# David Bowie vs. Roxy Music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846 "2010-07-15T23:10:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/1 "2010-07-15T23:10:05Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/2 "2010-07-15T23:17:23Z")
David. A thousand times David, although I do like and own many Roxy Music Albums. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/3 "2010-07-15T23:19:09Z")
Seriously? Seriously? Bowie. Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/4 "2010-07-16T00:14:34Z")
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: ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/5 "2010-07-16T00:20:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/6 "2010-07-16T00:35:52Z")
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. > [@John DiFool](#): > > 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. 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.” ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/7 "2010-07-16T00:41:39Z")
I thought Bowie v Prince v Elton John v Roy Orbison would be next. ETA: That would have made for an interesting super group. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/8 "2010-07-16T00:48:14Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/9 "2010-07-16T01:10:21Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/10 "2010-07-16T01:46:36Z")
Bowie – longer career. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/11 "2010-07-16T02:00:00Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > 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. 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…😃 ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/12 "2010-07-16T02:43:07Z")
I like a few Bowie albums but Roxy’s stuff from their first album to _Siren_ is just unmatchable. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/13 "2010-07-16T02:46:36Z")
I actually like Roxy Music a lot. But Bowie wins by a landslide. What’s next, Bowie versus The Cars? ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/14 "2010-07-16T02:48:58Z")
Bowie versus Gary Numan! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/15 "2010-07-16T02:59:54Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/16 "2010-07-16T11:42:41Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/17 "2010-07-16T11:51:12Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/18 "2010-07-16T12:18:45Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Don’t forget Peter Frampton and Carlos Alomar. Don’t forget Earl Slick. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/19 "2010-07-16T12:42:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846/20 "2010-07-17T17:02:11Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > 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. Word. hh [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowie-vs-roxy-music/546846.md?page=2)