Roxy Music - More Than This: The Roxy Music Story

A fabulous creation, a danceable solution

According to their biographer Michael Bracewell, Roxy Music were “not just a group but a lifestyle choice”, while Bryan Ferry himself admits to being surprised at the band’s appeal, having first thought he was doing little more than playing “obscure music for art students”. There’s an equally delicious soundbite every couple of minutes in this affectionate documentary, first shown last year on BBC4.

Fans are unlikely to learn anything shockingly new about the band, though the candour with which various members speak of Ferry’s increasingly dictatorial stance might raise eyebrows. Guitarist Phil Manzanera is particularly vocal about his displeasure at teenage Eddie Jobson replacing Brian Eno (who himself claims his favourite Roxy album is Stranded, the first on which he didn’t play!), while also suggesting that the hugely successful AOR releases Flesh & Blood and Avalon “diluted” their art.

Footage of the 2001 reunion tour, followed by tentative studio work a few years later, serves to ask if we might ever see Roxy again, while a bonus feature looking in more detail at the band’s album artwork may be enough to convince punters to replace their DVD burn of the original broadcast.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Eagle Vision | tbc

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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