Other [Video Director] -
Phil McDonald
Other [Video Producer] -
Steve Hurrell
Notes:
From the back sleeve: "Featuring rare live and television footage, never seen before on video, tracing the story of one of the most influental and inspiring rock bands."
hmvh, Jun 08, 2005
What we have here is a thorough, chronological audio-visual history of Roxy Music, with forays into the solo careers of the permanent band members: Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera.
It excels in its presentation of rare excerpts from live shows and features stills, live and pre-recorded TV footage, flyers, posters, chart listings, album covers, live concert performances and even promotional videos spanning the years 1972 through 1982. Some tracks have a custom made visual created from images from the album sleeve and unreleased artwork, covering all of Roxy Music's official album releases. Also included are a 1973 clip from Brian Eno's recording session for "Here Come The Warm Jets" (Eno and the Winkies?), a substantial number of video clips detailing Bryan Ferry's solo career, as well as excerpts from solo performances by Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera - in particular a 1975 clip of "Diamond Head".
The first two-thirds of "Total Recall" are the most intriguing and horrific, where the group lip syncs for commercial television shows: early Phil Manzanera acts and looks as though he's Jimi Hendrix, drummer Paul Thompson looks like a caveman in his leopard skins, while electro-wiz Eno looks like the fashion nightmare of a mad professor who materialised from a B-movie or some kind of Riff-Raff. The rest of the band doesn't dress much better but by "Editions of you" Ferry does appear in his trademark white tuxedo for the first time, something rather unusual for the period. However, it's not just the group's dress sense that's bewildering in the earlier clips: the audience and backing dancers, too look like a bunch of dweebs and nerds... bemused, neo-Jane Austen/hippie-chick types frugging to "Virginia Plain" on "Top of the Pops", and doped-up nerds in the auditorium. Nothing much has changed...
But herein also lies the only flaw with the project: Things begin incredibly detailed and grow progressively less so as there are some surprising gaps in the timeline. Where, for instance, is any mention of the live Roxy LP "Viva", or Ferry's "The Bride Stripped Bare" (the critical and commercial failure of which probably had a great deal to do with Ferry reforming Roxy in 1978)? Still, one of my favourites is the mid-70's video promoting Bryan Ferry's "Let's Stick Together" single, where tigress Jerry Hall struts across the stage twirling her cat tail and growling as boyfriend Ferry croons. Another staple volume-cranker is "Same Old Scene" which makes an appearance in the form of a cool black-and-white video, and let's not forget my all-time Roxy favourite: "The Main Thing". Whoah! Other favourites are tracks 9, 28, 32 and 35 - 37.
Interesting to note is the fact that this South African release sports a 2-16 age restriction, possibly on account of the fact that the original and the 'toned down' covers for the "Country Life" album, featuring two semi-clad German babes, are shown. Ah, the days before censorship was all but abolished! Ironically, the Afrikaans pre-amble indicates "GEEN OUDERDOMSBEPERKING"...
"Total Recall" is as professional and polished a package as one will find, with an emphasis on creative and inventive editing techniques throughout.
I truly hope this (or at least a worthy update) will be released on DVD someday.
4.5/5 (