Roxy Music are one of the most stylish and influential bands in British music — art-rock pioneers who fused glamour, experiment and sophistication into something entirely their own. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of all eight albums.

The short version

For the heart of Roxy Music, start with For Your Pleasure, Avalon, the self-titled debut and Stranded. Between them they span their experimental early peak and their lush, sophisticated farewell. The full ranking is below.

Art rock pioneers

Formed in London in 1970 by Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music fused art rock, glam and the avant-garde into something years ahead of its time — sophisticated, theatrical and utterly singular. Their early albums, driven by the creative tension between Ferry and synth innovator Brian Eno, reinvented what a rock band could be; their later work, culminating in the lush Avalon, perfected a sleek, sophisticated pop. Their influence on new wave, synth-pop and the new romantics was immense, and in 2019 they entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A note on the catalogue: all eight of their studio albums, 1972 to 1982, are ranked here.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, daring and influence across a remarkable decade. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and the lower placements are no slight.

The essential four

At the summit sits For Your Pleasure (1973), the second album and their experimental masterpiece — the fullest flowering of the Ferry–Eno partnership. Its great rival is Avalon (1982), the sumptuous, sophisticated farewell that became their best-loved record. The groundbreaking self-titled debut Roxy Music (1972) still sounds like nothing else, and Stranded (1973), their first UK number one, proved they could thrive after Eno’s departure.

Hooked on the style? The books go deeper →

Reliably great

The next tier is strong too. Country Life (1974) is arguably their most consistent rock album, sharp and stylish throughout, and Siren (1975) gave them their US breakthrough with the irresistible “Love Is the Drug”.

For completists

Two later albums sit a little lower. Flesh and Blood (1980) and Manifesto (1979) marked their reunion after a hiatus, trading art-rock daring for a smoother, disco-tinged pop — pleasant and polished, but the first Roxy records to divide the critics. Both have their moments on the way to Avalon.

Every album, in order

Their complete studio discography, 1972–1982, in chronological order. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with For Your Pleasure — their boldest and most acclaimed album, and the perfect window onto their early genius. If you prefer something sleeker, Avalon is their most accessible masterpiece, and the debut Roxy Music shows where it all began.

The players

Roxy Music was the vision of Bryan Ferry — the suave, art-school frontman, principal songwriter and keeper of the band’s glamorous image. The original lineup paired him with the experimental synth innovator Brian Eno, whose ‘treatments’ gave the early records their thrilling strangeness before he left in 1973 for one of music’s most influential solo careers; alongside saxophonist Andy Mackay, guitarist Phil Manzanera and drummer Paul Thompson. Eno’s replacement, violinist and keyboardist Eddie Jobson, arrived from Curved Air and later co-founded UK. The clash of these distinct personalities gave Roxy their singular charge.

Why they still matter

Few bands reshaped rock so quietly and so completely. Roxy Music made art, glamour and experiment feel inseparable — their debut produced by King Crimson’s Pete Sinfield — and laid the template for new wave, synth-pop and the new romantics. From the wild art rock of their early years to the polished beauty of Avalon, their best albums remain some of the most stylish and influential in British music.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Roxy Music songs. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

Find your next read on the bookshelf below →