Forget the Springsteen comparisons, this is a fairer duel to the death.
Both were glam pioneers.
Both influenced numerous artists.
Both have Brian Eno connections.
Both had some great albums in the 70s and some decent early '80s output to boot.
Who do you choose?
David.
A thousand times David, although I do like and own many Roxy Music Albums.
Seriously? Seriously? Bowie.
Seriously?
Bowie, mainly because his influence ran deeper than Roxy’s.
My sister had a boyfriend once who was big into Bowie, but whose perspective was a bit…blinkered. I gave him a Roxy tape, figuring that if he liked the former, he might appreciate the latter. I got his reaction thru my sister, who said that he was appalled by a band which was slavishly aping what Bowie did. :dubious:
I voted Bowie, though it’s not as clear-cut as it seems. Roxy Music had the sense to bow out gracefully rather than putting out progressively mediocre albums when they were past their prime. Still, Station to Station/Low/Heroes/Lodger is a pretty impressive run, and all his 70s albums (except Pin-Ups) have enough great material that he gets my vote.
Well, to be fair it’s easier to break up the band when you are a band. Most of the members of Roxy Music continued putting out music into the 21st century.
I loaned a Bowie compilation to someone who said it was all right but he really didn’t like the cover of that Nirvana song, “The Man Who Sold the World.”
I thought Bowie v Prince v Elton John v Roy Orbison would be next.
ETA: That would have made for an interesting super group.
Oh, the humanity. Oh, the egos. Oh, the frilly shirt fronts.
I’ll be honest and say I prefer Bowie, too, but I don’t think the comparison is that outlandish. Roxy Music anticipated the entire New Romantic movement, influenced bands like Chic (of which Nile Rodgers then produced Bowie’s Let’s Dance), Devo, U2, Talking Heads, etc. and were truly at the forefront of '70s art rock.
Bowie had Mick Ronson, Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew on guitar, but Roxy Music had Phil Manzanera, who is a legend in his own right.
And if we’re including solo work, Bryan Ferry’s Boys and Girls defies the trend of mid-'80s mediocrity.
Bowie – longer career.
Don’t forget Peter Frampton and Carlos Alomar.
I’ll go against the grain here and vote for Roxy Music…Bowie never had an album cover as good as Country Life, IMHO…
I like a few Bowie albums but Roxy’s stuff from their first album to Siren is just unmatchable.
I actually like Roxy Music a lot. But Bowie wins by a landslide.
What’s next, Bowie versus The Cars?
Bowie versus Gary Numan!
Bowie’s got a lot going for him, but I had to side with Roxy Music for this one. Mainly on issues of taste. I really can’t make an objective argument for one clearly being better than the other, so I’ll just go with who I like better.
I could not vote, these are 2 of my favorites, Bowie has such a HUGE catalog but I have said for years that Bryan Ferry has one of the best voices in R&R.
Unclviny
I wanted to be Bryan Ferry at one point in my life. I never felt that way about Bowie. Bowie for the music, Roxy Music for the packaging, eenie, meeny, miny, moe…Roxy Music.
Don’t forget Earl Slick.
I have always considered Bryan Ferry a soppy poncy poseur.
Bowie, though somewhat camp, is not afraid to play with his image.
I choose Bowie.
Word.
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