Roxy Music’s nomination for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame offers an intriguing opportunity to recognize an unorthodox outfit for its ingenuity and innovation. In reality, that hardly qualifies as a fate complete, given the fact that the Hall of Fame isn’t necessarily known for rewarding rock’s more adventurous outfits. It was literally decades before the Moody Blues got their due, and even now, the list of artists they’ve spurned — Jethro Tull and King Crimson, among them — belies the notion that art and originality are prime qualifications. At times, the Hall of Fame has seemed content to merely opt for the obvious, without venturing any deeper into style or substance. Consequently, the odds of Roxy Music obtaining admission may be more distant than its admirers might imagine.
Being ardent fans ourselves, we thought the electorate might need a nudge. Here then, are ten reasons why Roxy Music is long overdue for these honors. We can only hope that due consideration is accorded.
10) Roxy Music provided the missing link between prog rock and power pop, as well as glam and avant-garde Given their intriguing dynamic and unlikely use of oboe and odd effects, it was a combination that hadn’t been tried before, at least in a broader sense. Songs such as “Do the Strand” and “Virginia Plain” were direct and impossibly catchy, while other offerings such as “Re-Make, Re-Model,” “Bitters End” and the whole of the album Avalon were, on the other hand, uncommonly elusive and atmospheric. In a very real sense, Roxy Music captured the opposite ends of the spectrum but made it sync successfully.
9) As the professional launching point for members Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, and Phil Manzanera, Roxy Music proved not only a pivotal point in their respective careers but a foundation for further exploration. Ferry would later become a preening crooner and covers artist, while Eno established a series of ambient albums that not only made him a trailblazer in his own right but a successful producer whose work with U2 and the Talking Heads won him accolades later on. Manzanera remained a captivating cult artist whose work is still lauded as an outstanding example of genuine guitar virtuosity.
8) Although they never considered themselves pop purists, Roxy Music proved that eccentricity and sophistication needn’t detract from creating monumental melodies that were still capable of ascending the charts. Indeed, that remains a prime consideration for admission into the Hall of Fame, as well it ought to be. Roxy Music could claim a reasonable amount of mainstream hits, and songs such as “Love Is the Drug,” Virginia Plain,” More Than This” and a maudlin cover of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” all proved the point by making it to the top ten.
7) Roxy Music opened up new horizons when it came to their creating an image and an impression. Their futuristic look — epitomized by Ferry’s slick ‘50s flair and Eno’s odd coif and billowy boas — added to their mystique and air of ambiguity. They linked that look to their album covers, all of which featured beautiful models in looks and poses flush with unmistakable sexuality and seduction. One such early album, Country Life, went several steps further, featuring two cover girls appearing topless and in see-through lingerie. Stateside retailers objected, eventually forcing the label to remove the ladies entirely.
6) It’s tough to build a career while relying on cover songs, but Roxy Music managed to make them their own. Their aforementioned cover of Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” was so emotionally embracing, its relationship to the original was all but ignored. Likewise, a take on Neil Young’s “Like a Hurricane’ was so sweeping in its determined delivery that even the gale force power of the original couldn’t compete with the epic force of Roxy’s own rendition. Ferry’s solo career continued the covers trajectory, helping him establish his own singular style in the process.
5) Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett were known from perfecting a cool croon, but with few exceptions — David Bowie being one — that particular singing style was confined to an earlier era, a time when big bands and cocktail cavaliers dominated the hit parade and caused bobbysoxers to swoon in awe and admiration. Bryan Ferry’s arched delivery made the idea of a romantic serenade appealing once again, and in fact, became one of the defining aspects of the band’s slick sound.
4) Roxy Music prefigured the age of the so-called New Romantics; bands like Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, Duran Duran and even the Thin White Duke himself took a cue from their mix of style and sound. Roxy’s visual presence made an especially provocative impression, and the idea of appearing aloof, sophisticated and slightly synthesized helped create the basis for the idealized image the New Romantics eventually established as their own signature set-up.
3) Even so, Roxy Music’s influence wasn’t limited to any one era or individual. It lingers even now, swept along by bands like the Duran Duran and the Talking Heads and eventually continued by those who carried on in their wake — David Byrne, Coldplay and U2 in particular. It’s one thing to initiate evolution, but quite another to create a lingering imprint that remains indelibly inscribed even decades later.
2) Even those outfits that were seemingly worlds away in terms of style and sound took a cue from Roxy Music. Madness paid homage to the band in their song “4BF,” referencing the track “2HB” from Roxy Music’s debut album. The band that would later reveal themselves to the world as the Sex Pistols first called themselves “The Strand” after taking the title of the early Roxy Music song “Do the Strand” as their handle. And while they’re less well known, we have to give kudos to the electronica outfit Ladytron for tapping into another Roxy Music title,, one which also appeared on their eponymous debut.
1) Most importantly of all, Roxy Music proved that rock ‘n’ roll was still the domain of the Everyman, regardless of ability. Unlike their immediate precedents — Led Zeppelin, Yes, ELP, and Jimi Hendrix in particular — Roxy Music showed that possessing instrumental acumen wasn’t the only qualification for success. Eno prided himself on being a non-musician, and along with his synths, he was credited with “treatments,” another way of saying he mostly added ideas and not actual additives. He later produced a band called the Portsmouth Sinfonia, an unlikely orchestral ensemble whose main claim to fame lay in the fact that they didn’t know how to play their instruments either. Indeed, Roxy demonstrated that image could be as important as ability when it came to establishing an individual imprint.
