Roxy Music-Country Life (1974)

"Country Life" was Roxy Music's most energetic and rock-oriented album, taking the experimental sounds of their earlier work a step further. In this new release, the addition of violinist and keyboardist Eddie Jobson brings a new level of originality and eclecticism to the group's music. The album features a repertoire brimming with memorable compositions that elevate their already high-quality musicianship to brilliant art rock heights. Besides Jobson, the rest of the band is at its peak, starting with the charismatic voice of frontman Bryan Ferry, and continuing with the talented Phil Manzanera and Andy McCay on guitar and saxophone respectively, and the driving drummer Paul Thompson, backed by bassist John Gustafson. The album features the compelling rock track "The Thrill of It All", the perfect introduction to Jobson's immeasurable electric violin. The exhilarating rock tracks "All I Wants Is You", "Casanova", and "Prairie Rose" are the album's most energetic and galloping numbers, contrasting sharply with the more subdued and delightful pop-rock numbers "Bitter Sweet", "Out of the Blue", and "Triptych". While not as complex as their earlier work, "Country Life" is a challenging album, enough to be considered one of Roxy Music's best releases. The original album cover featured two famous models of the time: Constanze Karoli (sister of Michael Karoli, guitarist and frontman of the krautrock band Can) and the charismatic Eveline Grunwald. Although the cover image was highly controversial in some countries, leading to its censorship and replacement with a rather lackluster cover.