Those Roxy Music album covers of my childhood will always be ingrained in my head. I had no clue what was between those cardboard shells, but I sure knew I liked the artwork, eventually sending yours truly into world of Bryan Ferry and company.

Those expecting a critical analysis of the first Roxy Music album will be in for a shock in Michael Bracewell’s exhaustive RE-MAKE/RE-MODEL: BECOMING ROXY MUSIC, since very little is actually discussed of the record. Instead, it’s mainly a history of the band’s members.

The tome is split into three sections and a certain time frame. The first part, “Newcastle 1953-1968,” focuses on one person: Ferry, of course, who takes the lion share of attention. From the telling of the story, it was his guiding force that would drive the band. We learn of his upbringing, his schooling and his compatriots. This portion reads like a “who’s who” of the late-’60s British art world. I’m in no way an art expert and felt a bit lost with some of the passages that felt like it rehashed a lot of the same material over and over. In reality, it doesn’t, but it won’t hold any non-art fan’s attention.

The second portion, “Reading, Ipswich, Winchester 1964-1969,” follows other key members: namely, Brian Eno and Andy Mackay. It won’t surprise anyone, but Eno comes across as one of the most interesting character studies. From an early age, he was always stretching boundaries, to the point where in art school, he comes off as difficult to his teachers. We follow the members as they each make discoveries that will affect their musical output, with Mackay discovering and performing in avant-garde pieces, while Eno was part of the Portsmouth Sinfonia – an orchestra unlike any other.

The book closes out with “London 1968-1972,” when Roxy Music finally comes together. Bracewell does an amazing job on corralling all people who were involved in the group’s early days for interviews. Ferry comes across as really reminiscing about the old days and wishing he had tapes of those first rehearsals.

But again, what looks like a book that will cover the debut album just leads us so close to that, only to end. If you’re looking to see how one of the premier art-rock bands formed, you’re in for a treat. But if you’re curious about the music itself, you might want to spin the record instead. –Bruce Grossman

Buy it at Amazon.