AMG Review of Early Years

Steve Huey
All Music Guide

Because of its distinct stylistic transformations, Roxy Music's output has never been compiled all that well (save for The Thrill of It All, since its four discs could paint a more expansive picture of the band's evolution). One alternate tactic for a single-disc compilation is to capture just one of the group's phases, and that's what The Early Years tries to do -- specifically, the group's most experimental, electronic-oriented period. Brian Eno was a member of the band on 12 of the 16 tracks here, the others being taken from the third Roxy album Stranded; all told, there are six songs from Roxy Music and five from For Your Pleasure, plus the non-LP U.K. hit single "Pyjamarama". Although there's a noticeable difference when Eno leaves, the Stranded material still fits the overall approach pretty well; moreover, it's hard to quibble too much with the track selection. Since each of the albums it draws from is a very strong listen in its own right (For Your Pleasure in particular is a classic), The Early Years can't be called a completely definitive look at the artiest period of Roxy's career, but it is an excellent snapshot, as well as a good introduction for casual fans who don't want to buy all the original albums. [Originally released in 1989, The Early Years was remastered and reissued by Caroline in 2000.]