Roxy Music

Hello everyone,

I was wondering why Roxy Music is not included on this web site.  I always felt they classified as "Art Rock".  Is there a particular reason they are not included? I think they are were an excellent band and should be listed here.  They certainly should be included if the definition of Prog includes bands such as Queensryche...and I like Queensryche mind you however I think Roxy is every bit as essential to such a forum.

Mark

 

Edited by madgo2

Well I knew eventually someone else besides me would have to like Roxy Music...Welcome Rob!  Good point about Asia and Supertramp.  I also think David Bowie should be here as well if the site is going to Asia and Supertramp.  Surely stuff like Scary Monsters. Heroes,  Low, and Lodger qualify. 

I might classify their final two or three albums as pop but not the first five albums.  The first five albums are progressive rock.  As for Supertramp, I would only classify there first two albums as prog, after that they are pop music.  Don't get me wrong   I am a fan of Supertramp.   There change in direction had to be made as they were a "pre-formed" band and without a change in direction they would have been dropped so the style deviation was made.  As for the argument that other bands are here and Roxy is not, that would be the last point of several as to why they should be included  in this particular forum.  For example a more stringent forum that included bands that were prog from beginning to end might not include Roxy, however this site has a wider scope of bands so subjectively speaking they should be included here. 

Roxy Music, 10cc and Supertramp were all good bands whose music was often in the pop charts (how many times did these three play on the UK weekly pop charts TV show Top Of The Pops? I like their music, but in those days never considered them to be Progressive Rock, and still do not today.

 

Well exactly...Roxy Music are by no means Prog in the same sense as Genesis or King Crimson. But they ARE considered pioneers of the Art Rock subgenre which gets coverage on this site. Asia IS featured because its members have prog backgrounds (and many prog fans thought of Asia as a bit of a let down, but as a fan of classic rock in general, I love 'em!), and Supertramp were originally quite progressive, but albums such as "Breakfast In America" champion the pop side of such a group (great nonetheless). Roxy Music's last few albums were smooth, lounge singer pop, but the first two albums done with Brian Eno are avant-garde, art-school rock (the song "In Every Dream Home a Heartache" has a false ending! In some sense it would be fair to say THIS is progressive).
I agree that it would be a good idea to have a Progressive Pop subgenre.

Fitzcarraldo wrote: Roxy Music, 10cc and Supertramp were all good bands whose music was often in the pop charts. I like their music, but in those days never considered them to be Progressive Rock, and still do not today.

I do.

Easy Livin wrote: mirco wrote: If Roxy Music can be consider to be part of the archives, why don't consider Traffic too? Dear Mister fantasy and  The slow spark are quite good, and superior (in my point of view) to Roxy. It's not really a question of who is "superior" though, it's just whether they are prog or not. I would agree though that Traffic were pretty progressive over all in a jazz prog way, including "The Low spark..". My concern with including bands like Roxy Music is that, in their day they were one of the biggest bands in the world. I think more care needs to be taken over including such bands here, than lesser know marginal cases. To include Roxy Music would in my opinion distort the site, as the implication would be that they were also therefore a major prog act, which clearly they were not.

 

More so than not Roxy Music was considered part of the glam movement being included with the likes of David Bowe, TRex, etc...there first three albums really didn't even chart in the USA and they were more popular in Europe.  It wasn't until their fourth album that they became somewhat noticed in the USA and then when there fifth release including "Love is the Drug" came out they started to enjoy notereity.  However there can be no doubt that there first five releases were glam and progressive in that they surely must qualify as "Art Rock" which is included as a subcategory.  I truly wonder how they cannot be considered that with songs such as "In Every Dream Home a Heartache", "The Bogus Man", "Mother of  Pearl", "For Your Pleasure", "Triptych","Casanova", "Ladytron", and "Seabreezes" just to name a few.  There last three albums were a different style but still considered prog by many and characterised as prog pop.  I am convinced that you guys have not listened to one of the first five Roxy albums.  Absolutely no way when you listen to the sonic textures that Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera produced and certainly let us not omit Andy Macay a classically trained musician and what he added in the horn section.  Shame on this site for it's shortsightedness when it comes to this band.  I do enjoy the site but this is an ommission which really takes some crediblity away from the Prog Archives.  I really cannot believe there is a rational argument here to keep these guys off the site and if so please have it be from someone who has actually listened to the albums and not just the singles off there final album Avalon.  I do agree that this site isn't about who the "superior" group was and as for Traffic then of course the same could be said about Steely Dan but that is a different topic for a different day.  For now lets get Roxy Music added to this site!

Edited by madgo2

Easy Livin wrote: Madgo, I can't speak for the others here, but my opinion is based on the RM albums I have, FOR YOUR PLEASURE, ROXY MUSIC, STRANDED, STREET LIFE/TWENTY GREATEST HITS. Your opinion is equally as valid as mine, I have no more influence that you over who is added to the site and who is not. I would suggest though that deriding the site for not including a band you clearly have a passion for, will not help to further your case. Continue to promote the constructive and persuasive views you also expressed, and who knows, you may be successful. Ok point well taken.  Thanx for your intelligent input on the topic and I am glad you have the albums.

Reed Lover wrote: The majority of us went to University.....

I didn't. Sh*t, now I have an inferiority complex!

[QUOTE=Easy Livin]

Madgo,

Here's something to help your case:

http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive-rock.asp

Look at the description of Art Rock, and the bands listed as examples!

Thanks for the link!  Don't worry about the lack of a University Diploma, many of my associates have one and simply have underachieved there entire life.