When Roxy Music released Siren in October 1975, the British art-rock pioneers were already known for fusing avant-garde experimentation with sleek pop sophistication. Fifty years on, Siren remains one of their most enduring works, a record that captured the glamour, chaos and creative electricity of mid-70s rock while propelling the band into the mainstream with Love Is The Drug.
Siren was Roxy Music’s fifth studio album, released through Island Records in the UK and Atco Records in the US. It followed 1974’s Country Life, an album that had further refined Bryan Ferry’s vision of high-style romanticism and sonic elegance. With Siren, Roxy Music found the perfect balance between their earlier experimental textures and the accessible, rhythmic sheen that would define the latter half of their career.
The record’s opening track, Love Is The Drug, remains one of the most iconic songs of the era. Co-written by Ferry and saxophonist Andy Mackay, it became Roxy Music’s biggest hit in America, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number two in the UK. The single’s sleek bassline, courtesy of John Gustafson, and its hedonistic lyrical undertone captured the mood of the times, setting a template for sophisticated pop that would influence everyone from Duran Duran to INXS.
The follow-up single Both Ends Burning showcased Roxy Music’s more frenetic side, with Phil Manzanera’s razor-sharp guitar and Paul Thompson’s tight percussion driving the song’s urgent energy. Together, these singles framed an album that was at once elegant and restless, romantic and cerebral – the sound of a band reaching the peak of their creative powers.
Siren’s striking cover image became as iconic as its music. Featuring Bryan Ferry’s then-girlfriend, model Jerry Hall, as a mythical siren luring sailors to their fate, the image was shot by photographer Graham Hughes on the rugged rocks of South Stack, Anglesey. Designed by stylist Antony Price, the shoot was Ferry’s idea after watching a documentary on the area’s lava formations. Hall’s metallic blue body paint and seductive pose turned the image into a pop culture artefact, blending high fashion, mythology and rock glamour in one unforgettable frame.
Upon release, Siren was met with universal acclaim. Melody Maker hailed it as “a superb album, striking the listener immediately with a force and invention reserved only for the most special musical experiences”. Rolling Stone’s Simon Frith noted its tighter production and focus, praising its balance of art-rock flair and pop clarity.
In the United States, Siren was the record that finally broke Roxy Music beyond cult status. Critics like Robert Christgau of The Village Voice ranked it among the best albums of 1975, recognising its accessible hooks and polished sound. By the early 1980s, writers were already calling Siren Roxy Music’s masterpiece.
Decades later, its influence remains profound. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Siren at number 371 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, reaffirming its place as a landmark in art-pop evolution. It would also appear in Vibe’s 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century, praised for fusing “the esoteric murk of early Roxy” with “the aching, ardently romantic tone that defines their later work”.
Each song on Siren reveals a different side of Bryan Ferry’s songwriting and Roxy Music’s musicianship:
Side One
Love Is The Drug (Ferry, Andy Mackay) – 4:11
End Of The Line – 5:14
Sentimental Fool (Ferry, Andy Mackay) – 6:14
Whirlwind (Ferry, Phil Manzanera) – 3:38
Side Two
She Sells (Ferry, Eddie Jobson) – 3:39
Could It Happen To Me? – 3:36
Both Ends Burning – 5:16
Nightingale (Ferry, Phil Manzanera) – 4:11
Just Another High – 6:31
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
