In hindsight, more than forty years after their last studio album, it is hard to listen to Roxy Music without having the nagging question of “what might have been?” running through your head. Of all the British bands of the early 1970s poised somewhere between glam, prog, and punk, none offered the range of talents found in Roxy.
They were past, present, and future rolled into one: a band that looked backwards to the ‘50s dance pop – and often even earlier to music hall traditions - but also looked ahead to the synth-driven new wave still a decade away.
They could dress in the finest gender-challenging frocks of the day and play a style of music that could find a home in the American discos of the late ‘70s. They were, at their best, a little bit of everything. Maybe not just “a little bit.” When Roxy Music was on, there was a lot of everything.
Ranking the best songs of Roxy Music
If not the absolute pinnacle of virtuosity, their original lineup had plenty of technical skill. Early on, they also had a restless inventiveness that took their music to wild and wonderful places. Their sound was anchored by the muscular drumming of Paul Thompson, who paired with a rotating cast of bass players to keep even their most extreme flights of fancy rooted in rock and roll.
In Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera, they had a sax player and guitarist who were versatile enough to carry a rhythmic line in one song and provide aggressive, spacy fills on the next.
At the top of the band were a pair of visionaries, Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry. Eno looked forward to the ‘80s with his creative use of electronics to invent entire soundscapes. In contrast, Ferry often looked to the past, drawing inspiration from various sources to write most of the band’s songs and invent a modern-day rock crooner approach to his vocals.
I am in the camp that says Roxy was at its best early on, before Bryan and Brian had a falling out. Rock historian Simon Reynolds suggests Ferry axed Eno due to professional and personal jealousy. Ferry, who as songwriter and singer considered Roxy largely his vehicle, did not like Eno was attracting virtually equal attention from the press, and even greater attention from the groupies.
True or not, Eno was gone after the second album. Eddie Jobson could bring a similarly inventive sonic attack to the subsequent several albums. Still, it appears that without Eno around to serve as a counterweight, Ferry’s influence gradually grew to the point where Roxy did become much more of a frontman/backing group operation than a full-fledged band.
Despite Ferry’s increasing lapses into pretentiousness, Roxy Music could still produce some glorious sounds. Whether you prefer the early restlessness or the latter austerity, you can find excellent material throughout their initial run from 1972 to 1982.
Here’s a brief look at their ten greatest songs, in one listener’s opinion…
10. "Over You" (1980)
Flesh + Blood was Roxy’s first album without Paul Thompson on drums. Seasoned pro Andy Schwartzberg fills in on most tracks, and his rhythm is perfectly fine. However, Thompson's energy is missing from much of the album. Covers of “In the Midnight Hour” and “Eight Miles High” have that pristine Ferry quality that can border on somnambulant. (Listen to how Husker Du handled the Byrds’ classic a decade later.)
But when Ferry was writing gorgeous, romantic pop songs like “Over You,” understated drumming was not a problem. The lovely melody showcases his voice perfectly. This is smooth pop delivered by a master of the genre.
9. “Dance Away” (1979)
Ferry was sharing songwriting credit more on the sixth album, Manifesto. But “Dance Away” is all Bryan. By this point, Thompson was halfway out the door and did not play on “Dance Away.” Richard Tee joins Ferry on keyboards to propel one more perfect pop melody.
The song would be one of Roxy’s biggest sellers, hitting number 2 in the UK and reaching the top 50 in the USA, one of just two Roxy Music singles to rise that high in the States.
8. “More Than This” (1982)
This is the last significant hit from their final album, Avalon. This time, Andy Newmark, an in-demand session man, played drums. Newmark would also play on 1983’s live album The High Road. “More Than This” continues Ferry’s string of pop gems, offering one of his best vocals.
Taken as a whole, “Over You,” “Dance Away,” and “More Than This” are the perfect distillation of what Ferry wanted the band to be. Many early fans were put off by the softer leanings of these later songs and the lack of surprise that seemed part and parcel of early Roxy Music.
But in terms of innovative, smooth pop, Ferry and his seasoned bandmates were hitting a pinnacle by the time they called it quits. Their two biggest sellers were the final two albums – Flesh + Blood and Avalon.
7. “Street Life” (1973)
From Roxy’s third album, Stranded, their first album to hit number one in the UK. It was also their first single without Eno. New synth-master Eddie Jobson fills in admirably. It has noise and potent drums, along with blasts of horn, and a much more rugged Ferry than you would hear on later pop gems.
Yet the song was praised for taming some of the more unruly aspects of the first two albums. This is a more aggressive brand of Ferry pop that overwhelms the listener—an attack perfectly suited to the song's theme of how overwhelming modern life can be.
6. “Virginia Plain” (1972)
The beginning. Roxy Music scored somewhat of a surprise hit with this non-album single in 1972. It soared to number 4 in the UK and became a late addition to the self-titled debut album later that year.
It’s an infectious, spiky, glammy tune that throws a million sounds in and around the melody. Most were courtesy of Eno, but Ferry’s keys, Mackay’s horns, and Manzanera’s guitar all do their part. Ferry’s early mannered singing is just one more sonic element that contributes to a carnival of delights.
5. “Love is the Drug” (1975)
The song that finally broke Roxy in the States. “Love is the Drug” hit on the magical combination of British glam with early American disco and reached number 30 in the USA – their highest-charting single on the left side of the Atlantic. The song was co-written by Mackay, whose sinewy sax gives it a smoother American R&B feel than earlier Roxy songs.
John Gustafson, the steadiest of the band's rotating cast of bassists in its heyday, supplied the iconic bass line that was ubiquitous on the dance floor in the mid-‘70s.
4. “In Every Dream Home a Heartache” (1973)
Roxy’s second album, For Your Pleasure, is, for my money, their best. I should note that this opinion contradicts that of Rolling Stone Magazine’s Mark Coleman, who ranks their debut and several later albums higher. For Your Pleasure is the messiest Roxy would ever get, and with Eno entirely on board, that is a good thing.
“In Every Dream House a Heartache” is the progressive side of Brian Ferry, and it is the stuff of wonder. The haunting drone of the melody and the elliptical poetry focused on modern imagery create a jazzy gothic nightmare. This one has grown bigger over time than many of the songs that Ferry would later write. It remains fresh fifty years after its release.
3. “Editions of You” (1973)
The cut that precedes “In Every Dream House…” on For Your Pleasure is simply chugging rock and roll. Ferry’s piano kicks it off, but all the players shine. Mackay’s sax gets the first solo, and Manzanera gets the last, but Eno’s kaleidoscopic VCS3 runs rampant in the middle.
It is a great rock song dressed up with modern noise. Under it all, Thompson’s drums, ably assisted by bassist-du-jour John Porter, keep things on track.
I haven’t spoken about Ferry’s lyrical concerns until now, but perhaps it is time to dive in there. As in “In Every Dream House…,” the theme that runs throughout much of Roxy’s early music is modern mechanization. The search for authenticity in the wake of rapidly changing technology and societal norms.
That’s where the nightmare of “Dreamhouse” begins. “Editions of You” plays with the interchangeability of the modern psyche. “Well I’m here looking through an old picture frame – Just waiting for the perfect view – I hope something special will step into my life – Another fine edition of you.”
2. “The Thrill of it All” (1974)
If For Your Pleasure isn’t Roxy’s best album, that title would be their fourth, Country Life. It might be the most engaging blend of searching artistic aspiration and flat-out rock and roll. Nowhere is that more apparent than on album opener “The Thrill of It All.”
Manzanera’s galloping guitar drives the verse, while the bridge/chorus frees Mackay’s jazzy horns. Through it all, Ferry delivers one of his best vocals, finding the exact sweet spot between his early off-beat phrasing and his later sweetly engaging tenor. It has a symphonic swagger, simultaneously dulcet and bludgeoning—just a great rock song.
1. “Re-Make/Re-Model” (1972)
“Virginia Plain” and “Pyjamarama” had already been hit singles when Roxy Music dropped in the summer of 1972. No singles were released from the album. “Virginia Plain” would be added on subsequent editions to serve as the album’s hit. But the very first song early listeners would have heard was “Re-Make/Re-Model.” It captured everything the band could be right from the outset.
Beginning with amorphous ambient noise (taken from a cocktail party), Ferry’s piano begins a chugging rhythm, which is joined by horn blasts, sprawling guitar runs, and a host of sounds from Eno that defy identification. The song veers off into drunken reverie, with Ferry’s energetic, mannered vocals telling a story that is both relatable and impenetrable.
The song concerns the singer’s failure to make the right moves to attract a girl at a party, though he realizes he will have many more chances to fail unless he won’t. Again, Ferry is exploring how the world repeats itself and how we may all be lab rats destined to run our mazes without knowing the master plan.
It is wild, raucous and messy. It is instantly recognizable and compelling. It is Roxy Music at their very best.