Roxy Music: Style with Substance - Roxy's First Ten Years

by Johnny Rogan

Genres: Music

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1982

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the band's inception and the various players involved, and feel like I learned a lot about them.

What was totally off-putting to me was the author's fascination with front man Bryan Ferry's romantic relationships. Utter tabloid fodder. It provided a little understanding to some of his lyrics and the circumstances behind them, but it was just shabby, gossipy junk.

What I found rather interesting is that the author (now deceased...Bryan Ferry has outlived him by over a decade) seemed to dismiss Roxy as outmoded, outdated, and washed up. This book was published in 1982, and some of Roxy Music's and Bryan Ferry's biggest successes were yet to come, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. They are widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential bands in rock and roll.

Informative, but the salacious gossipy tone was absurd. No one really cares about Bryan Ferry's relationships except for maybe Bryan Ferry. Most of us just want to learn about the music.

[Charles James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Workmanlike and dated .The book was published in 1981 and so misses Avalon . You get the impression Mr Rogan has not met any members of Roy Music and relies heavily on published materials .Would probably not give anything very new to a Roxy fan , but if you have a passing interest and want to know more about them this is a reasonable start . Also shows its age in reflecting the attitudes of the time .

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rogan's assessment of Roxy's career, as well as Bryan Ferry's and (to some extent) Brian Eno's solo careers is engaging written and, while appreciative, no hagiography. Absolutely worth reading for anyone interested in this band which was so influential on the New Wave.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing this book need's is binning!