Others went a decade further back, to the early, playfully experimental albums Roxy released when Brian Eno was in the band, playing androgyne peacock to Ferry's tailored lothario. For some, the great achievement was 1982's farewell, Avalon- impeccably designed pop for weary grown-ups. Almost everyone affirmed that the band were great, while disagreeing as to when, exactly.
American critics snipped at leader Bryan Ferry's arch romanticism, while the Brit press considered the models Ferry squired and the suits he doffed and dubbed him 'Byron Ferrari'.
In their 1970s heyday, Roxy Music enjoyed enormous critical and commercial success, but even so, they and their art-school rock were admired more than trusted.
