It’s downright criminal that Roxy Music never broke big in the U.S. On their first five albums—released between 1972 and 1975—the band’s music evolved from wildly avant-garde to sublimely sophisticated, and became increasingly accessible while losing none of its adventurousness. The 1975 album Siren is often cited as the group’s finest moment, but nothing touches the ambitious sweep of 1974’s Country Life. And in “Out of the Blue,” the latter album’s fourth track, the British art rockers scored a true masterpiece.
“Out of the Blue” begins like a gathering storm. A repeated bass figure, flanged oboe, and swirling mellotron roll forward until the skies rain with pounding piano, slashing guitar, and a thrilling vocal melody.
All your cares now they seem oh so far away
All your fears I fear I once shared
Now I know there’s a future for all of us
Not so long ago I was so scared
After two verses that spew this dazzling deluge, the song slams into the chorus like a car hitting a wall. As guitarist Phil Manzanera coaxes stinging riffage and astral bends from his instrument, lead singer Bryan Ferry adopts a near-country inflection as the song’s tempo is cut in half.
Then out of the blue love came rushing in
Out of the sky came the sun
Out of left field came a lucky day
Out of the blue no more pain
Then it’s back to business as before, as intro, verse, and chorus are repeated—albeit this time with the addition of some spooky, trilling organ notes that sound lifted from a vintage horror film. Then it’s brick-wall time again, only in this instance the car smashes through the barrier and ascends towards the heavens as the coda unfurls.
The outro for “Out of the Blue” is, quite simply, one of the most thrilling in rock and roll. Having replaced electronics wizard Brian Eno, multi-instrumentalist Edwin Jobson unleashes an extended run on electric violin that’s a slice of pure ecstasy.
In the wake of Country Life and its sister album, Siren, Roxy Music turned their sights first on Euro-chic disco (with the 1979 album, Manifesto) and later pioneered the New Romantic movement with the 1982 effort, Avalon. Both discs contain splashes of brilliance, and indeed Avalon remains the standard for any band trying to blend studio perfection with inspired artistry. Still, for sheer in-the-moment bliss, nothing comes close to the dizzying heights scaled on “Out of the Blue.”