A Watershed Moment
1972 was THE YEAR for Roxy Music. They went from being a new group to an era-defining act. Only four days after the release of their self-titled album, they performed “Ladytron” on The Old Grey Whistle Test. It was the song that propelled them to the top.
Bob Harris introduced them and referred to the group as an act that valued “style over substance”. Well it wasn’t long before Roxy Music made him eat his words. It became a historic moment in the iconic TV series.
Vocalist Bryan Ferry pointed out that they “didn’t think we were as commercial as what other people were doing…”
“When we started, I think we thought we’d be a kind of art-student band, and that’s as far as it would go,” he continued. “King Crimson were one polar extreme, Bowie was the other and we were in the middle. I was astounded when we had a hit record.”
“We had some weird things that other bands didn’t have, like someone playing oboe,” guitarist Phil Manzanera pointed out.
“Ladytron” became so popular that a British electronic band took their name from the song title. Watch Roxy Music’s performance below and let us know what you think.