ROXY MUSIC
Evolving from the late-'60s art-rock movement, Roxy Music had
a fascination with fashion, glamour, cinema, pop art, and the
avant-garde, which separated the band from their contemporaries.
Dressed in bizarre, stylish costumes, the group played a defiantly
experimental variation of art-rock which vascillated between avant-rock
and sleek pop hooks. During the early '70s, the group was driven
by the creative tension between Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno, who
each pulled the band in separate directions: Ferry had a fondness
for American soul and Beatlesque art-pop, while Eno was intrigued
by deconstructing rock with amateurish experimentalism inspired
by the Velvet Underground.
This incarnation of Roxy Music may have only recorded two albums,
but it inspired a legion of imitators -- not only the glam-rockers
of the early '70s, but art-rockers and new wave pop groups of
the late '70s. Following Eno's departure, Roxy Music continued
with its arty inclinations for a few albums before gradually working
in elements of disco and soul. Within a few years, the group had
developed a sophisticated, seductive soul-pop that relied on Ferry's
stylish crooning. By the early '80s, the group had developed into
a vehicle for Ferry, so it was no surprise that he disbanded the
group at the height of its commercial success in the early '80s
to pursue a solo career.
The son of a coal miner, Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards) had studied
art with Richard Hamilton at the University of Newcastle before
forming Roxy Music in 1971. Produced by Peter Sinfield of King
Crimson, Roxy Music climbed into the British Top Ten in the summer
of 1972; shortly afterward, the non-LP single "Virginia Plain"
rocketed into the British Top Ten, followed by the non-LP "Pyjamarama"
in early 1973. While Roxy Music had become a sensation in England
and Europe due to their clever amalgamation of high and kitsch
culture, they had trouble getting a foothold in the United States.
Both Roxy Music and the group's second album, 1973's For Your
Pleasure, which was recorded with bassist John Porter, were greeted
with enthusiasm in the U.K., but virtually ignored in the U.S.
Frustrated with Ferry's refusal to record his compositions, Eno
left the band after the completion of For Your Pleasure. Before
recording the third Roxy Music album, Ferry released a solo album,
These Foolish Things, which was comprised of pop/rock covers.
Released in December of 1973, Stranded became the band's first
number one album in the U.K. Sporting a controversial cover of
two models dressed in see-through lingerie -- the cover was banned
in several stores, and it was eventually replaced with a photo
of a forest in the U.S. -- Country Life was the first Roxy album
to break the U.S. Top 40 and became their fourth British Top Ten
album. Following a tour with bassist John Wetton, the group recorded
Siren. Featuring their first American Top 40 hit, the disco-flavored
"Love Is the Drug," Siren was another British Top Ten
hit; in the U.S., it was moderate hit, peaking at number 50. Following
the tour for Siren, the band members began working on solo projects
and announced in the summer of 1976 that they were temporarily
breaking up. The live album Viva! Roxy Music was released shortly
after the announcement of the group's hiatus.
Roxy Music regrouped in the fall of 1978 after spending 18 months
on solo projects. Roxy Music's comeback effort, Manifesto, was
released in the spring of 1979, and it boasted a sleek, disco-influenced
soul-pop sound that was markedly different from and more accessible
than their earlier records. Manifesto confirmed their British
popularity, reaching the Top Ten, and became their highest-charting
U.S. record, peaking at number 23 on the strength of the single
"Dance Away." Roxy Music supported the album with an
international tour that featured Carrack and Tibbs (later of Adam
& the Ants).
Flesh + Blood, the follow-up to Manifesto, was recorded just by
Ferry, Manzanera and Mackay, and a host of studio musicians. Released
in the summer of 1980, Flesh + Blood became Roxy's second British
number one album on the strength of the Top Ten single "Over
You"; in America, the album reached the American Top 40.
In the spring of 1981, the band's non-LP cover of John Lennon's
"Jealous Guy," recorded as a tribute to the slain singer,
became the group's only British number one single.
Nearly two years after the release of Flesh + Blood, Roxy Music
returned in the summer of 1982 with Avalon. Marking a new level
in the group's production and musical sophistication, Avalon became
their biggest album, spending three weeks at the top of the British
charts and 27 on the U.S. charts, generating the British hits
"More Than This" and "Take a Chance With Me."
It became the group's only American gold album, and over the years,
it worked its way to platinum status. Following a successful supporting
tour for Avalon, the group released the live EP Musique/The High
Road in the spring of 1983. The Avalon tour turned out to be Roxy
Music's final activity as a group. Ferry began to concentrate
on his solo career, beginning with 1985's Boys and Girls. Manzanera
and Mackay formed a band called the Explorers in 1985; the pair
would record under a variety of guises, as well as pursue solo
careers, over the next 15 years. The compilation Street Life:
20 Great Hits, which also featured Ferry solo hits, was released
in 1989. A year later, Heart Still Beating, a live album documenting
a 1982 concert, was released.
