By the time the eighth and so far final studio album from the lasting remaining 3 core members of the band Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera was released in May of 1982 tensions where running high between the band members, possibly why this collection is such a ground breaker in style and execution. With the use of atmospheric keyboards and percussion this album set a standard that Mr Ferry has been trying to repeat since the release of this album, the first solo release after this called “Boys and Girls” was like a sequel to this recording.
The opening track “More than this” was the first single to be released from this album and got to number 6 in the single chart. The main theme of the song is picked out on the lead guitar with the keyboards playing against it with percussion and strings adding atmosphere for the opening lines of “I could
feel at the time, there was no way of knowing”. “The space between Us” has a big percussion sound than has drums and guitar playing fills with keyboards adding a sense of space and texture. As the title track “Avalon starts with the guitar playing the intro with slowly played Latin sounding percussion with the smooth voice of Mr Ferry crooning the opening line “Now the Party’s over”, the song as features a stunning background vocal section singing “Dancin’, Dancin’. Dancin’” underpinned with the smooth sax in the middle section with Yannick Etienne vocals sitting on top of the main vocal track giving a haunting air to the song as the song fades out.
The following track called “India” was played through the P.A. as the band took their places on stage during the 1982 “Avalon” tour, this instrumental piece was also used as the B-side to the “More Than This” single, and the music itself is very short and full of texture and space and as the music is about to finish the percussion of the following track begins. “While My Heart Is Still Beating” is another love song written by Mr Ferry and the sax player Andy Mackay, the track itself has layers of percussion and keyboard tracks that are interwoven with saxophone and guitar and some big sounding bass.
Handclaps and bass guitar with more percussion are interspaced with the bass and keyboards that pick out the main theme, of the track “The Main Thing” that was used as a B-side of the single “Take a Chance On Me”, which was the third single from this album and final single released during the life of the band. This is the next track in the running order and this track was written by Ferry/Manzanera, the song has an a slow intro and then a change of pace with the guitar and sax picking out the main theme, this is interwoven with the main vocal to underline and punch out lines in the song adding a big dramatic feel to the track. The song “To Turn You On” was an old track that Bryan had written during the recording of “The Bride Stripped Bare” and when they needed a B-side to the John Lennon tribute single “Jealous Guy” this track was used. Bryan Ferry felt this was to good a song to be lost as a B-side. For the second last track “True To Life” which has a high-hat intro on the drums with percussion with keyboards and a big sounding bass filling out the track which has the opening lines “So it gets to seven and I think of nothing”. To close this album and in a way to underline the music that had gone before an atmosphere instrumental track “Tara” written by Ferry/McKay that has a saxophone intro which carry’s the main theme that is filled out with keyboards and as the track finishes the sound of waves can be heard crashing on the shore as if to say you made it home. The perfect end to a superb atmospheric album that still sounds superb today and with the re-mastering by Bob Ludwig, which has brought this collection to HDCD standard.
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Roxy Music Avalon
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Another great review...Roxy have always been my all time favourites and while this is not their best album it certainly gets a regular airing chez moi...John
Averilla 30.03.2005 14:52
This is a classic album. Av xx
n13roy 07.03.2005 12:02
This was on my turntable a lot in the 80s, played it to death especially the title track, same as Lexy I also have not heard this for years. Another Very Good Music Review.....Roy
Hipper students of 1980s pop might like to pretend that Joy Division and The Smiths had a ... more
monopoly on melancholia, but for the older, more suave miserabilist, nothing could match the stylised desolation of Roxy Music's last album.Avalonwas recorded in ...
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Hipper students of 1980s pop might like to pretend that Joy Division and The Smiths had a ... more
monopoly on melancholia, but for the older, more suave miserabilist, nothing could match the stylised desolation of Roxy Music's last album. Avalon was recorded i...
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Hipper students of 1980s pop might like to pretend that Joy Division and The Smiths had a ... more
monopoly on melancholia, but for the older, more suave miserabilist, nothing could match the stylised desolation of Roxy Music's last album.Avalonwas recorded in ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Hipper students of 1980s pop might like to pretend that Joy Division and The Smiths had a ... more
monopoly on melancholia, but for the older, more suave miserabilist, nothing could match the stylised desolation of Roxy Music's last album.Avalonwas recorded in ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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