Metro

Duncan Browne, the English singer-songwriter born on 25 March 1947 and deceased on 28 May 1993, joined forces with vocalist Peter Godwin to launch the band in 1974. Their music projected a sleek sensibility more aligned with the following decade than with the stagnant, uninspired state of British pop in the mid-1970s. Browne and Godwin supplied the bulk of the songs for the band’s strong opening album, which appeared in 1976; by that point the material had already been polished and required only minor adjustments in the studio. Guitarist Sean Lyons and bassist John Giblin completed the lineup, producing an intelligent, understated rock record distinguished by reflective lyrics and refined settings. The song “Criminal World” emerged as a quiet standout and was subsequently covered by David Bowie. Browne withdrew in 1978 to resume his solo path. Godwin, Lyons, drummer John LaForge, and bassist Tony Adams then issued two underwhelming albums under the Metro name before the group dissolved.