Roxy Music In-depth Biography
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 vacillated 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. While at university, he sang in rock} bands, joining the R&B} group the Gas Board}, which also featured bassist Graham Simpson}. Ferry} and Simpson} decided to form their own band toward the end of 1970, eventually recruiting Andy Mackay} (saxophone), who had previously played oboe with the London Symphony Orchestra}. Through Mackay}, Brian Eno} joined the band. By the summer of 1971, the group -- had originally been called "Roxy" but a name change was necessary after the discovery of an American band called Roxy} -- had recruited classical} percussionist Dexter Lloyd} and guitarist Roger Bunn} through an ad in Melody Maker}; both musicians left within a month, but they did record the group's initial demos. Another ad was placed in Melody Maker}, and this time the group landed drummer Paul Thompson} and guitarist Davy O'List}, who had previously played with the Nice}. O'List} left by the beginning of 1972 and was replaced by Phil Manzanera}, a former member of Quiet Sun}. Prior to recording their first album, Simpson} left the band. Roxy Music} never replaced him permanently; instead, they hired new bassists for each record and tour, beginning with Rik Kenton}, who appeared on their eponymous debut for Island Records}.
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. Stranded} was recorded with new Roxy} member Eddie Jobson}, a multi-instrumentalist who previously played with Curved Air}; it was also the first record to feature writing credits for Manzanera} and Mackay}. The album received a warmer reception in the U.S. than its two predecessors, setting the stage for the breakthrough of Country Life} in late 1974. 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 -- Manzanera} formed the prog-rock} group 801}, and Mackay} and Ferry} both began recording solo albums -- 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. Ferry}, Manzanera}, Mackay} and Thompson} added former Ace} keyboardist Paul Carrack} to the band's lineup and hired Gary Tibbs}, formerly of the Vibrators}, and ex-Kokomo} Alan Spenner} as studio bassists; Jobson} and Wetton}, who were not asked to rejoin the band, formed UK}. 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}; prior to the tour's start, Thompson} left the band after breaking his thumb in a motorcycle accident. 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}'s solo hits, was released in 1989. A year later, Heart Still Beating}, a live album documenting a 1982 concert, was released. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide