Published on Apr 16, 1997
No longer really a rock band, on
Avalon Roxy Music deliver an understated, polished gem that
influenced many 80’s acts. With guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophone
player Andy MacKay, and principal songwriter and lead singer Bryan
Ferry remaining from the original Roxy Music lineup,
Avalon proved to be an elegant swan song.
“Much communication in a motion, without conversation or a
motion,” croons Ferry in the title track, and this mood of
mysterious romanticism is featured throughout the album.
Manzanera’s restrained, melodic guitar and MacKay’s lovely sax
provide the graceful backdrop for Ferry’s suave declarations of
love (and lust), such as when he states “the space between us
better close up tonight.”
“More Than This,” “The Space Between” and “Avalon” start things
off perfectly. Each song is catchy but mellow, and the spacious
production suits Ferry’s cocktail lounge musings. This atmosphere
is briefly interrupted by the instrumental “India” (really just a
break in the action), before returning for the mournful “While My
Heart Is Still Beating,” on which Ferry asks “all of those people
everywhere, ever so needing, where’s it all leading?”
The funky “The Main Thing” recalls David Bowie, while “Tara” is
a beautiful sax showcase for MacKay. “To Turn You On” (“I’d do
anything to turn you on”) is another sumptuous showcase for Ferry
the desperate romantic, and “True To Life” tells a quiet, lonely
story propelled by timely guitar thrusts.
On “Take A Chance With Me” Ferry admits “in my time too much
love has made me sad for so long.” He just doesn’t know any other
way, though. “Heaven knows, I believe you can take a chance with
me,” he pleads, before defiantly adding “all the world, even you,
should learn to live the way I do.”
Throughout
Avalon, Ferry adds distinct keyboard and synthesizer
textures, along with some exotic percussion and prominent backup
singers. If I have a warning about the album, it would be merely
that such a subtle and polished album requires a certain mood to be
fully appreciated, like when night is at hand and the lights are
dim. Under such circumstances
Avalon is an irresistibly classy pop album that seems bound
to endure. Though Ferry has spent his subsequent solo career trying
to duplicate this album’s understated excellence (remember “Slave
To Love?”), there’s no substituting for the original.