Song · Roxy Music
“The Main thing” by Roxy Music
From the album Avalon (1982)
“The Main thing” by Roxy Music appears on 3 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1982 and 2021. It was first released in 1982 on the album Avalon. Its best result is #104 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #148 alternative song of 1982 and #5,721 alternative song of all time.
Bryan Ferry wrote "The Main Thing" on his own for Avalon, the album E.G. and Polydor put out on 28 May 1982, and the last studio record Roxy Music have made. It was cut at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, in the Bahamas, with Ferry singing and playing keyboards, Phil Manzanera and Neil Hubbard on guitars, Andy Mackay on saxophone, Neil Jason on bass, Andy Newmark on drums and Jimmy Maelen on percussion, while Fonzi Thornton adds backing vocals. Rhett Davies produced with the band, and Bob Clearmountain mixed.
Avalon is where the band's later, smoother, grown-up sound comes to a head, and it has been credited with helping invent sophisti-pop. It spent three weeks at number one in Britain and, slowly but surely, became their only million-seller in America.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 104 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982 | 107 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1239 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 775 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
Also listed as: Main Thing; The Main Thing.
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