Roxy Music

Roxy Music were founded in the early 70s and had an on-off career over several decades until they informally retired after a 2011 world tour. Led by chief songwriter Bryan Ferry, the band have often been described as Art Rock. What does that mean? Well, we could argue about that until Avalon re-appears out of the sea, but basically Art Rock refers to music that experiments with form, instrumentation and sound to make something beyond everyday pop. It is also a nod to the UK art schools where many aspiring creative souls got a liberal education. There are strong connections with progressive rock music, a close cousin. Indeed, Roxy’s early albums are often described as ‘progressive rock’… also glam, pop rock, art pop, new wave and soft rock.

The early line-up—Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, Paul Thompson on drums, Andy Mackay (sax, oboe), Graham Simpson (bass) and ‘non-musician’ Brian Eno twiddling the knobs of a VCS3 synthesiser—produced two startlingly original albums in 1972 and 1973 before Eno left and the sound became less experimental and more radio friendly. By the time of the final studio album Avalon (1982) and the hit single “More than this”, the band was a much smoother affair. Yet the fans—now a decade older than when Roxy Music first stunned the public with their outrageous clothes, sensual album covers and clever, satisfying rock—embraced this adult sound just as enthusiastically.