Fifty Years Ago | For Your Pleasure | Island ILPS9232 | March 1973

I’m pretty sure For Your Pleasure is the only rock album to feature the voice of Judi Dench, delivering a perfectly audible few words at the end of the title track, in a sort of “Revolution #9” moment.   For Your Pleasure was recorded in February 1973 and released a month later, making it now fifty years old.  Roxy Music pretty much took everyone by surprise in the summer of 1972, when they literally burst on the scene, swiftly followed by an appearance on the Old Grey Whistle Test, almost immediately being written off by Bob Harris, with his now famous ‘style over substance’ remark.  Bob was in a minority at the time as the band’s reputation grew, with a little help from their initial single “Virginia Plain”, as well as the band’s debut album release.  A few months later, their second album confirmed their place on the scene, with “Do the Strand” becoming an almost overnight anthem for the band.  Bob was right of course, in fact whenever I think of Roxy Music, it’s always the clothes, the hairdos, the platform shows and the LP sleeves that spring to mind first, at least before thoughts turn to let’s say “The Bogus Man” or “Grey Lagoons”.   “In Every Dream Home a Heartache” remains a little dodgy, certainly in these times.  The album does contain some fine Eno moments before he picked up his VCS3 and made for the exit.

Choice Track: Do the Strand