The Best of Musikladen: Roxy Music & T-Rex

I confess that I have a soft spot in my musical heart the size of J Lo's butt when it comes to listening to Bryan Ferry, former lead singer of proto-glam/avant-garde pop rock pioneers Roxy Music. That said, this "1998" disc featuring Roxy Music and early glam-rock poster boy Marc Bolan's band T-Rex--sporting a total of 48 minutes of music compiled from live performances on the German show "Musikladen" circa 1973-1974--is rather disappointing time-wise, selection-wise, and overall sonic-wise. Although the disc features a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the back speaker mix is almost non-existent, and the whole sound footprint leans toward the treble. For the record, Roxy Music performs six tunes, including "Do the Strand," "Virginia Plain," and "All I Want Is You," with low-fidelity verve, while T-Rex's 20-minute shy contribution is a six-song set of no-budget sfx-enhanced (think: tie-dye meets primitive camcorder) performances, including "Jeepster," "Life's a Gas," and "20th Century Boy," but not--unfortunately--either "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" or "Children of the Revolution." Very optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)