I can relate to what Stabbs says up above, and I also felt like that for a long time, about Ferry being the reason for the demise of the band, however, do we really know that he was? Going from what I have read, and witnessing one heated incident between Ferry and another member of the "four", I am not that sure, that the other core members of the band were too keen on continuing to work with him.

I doubt either, If any of the original members of Roxy would stoop to the level of bringing out a book, of sorts, to clarify the situation.

We will probably never know.

For me Bryan's solo career is divided into 2 distinct phases - up to 1976 when his solo output consisted of mostly cover versions, with his original material saved for Roxy, and then the post-1977 output when the solo albums comprised (mostly) Ferry compositions. My feeling is that it was only the increasingly poor sales of the solo albums outside of the UK, especially the failure of TBSB in the US, that resulted in the Roxy reunion in 1978 and that Ferry would probably have preferred to carry on releasing his own material under his own name had financial factors not come into it.

The live morphing of the two repertoires, especially in recent years, has no doubt confused casual gig attendees - for many years you wouldn't have expected to get "Let's Stick Together" at a Roxy show, in 2011 we did.

Sadly I often listen to the recent solo albums and wonder what Mackay and Manzanera might have added to them had they been involved at an early stage with their composition, rather than turning up for a day like hired hands.

That is a myth that I once beleived too due to the chronology of the release of The Bride Stripped Bare and Manifesto. I know for a fact that the Roxy reformation for Manifesto began before The Bride Stripped Bare was released with its relative poor sales unknown when the Manifesto sessions began.

J.O'B.

I posted this a couple of years ago and no one really answered the question being asked, instead it gave an opinion/description of the late/early period Roxy Music.

What I would like answered by everyone who says the 'true' Roxy Music was broken by Ferry somewhere between 1975 & 1979

I have read over the years many criticisms of the last 3 Roxy Music albums. There is no doubt that these albums have a different feel and direction from the first 4-5 albums. My favourite Roxy tracks are mainly from the early albums too but still enjoy a lot of the stuff on the later albums and admire the band for trying out new things.

There is strong stuff as well as weaker stuff on all periods of Roxy and I feel a line is drawn somewhere by fans who think one period is all great and the rest is worthless.

I sometime feel that the later albums are judged not on what they are but more on what they are not and that is they are not the first few albums.

What I think would be interesting from fans who don't like the later period is what would/should this particular group of musicians have done instead of Manifesto/Flesh + Blood/Avalon to have kept the dissenters happy?

J.O'B.

a quick and straight reply expressing my opinion:

the first five albums were all unique and special. Manifesto was
an attempt to cut from the same cloth. Yet it did not work commercially. Dance Away was a turning point. Suddenly RM were top of the charts and on the road to commercialisation, and they never looked back. I like F&B and Avalon which were hugely successful commercially speaking, but I remain a fan of the first 5 and a half albums.
To answer your question, I would have liked to have seen the attempt to keep their uniqueness, or at least re-started with a new album after the 2001 tour.

Yes, a good answer but could they really have kept some sort of uniqueness without repeating themselves? The same musicians sitting in the same seats?

J.O'B.

I agree that after the 2001 tour would have been the time to nail a new album. They guys were in good form as musicians/singers, I am sure the camaraderie and feel good factor within the band was great and the respect and profile was high within the music media.

J.O'B.

But how do we really know they wanted out? In the scheme of things, I would stick my neck out and pontificate, that Phil Manzanera was by far a better representative, team leader, and chief spokesman for the band, far over and above what Bryan Ferry ever was.