Mick Ronson's swaggering electric guitar, introspective piano and string arrangements possess a clarity of execution and intent matched by the swinging rhythm section of bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Woody Woodmansey. Bowie and his band cannibalized themselves - in hindsight, it feels like a natural sonic progression from 1971's "Hunky Dory" - and recent trends, like the proto-punk of the Stooges, for inspiration. As with "Roxy Music," there were some obvious nods to the past (bluesy rock 'n' roll, the Beatles-reminiscent "It Ain't Easy," solemn soft rock) although these influences felt more modern. That's understandable: It was actually Bowie's fifth LP, and he had already cycled through his folk, psych-rock and proto-glam guises before landing on his Ziggy persona. If "Roxy Music" felt like a beginning, "The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" was intended as an ending. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. But buoyed by the knowledge that fairy-tale endings don't exist, the characters on "Roxy Music" exude a more vulnerable kind of masculinity: "But even angels there make the same mistakes in love/In love, in love." ![]() ![]() "Ladytron" features a louche man who loves (and leaves) a woman, while other songs come together to paint a picture of a hopeless romantic who has pangs of regrets and longs for better relationship days, although that's not always feasible. ![]() Lyrically as well, Ferry explores a timeless trope - love - although his takes provided a more complex view of pursuit and attraction. took existing musical styles and filtered them through an experimental, fresh lens. Phil Manzanera, Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay (seated) Brian Eno, Rik Kenton and Paul Thompson (seated) of Roxy Music posed group shot at the Royal College Of Art video studio in London on J(Brian Cooke/Redferns/Getty Images) But other songs had obvious antecedents: "If There Is Something" boasts a lightly twanging intro "Would You Believe?" both polishes up '50s rock and finds Ferry vamping like his beloved Motown and soul idols and Humphrey Bogart tribute "2 H.B." puts a solemn sheen on zone-out psychedelic ambience. That's certainly in large part because of Eno, a synth mad scientist who delighted in processing and manipulating familiar sounds and coaxing otherworldly sounds from cutting-edge synths. That doesn't mean "Roxy Music" is reinventing the wheel musically in contrast, the band took existing musical styles and filtered them through an experimental, fresh lens. RELATED: It's time for Roxy Music's debonair art-glam to get its due The song hints at missing their chance with a mysterious "she" that could be interpreted to be a woman - but could also represent the ways Roxy embraced the future: "Looking back all I did was look away/Next time is the best time we all know" The song opens with crowd noise that sounds like a hopping happy hour before Bryan Ferry's jubilant piano announces musical revelry: Andy Mackay's twirling tenor saxophone, Phil Manzanera's scorching electric guitar, Brian Eno's synthesizer scribbles. "Re-Make/Re-Model" set the tone for both the album and Roxy Music's career. Roxy Music had only been a band for a little over a year when they recorded their debut with Peter Sinfield, King Crimson's lyricist and co-founder. Take June 16, 1972, which is widely considered to be the release date of two of the most important albums of all time: Roxy Music's self-titled debut and David Bowie's "The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars." The coincidence is gobsmacking - and, depending on your source, this date might very well be too good to be true - although what's not in question is this: In the summer of 1972, these glam innovators set rock 'n' roll on a cosmic trajectory from which it's still in orbit. ![]() Momentous days also become known largely in hindsight. In the summer of 1972, these glam innovators set rock 'n' roll on a cosmic trajectory from which it's still in orbit.
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