The BritPop explosion of the 1970’s was repeated again in the mid-1990’s with bands like Oasis and Blur, though they had little to do with the art-rock leanings of that early 1970’s era.
When David Bowie set up his legendary Ziggy Stardust performances at the Rainbow Theatre in England, he hand-picked a band to open the show…a band that would itself rise to legendary status in the annals of rock music without the international success of Bowie himself.
The band included noneother than Brian Eno himself in their ranks when they did the (then) unthinkable…they released a debut single that wasn’t included on their debut album, simply titled Roxy Music. That single was Virginia Plain, and is a great example of a stellar pop song that for some reason fell on deaf ears here in the States. That figures, as American top 40 radio has rarely been a breeding ground for musical innovation…this song being a shining example that “pop” doesn’t have to be a dirty word.
This song reached #4 on the British charts in 1972 and nearly 40 years later is our WAV…enjoy Abysmally.
