Roxy Music hasn’t released a new album in over 40 years. However, they did reunite in the studio in the early 2000s to attempt creating new music together.

As Phil Manzanera explained in a recent discussion at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Dr. Jason Hanley, the organization’s Vice President of Education and Visitor Engagement, it seems unlikely that fans will ever hear the results of those recordings.

This is unfortunate on many levels, especially since the sessions marked the return of the group’s elusive former bandmate and legendary producer, Brian Eno.

Manzanera previously mentioned in a 2018 interview that bandmate Bryan Ferry was partly responsible for why the project didn’t progress. During the Rock Hall conversation, the guitarist revisited his memories of that experience and shared additional insights on why he believes the music will remain unheard, which he claims also ties back to Eno.

What Roxy Music Was Planning

The English art rock legends were aware that it had been quite some time since they had recorded anything, despite successfully reuniting for a tour in 2001 to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

This and other events sparked further reflections. “We did eight albums and then there hasn’t been any more new Roxy tracks [since then],” Manzanera told Hanley. “[But] we did try.” Even more exciting was the seemingly “crazy idea of getting everybody back together again,” which included having Eno on board.

How Brian Eno Got Involved

“I called Eno and said, ‘I know you don’t want to do this, but we’ll come and pick you up to make it easy, and we’ll also do some of your numbers,'” he promised. Listening to Eno’s “great tracks and what he developed” along with some “fantastic tracks” he created with Bryan Ferry during the Roxy singer’s solo career made him realize there was an opportunity for a new chapter that they shouldn’t miss.

Fortunately, Eno was receptive to the idea, although he later expressed that he had no interest in touring with the band. The key point was that he was willing to collaborate with his former bandmates again. “I got [longtime Roxy Music producer] Chris Thomas [to help produce and oversee the sessions] and all the [surviving] original members [as well].”

“Not the bass player, because [several] one of them had died,” Manzanera adds. “[So] I got Guy Pratt, who played alongside Dave Gilmour [in the Pink Floyd legend’s solo band]. I went with [Roxy drummer] Paul [Thompson] and we picked up Eno. I dropped them at the door and said, ‘Okay, you go in; I’ll just go through the car park.’

Roxy Goes to Work

“We did some recording and then took a break; [so] we went to a coffee shop. Eno remarked, ‘It’s incredible how everybody has reverted to exactly the same type as they were when we were last all together.'” This led him to think, ‘I can’t do this.’

In his account, that’s one reason why everything came to a halt. “I have all the tracks on my laptop,” he shared with the Rock Hall audience. “But it wasn’t any good. So that’s why no one will ever hear it. So don’t [expect for the music to come out]. Thank God we didn’t finish it.”

“That’s interesting. In other words, for each of you, it didn’t seem like there was anything new that was going to come out of it?,” Hanley asked Manzanera, who joined the Rock Hall ranks when Roxy Music were inducted in 2019.

READ MORE: Roxy Music Inducted Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

“No, sometimes there’s magic and sometimes there isn’t. You’ve got to recognize that and just move on; do something else,” he confirmed.

What is Phil Manzanera Doing in 2026?

He has been quite active. The songwriter and producer is currently on tour celebrating his memoir, Revolucion to Roxy, which chronicles his long career from his early days up until the Roxy era and beyond.

The latest leg of this tour began in February with events in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and San Francisco. The current dates will also include three more stops in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis alongside his Cleveland appearance. It’s an engaging evening of “words and music,” as these events are being promoted, featuring several surprises throughout the night.

In Cleveland, Manzanera kicked off the night by donating his famous bug-eyed wraparound sunglasses to the Rock Hall, designed by fashion icon Antony Price. The iconic eyewear will soon be displayed along with two jackets he also brought out — including one fans will recognize from the inside cover of Roxy’s For Your Pleasure album.

The guitarist also recently announced that 1975’s Mainstream, the only album he recorded with his progressive rock group Quiet Sun, has been freshly remixed and will be reissued on September 11 in various formats including a lavish double-disc CD/Blu-ray hardcover mediabook. The updated package will also include a 60-page book and will be available on streaming platforms.

Additionally, he had another surprise for fans. “Surprise, surprise! We have the follow-up album [as well], 51 years later,” Manzanera shared with the Rock Hall audience. “[It’s] coming out in December; it’s a brand new album. It’s somewhat prog rock but sounds like nothing you’ve heard before.”

Listen to a New Remix From Quiet Sun’s ‘Mainstream’ Album

During a 2024 interview with UCR, Manzanera confirmed that it is unlikely Roxy Music will ever perform live again. They last played together during their celebration of their 50th anniversary in 2022. “It was a good time” to say goodbye, he stated then. “We might release a recording from that tour. I don’t think we’ll do any more live gigs ever again; I think that was it.”