Behind the scenes of this blog, there’s been a lot of hand wringing about why no one has written anything about Roxy Music. There’ve been internal emails prodding us on this subject, and yet, no one has stepped forward to offer a critique of this late-70’s group which set the template, both musically and fashion wise, for the New Wave movement that followed.

I admit to some apathy regarding Roxy Music, a band I remember mostly from the bargain bins of my local record story; particularly how the words “Roxy Music” were distinctively lettered and centered near the top. This was in an age when album art was exploding in all different types of script and imagery, and yet, Roxy Music was quietly understated. And, few could rock out a white tuxedo and martini glass like Bryan Ferry, his signature contribution to our collective culture, as parodied in a recent episode of “The Mighty Boosh”, an English comedy as the character Vince describes his upbringing in the jungle.

While Ferry may have crafted the image of Roxy Music and its predecessors who put “art” and image above all, it was undoubtedly band member Brian Eno who crafted the music, gorgeous synthesizer compositions and rhythms that would define the group’s early work, though conflicts with Ferry would lead to his departure in 1973. This early corroboration was good for both members, catapulting them into the pantheon of rock stardom and endless adulation. Eno would go wild in his solo career, taking his critic’s cred to trick record buyers into meandering instrumental riffs while the general public was devouring such feasts as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. He would redeem himself later by producing such seminal artists like Talking Heads, U2, Laurie Anderson and even, Coldplay.

And as for Ferry, well he went to to fame and fortune for at least another decade, even if his music began to suffer and others would copy his style. Some critics, such as the late-great Lester Bangs saw through his trick, coining the famous term “ the triumph of artifice” when describing Roxy Music. Later in this interview taken from an documentary of the era Bang is less kind, saying Ferry should be “shoved him in a corner and forgotten about,” as he chastises Ferry for using rock for his own ego aggrandizement. However, these comments appear to be words of a jilted lover, a person who has adored past work like “Stranded” though is ultimately bored when meeting Ferry in person.

The fact that we are still talking about him 20 years on, and that he’s headlining important festivals like Fuji Rock, and inspiring the ire of rock critics is perhaps one reason why he is worth checking out.