover had quite an effect on the adolescent me. Thinking about it, you could learn a lot about which direction you want to go by comparing the effect of this cover against the effect of the equally semi-naked sweatiness of the Queen Sheer Heart Attack cover. That’s the sister and the girlfriend of Michale Karoli from Can, by the way.
But enough about the cover. This is the second post-Eno Roxy Music album, but although there’s less electronica weirdness, Ferry and co. seem more than capable of being just as experimental without their erstwhile bandmate. Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera provide the disturbing saxophone and swirling guitars as before, with Eddie Jobson taking over keyboard duties.
From the hard-rocking opener (for me the best track) The Thrill Of It All, something like Virginia Plain or Street Life but even more ramped up in energy, to Bitter Sweet which wouldn’t sound out of place in a decadent Weimar Republic cabaret. Triptych blends in baroque and mediaeval sounds with rock bombast. A Really Good Time is a relatively simple ballad with vaguely soul overtones, something that Ferry will increasingly turn to as time goes by.
It didn't, at this stage, surprise me like their debut album did, but equally the loss of Eno so far hasn't seem to have had an adverse effect.
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