When I was about 11 I loved Duran Duran, my half of the bedroom I shared with my little sister was a shrine to Birmingham’s finest New Romantic sweethearts. I worshipped everything they did. I heard a radio interview with the band where they were discussing their influences and the music that they themselves loved. I heard Cockney Rebel’s ‘Come Up and See Me’ which I thought was fantastic and then ‘Street Life’ came on… I heard the opening bars of traffic noise and car horns and my fledgling music taste took a very rapid turn.
Roxy Music to me, prior to hearing this absolute gem, was my mum singing along to ‘Jealous Guy’ while she did the ironing in the living room. Bryan Ferry, one eye closed in a tux looking a bit, well, creepy to honest. To my young Duran Duran blinded eyes he wouldn’t have looked out of place crooning at the Working Man’s Club where a fair amount of my Saturdays in my formative years were spent with my friend Sam’s gran and grandad eating prawn and cocktail crisps (as we believed they were called) and drinking Coke. Oh how wrong I was! This was something else, nothing like the pop version of Audrey’s love interest Lewis in Corrie as I had originally thought.
Roxy Music to me now represent the glamour and excess of the 70s; of riding into Studio 54 on a white horse. Of hedonism and of escape, of beautiful, painfully cool people with great flicky hair. The white tux suddenly became very cool in my eyes and if I’d known what ironic meant then it would have been that too. ’Street Life’ was the opening song and I think the first single from their 1973 album ‘Stranded’.
So, Roxy Music – the original art rockers whose music sounds just as vital today as it must have done when it crashed onto the music scene in the early 70s. And Bryan Ferry’s a Geordie too from the North East. Brilliant.
Roxy were so cool – to my knowledge the only band to use the word rhododendren in a song. A mate of mine managed to smell Bryan once and has never recovered. Top choice Table!
Barnes, I’m struggling to think of another band too – pyjamarama too… Wow, I think I would like a sniff of the Ferry too. Something to aspire too!
Ah – I love Roxy Music too – but still have a soft spot for Duran Duran after a knee trembling evening in their presence at the Queen’s Hall in Leeds more moons ago than I care to remember…
Ahh RJ, I never had the pleasure of seeing them live! I was in love with Nick Rhodes. That was more because my friends at school had already John Taylor and Simon Le Bon, I wasn’t keen on Andy or Roger so I went art rocker with Nick.. I cried in the bathroom when he married a model called Julienne! I’ve said too much..
already bagged that should say, got a bit excited there..
Personally, I’ve never been a Roxy Music fan. Duran Duran were OK though but I never realised they were Brummies.
my cousin was a big roxy music fan and I remember he bought the first album when I was with him. I was stunned by the cover – keri ann muller lying on a gold disc like some 50′s movie goddess – the album starting with remake remodel which was a great classic to play at the school disco esp. when everyone else was playing the stranglers and the sex pistols – can still see us twiddling the imaginary dials a la Eno at the end of the song – greatest band that ever lived – so cool.
Great memories you have there. My older cousin introduced me to David Bowie for which I’ll be eternally grateful. Love your school disco memories too. So cool indeed, I totally agree. I know RM are well respected but I don’t think they ever really got the recognition they deserved as true innovators.