Back in 1982, the TV show Dallas was all the rage, MTV was still in its infancy, the Internet was still a distant dream looming off in the horizon. It was also a period of fame, greed, excess ran up to the nth degree - an apt summarization of the 80s in a nutshell.
In the world of popular music that year, new wave & synth pop held center stage; little did we know that 1982 would also be Roxy Music's final stand as a group: The second incarnation of Roxy would soon call it a day, with no additional words or rhetoric needed to explain their departure. Yet the trifecta of Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera & Andrew Mackay would make their last stand courageously (& with style) as their swan song, Avalon, so brilliantly demonstrates.
On their previous efforts, Manifesto & Flesh + Blood, Roxy Music synthesized new wave, avant-garde & post-punk together with R&B, soul, as well as Caribbean & African tinges. In the process, they ushered in the beginning of the decade as synth-pop's torchbearers & trailblazers with a sound distinctly their own. With Avalon, these core strengths of the aforementioned albums became more matured, more refined than ever. It could be said that, as Roxy's trio of original personnel were approaching middle age, this release comes across as mellow, subdued, mature, restrained. True enough, it's all of the above. But at the same time, Avalon would signal the end of the road for Bryan Ferry and company, Roxy's final proclamation chock full of resignation & melancholy.
Did this mean you couldn't get your move on to "The Space Between" & "The Main Thing"? You most certainly could; Roxy Music still had it when it came to getting your dance on. But it's the slower, shimmering, more atmospheric numbers, such as the title track, "More Than This," & "True to Life" which stand out the most. "More Than This", I've felt for the longest time, was Ferry's way of saying that Roxy Music, like any relationship with nothing left to give, would soon come to an end & who could say where each of the remaining group members would go next. "Avalon" is a trip to a mysterious place, a journey to a land where the music & dancing could go on for days; by the same token, it's one of the more heartfelt love songs ever & with good reason: this tune is about rebirth, redemption, finding the strength & confidence to start a relationship over.
"While My Heart is Still Beating" is pure melancholia, longing & desolation all the way, which are recurring themes throughout this album. "To Turn You On" is a Bryan Ferry solo effort; it's an upbeat love ballad, captivating in its sincerity & working wonders within this whole song cycle. "India" & "Tara" are instrumental vignettes which fit the mood & flow of Avalon: lush, airy, ethereal. "True to Life" has us, the listeners, wishing we were on the same journey that Ferry is singing about, whether we're out on the town or on an island in the Caribbean.
Romance, longing, desire, melancholy, hope: each of these trademark themes which made Roxy Music so awesome in the first place came together in this brilliant gem of a recording - a short but sweet 37 minutes. If that's not enough, Avalon also carried class as well, something you could always count on from Bryan Ferry. After this masterpiece, Roxy went off the radar, without any fanfare. Ferry, of course, went on to bigger & better things with his 1985 classic Boys and Girls (the perfect companion piece to Avalon & just as outstanding).
This album isn't just a swan song; it's also a silent word of goodbye from Messrs. Ferry, Manzanera & Mackay. Avalon isn't just the ultimate album to fall in love to; it's pure musical bliss, a fantastic original piece of work which can't be imitated after all these years.
In the world of popular music that year, new wave & synth pop held center stage; little did we know that 1982 would also be Roxy Music's final stand as a group: The second incarnation of Roxy would soon call it a day, with no additional words or rhetoric needed to explain their departure. Yet the trifecta of Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera & Andrew Mackay would make their last stand courageously (& with style) as their swan song, Avalon, so brilliantly demonstrates.
On their previous efforts, Manifesto & Flesh + Blood, Roxy Music synthesized new wave, avant-garde & post-punk together with R&B, soul, as well as Caribbean & African tinges. In the process, they ushered in the beginning of the decade as synth-pop's torchbearers & trailblazers with a sound distinctly their own. With Avalon, these core strengths of the aforementioned albums became more matured, more refined than ever. It could be said that, as Roxy's trio of original personnel were approaching middle age, this release comes across as mellow, subdued, mature, restrained. True enough, it's all of the above. But at the same time, Avalon would signal the end of the road for Bryan Ferry and company, Roxy's final proclamation chock full of resignation & melancholy.
Did this mean you couldn't get your move on to "The Space Between" & "The Main Thing"? You most certainly could; Roxy Music still had it when it came to getting your dance on. But it's the slower, shimmering, more atmospheric numbers, such as the title track, "More Than This," & "True to Life" which stand out the most. "More Than This", I've felt for the longest time, was Ferry's way of saying that Roxy Music, like any relationship with nothing left to give, would soon come to an end & who could say where each of the remaining group members would go next. "Avalon" is a trip to a mysterious place, a journey to a land where the music & dancing could go on for days; by the same token, it's one of the more heartfelt love songs ever & with good reason: this tune is about rebirth, redemption, finding the strength & confidence to start a relationship over.
"While My Heart is Still Beating" is pure melancholia, longing & desolation all the way, which are recurring themes throughout this album. "To Turn You On" is a Bryan Ferry solo effort; it's an upbeat love ballad, captivating in its sincerity & working wonders within this whole song cycle. "India" & "Tara" are instrumental vignettes which fit the mood & flow of Avalon: lush, airy, ethereal. "True to Life" has us, the listeners, wishing we were on the same journey that Ferry is singing about, whether we're out on the town or on an island in the Caribbean.
Romance, longing, desire, melancholy, hope: each of these trademark themes which made Roxy Music so awesome in the first place came together in this brilliant gem of a recording - a short but sweet 37 minutes. If that's not enough, Avalon also carried class as well, something you could always count on from Bryan Ferry. After this masterpiece, Roxy went off the radar, without any fanfare. Ferry, of course, went on to bigger & better things with his 1985 classic Boys and Girls (the perfect companion piece to Avalon & just as outstanding).
This album isn't just a swan song; it's also a silent word of goodbye from Messrs. Ferry, Manzanera & Mackay. Avalon isn't just the ultimate album to fall in love to; it's pure musical bliss, a fantastic original piece of work which can't be imitated after all these years.
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