“Too exciting”: the album that inspired Roxy Music’s energy
The Who were a defining act of the mid-1960s. With smashing guitars and untamed drums to back them up, the band leaned into rock and roll’s chaos with interest. They embraced anarchy and promoted uproar with their music as they sang for the youth and performed with abandon.
Known for raucous, pure rockstar adrenaline, The Who made an indelible mark on music. It was particularly when My Generation was released in 1965 that their sound began to infiltrate those of their contemporaries. Though their success in the grand scheme is staggering and inconsistent, the British band took the sounds made popular by The Kinks and The Beatles and transformed them into something greater.
They gave it an outrageously infectious and kinetically addictive quality that thrust them towards the youths who, at the time, desired music that was unique in style and ferocious in delivery. The record has since gone on to influence a range of bands and still stands as a hallmark project.
For one, Phil Manzanera credits that Who album as being a key inspiration for the energy found in Roxy Music’s work. In a 2024 interview with Uncut, Manzanera stated, “With all the smashing of guitars and the feedback and the anarchy and Keith Moon drumming like a feral beast, it was just too exciting for words.” The bands are naturally unruly, and it infiltrates their art, giving their work an imperative essence that cannot be denied.
The inspiration Roxy Music took seeps out at all turns, from ‘Re-Make/Re-Model’ to ‘Editions of You’ and ‘Whirlwind’, the sounds of The Who persist. The most distinct ties between The Who and Roxy Music are the riotous fashion and composition of the instrumentation. At the core, it is the thunderous clashing of the drums and the stamina of the guitar that pushes the robust sonic landscape of the music. For both, the instruments race against one another to communicate their lines and add to the cacophonous atmosphere they cultivate.
That said, as far as genres are concerned, another dynamic link between the bands survives. My Generation blends rock and pop in a way that retains the roots of the rock alive while permitting the exploration and integration of R&B and pop into the sound. This is something Roxy Music has also gone on to do exceptionally well in their projects.
Of course, a bulk of what The Who are most known and lauded for is their vibrantly executed fills and licks, as seen in My Generation on tracks like ‘I Can’t Explain’ and its titular song. In this debut studio album, the band showed some breadth and fluidity in their own references, occasionally letting soul, R&B, and pop sounds take the lead in tracks like ‘Please, Please, Please’ and ‘Anytime You Want Me’, something that’s reflected in Roxy Music’s sound beyond rowdy rock. For the latter, it’s songs like ‘Sentimental Fool’ and ‘Running Wild’ which exhibit the R&B influence that lies below the typically cited work of The Who.
From boisterous ballads to rallying anthems, The Who and Roxy Music exude intensity and rigour with every beat and tremor of their sound.
