Roxy Music DVD review

“Imagine being a teenager and seeing aliens arrive on [singles chart TV show] Top of the Pops,” jokes Bono at the start of More Than This, an excellent hour-long documentary on Roxy Music that was originally broadcast by the BBC last year. The first performance clip (“Virginia Plain”) shows why the British art rockers’ garish glam look must have seemed other-worldly in the early ’70s.

Siouxsie Sioux, Duran Duran’s John Taylor, Sex Pistol Steve Jones, Goldfrapp, Nile Rogers of Chic and others provide insight into Roxy’s influence on dance music, the New Romantic movement and even punk. Fresh interviews with founding members Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Brian Eno, Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson unveil details on how they combined crooner vocals, experimental sounds, sophisticated style and sex (ladies—some nearly naked—adorned the fashionable album covers; 1982’s sleek Avalon is widely regarded as one of the top make-out albums of all time) into a unique package.

Bonus DVD features include extended interviews, recent studio footage of Eno and Roxy Music, plus three previously unreleased live London tracks from 2006 (“Both Ends Burning,” “Editions of You,” “Do the Strand”). Overall, a worthy primer for fans and newcomers alike.

The Story of Roxy Music: More Than This, Eagle Rock Entertainment. 94 min. List price $14.98.