Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

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Blurt JANUARY 13, 2010 - by Jose Martinez

MORE THAN THIS: THE STORY OF ROXY MUSIC

Catalysts of the emerging '70s era glam scene, England's Roxy Music influenced an entire generation of musicians. Some devotees that sing the band's praise in this documentary include U2's Bono, Duran Duran's John Taylor, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, Goldfrapp, and Nile Rogers.

Steve Jones even dares states that he likes them better than The Beatles seeing they were a band of his generation.

One word they all use to describe the daring sound of Roxy Music, the brainchild of fashion conscious performer Bryan Ferry, is "glamour". From first seeing the band on Top of the Pops, a young Paul Hewson (who would eventually become Bono) was struck by the band's provocative look and sound.

Emerging to instant acclaim in 1972, Roxy Music effortlessly mixed a dazzling fusion of musical styles with fashion. This fifty-minute documentary (along with nearly forty minutes of bonus footage) that originally aired on BBC4 in September 2008 tells the story of the band's extraordinary career via new and rare interviews with band members Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera, Paul Thompson, famed producer Brian Eno, and Eddie Jobson, along with contemporaries and artists inspired by Roxy Music.

Essentially a five-piece band with ever-changing guest bass players, Roxy was recently chronicled on the DVD More Than This: The Story of Roxy Music. It follows the group from its early days with Eno, who was a member for the first two records (funnily enough his favorite Roxy Music release is Stranded, the band's third effort).

The documentary examines the group's groundbreaking and influential album covers (works of art that never included band members), as well as the story behind their wonderful cover of John Lennon's Jealous Guy, to 2001's reunion; eighteen years after the band ceased recording and touring.

An art-minded group that covered the gamut of styles and genres, from cutting edge to disco to lush and borderline adult contemporary, Roxy Music still has a legion of fans today that are passionate about the avant-garde sound of tracks like Re-Make/Re-Model and Virginia Plain to the simple and elegant sound of Avalon from the band's final 1982 studio release.