Desolation had never sounded so elegant. At least not since Frank Sinatra’s “Sad Frank” albums from the ‘50s such as Where Are You?, Only the Lonely, and No One Cares. Roxy Music evoked that dead of night solitude and gave it a neon discothèque pulse. Humphrey Bogart, the mid-20th century cinematic embodiment of loneliness, was venerated by “Ol’ Blue Eyes” and Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry. On their 1972 self-titled debut, Roxy even paid tribute to Bogart with “2 H.B.” (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood teamed up with Roxy Music saxophonist Andy Mackay as The Venus in Furs on a cover of “2 H.B.” for 1998’s glam rock fantasia Velvet Goldmine.) Ferry was an art school Sinatra, yet unlike the extraordinary crooner, he was a storyteller who could write his own stories.
Roxy Music presented indelible tales, written and sung from the perspective of someone who looked like James Bond, but had the soul of Charlie Brown. Their 1975 masterpiece Siren starts off with the proto-Talking Heads nocturnal alternative funk of “Love Is the Drug” and “End of the Line,” a melancholy country-influenced ballad dealing with the aftermath of a relationship. Listening to them back-to-back, lust disintegrates into sorrow in less than ten minutes, exemplified by the lyrics “Catch that buzz” to “The more I see, the more I stand alone.” The sonic equivalent of a Hopper painting, “End of the Line” concludes with acoustic piano, ghostly organ, guitar, violin, and brief shades of electric piano gently fading as the protagonist walks out into a storm.
It’s one of many examples of how Roxy’s music was as vital as the lyrics. On 1982’s “More than This,” guitarist Phil Manzanera’s misty-eyed opening chords and Ferry’s sunset synths set the tone so perfectly that before they get to the vocals, you’re already moved. You can hear the influence it’s had on modern acts like Future Islands and The War on Drugs, especially 2014’s “Under the Pressure.” The 1973 dance classic “Do the Strand” featured a campy yet creepy unorthodox arrangement akin to the glam rock musical theatre of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, had free jazz ambience thanks to Mackay’s discordant saxophone, and presaged the quiet-loud dynamics of the Pixies by 15 years.
Being a few steps ahead of everyone is a principal part of their legacy. “Both Ends Burning” from 1975 and 1979’s “Dance Away” sounded more like atmospheric ‘80s new wave pop noir like Ultravox, The Fixx, INXS, Simple Minds, Duran Duran, ABC, Spandau Ballet, and Japan than anything of their time. Essentially, all your favorite alternative and synth-pop acts that had videos with sax solos and exotic locations owe a great debt to Roxy Music. Without Roxy (and Bowie) the ‘80s and MTV would’ve looked and sounded much different. Through glamour, gloom, and a strong sense of the absurd, Roxy Music chicly expressed both the euphoria and anguish of being alive.
Or as Ferry sang on 1974’s “The Thrill of It All,” “Oy Vey! High life ecstasy!”
Matt Leinwohl