How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money
Advantages:
Contains almost all their best tracks
Disadvantages:
But not quite all
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Not to put it too bluntly the release of ‘More Than This’ is 1995 had a smack of returning to well mined gold seam about it. There had already been a Greatest Hits album some years before and whilst people may have wanted it on a new medium CD or Minidisc why not just re-release the original album.
In repacking it they committed heresy by deleting 2 top Roxy tracks out went Pyjamarama and Do The Strand and for aficionados of the band this is unforgivable. Also deleted was Bryan Ferry’s version of the Wilson Pickett classic ‘In The Midnight Hour’ so perhaps there was some good judgement exercised after all. This had all the soul of a turn-up-at-the-studio and do the vocal routine.
What the album does have is the 2 stages of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry. The early seventies saw Roxy produce innovative inventive rock, sometimes with a bit of excess when performing live. So mark down Virginia Plain in this area. When Brian Eno left the band was less electronic keyboard and synthesiser led and the musical talents of guitarist Phil Manzanera and sax playing of Andy Mackay came more to the fore. Classic tracks like ‘Street Life’ and ‘Love Is The Drug’ classically represent this era.
In contrast Bryan Ferry solo artist was the quintessence of cool. Cover versions with tracks like ‘These Foolish Things’, ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’ and his own composition ‘Let’s Stick Together’ epitomise his own style.
The second stage of Roxy came after a considerable change in band personnel and following that a mellower sound emerged. From 1979 a succession of smooth tracks like ‘Dance Away’ ‘Oh Yeah’ ‘More Than This’ and ‘Avalon’ became their trademark. These tracks make a greatest hits album from Roxy Music an essential part of your record collection.
The absence of some of those early tracks left space for some of the later Ferry efforts. However in the company of what had gone before the forgettable ‘Is Your Love Strong Enough?’ disappointing’ Kiss and Tell’ and lamentable ‘Your Painted Smile’ just don’t cut it in this company. Shame on the record company bosses for making these changes.
This is a good album but one which truly picked the best 20 tracks ever from Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music would deserve the title great. The original 1986 Greatest Hits album was great.
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splendid, all-encompassing greatest hits package. As on the other Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music hits compilation, Street Life, the early years of Brian Eno period Rox...
MORE THAN THIS
Personnel: Bryan Ferry (vocals).Producers include: Peter Sinfield, Bryan Ferry, Chris
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Thomas, John Porter, John Punter.1995 anthology released in connection with the four-disc Thrill Of It All box set. 20 tracks total.Almost since the first Roxy Music ...
splendid, all-encompassing greatest hits package. As on the other Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music hits compilation,Street Life, the early years ofBrian Eno period Roxy ...
