"And your destination | you don't know it | Avalon."
[Avalon] -- Forty years ago, May 28 fell on a Friday, and Roxy Music released their eighth studio album: Avalon. That record was also the band's swan song, post-2001 touring reunions notwithstanding.
Roxy Music had previously disbanded after touring in support of their 1976 release, Siren. But they reunited in 1978 and released three more records before Bryan Ferry (lead vocalist and main songwriter) dissolved the band in 1983. Between 1976 and 1978, the band's lineup had been pared down to that of a quartet for Manifesto (1978). Then the lineup shifted to a trio, assisted by session musicians, for the final two records – Flesh + Blood (1980) and Avalon (1982).
The lineup shifts resulted in the band changing their sound as well as their overall approach to music. These changes are most evident on Avalon. The remaining band members – Bryan Ferry (vocals), Phil Manzanera (guitar), and Andy Mackay (saxophone) – embraced experimentation and improvisation, using the studio itself as an instrument. The change in working methods also involved lots of drugs which, according to Bryan Ferry, "created a lot of paranoia and a lot of spaced-out stuff" (Chapman, 1995).
Ferry had wanted an album in which all the songs were bound up in one unifying story. That takes quite a bit of work, and what he had to start with was "10 poems, or short stories, that could, with a bit more work, be fashioned into a novel" (Clark, 2004). Still, in Ferry's mind at least, they could all be tied to that "ultimate romantic fantasy place" of Avalon, King Arthur's final resting place. That accounts for the more adult, and yet dreamy, lyrical content on Avalon. Even Ferry's vocal delivery is more mature on this record than previous outings.
Studio experimentation included building up backing grooves as well as scoring the backing tracks with a Linn drum machine. They also recorded live drums and percussion parts in the Power Station studio’s stairwell, giving both a natural and resounding reverb. Overall, the sound is more textured. Even Manzanera’s guitar and Ferry’s keyboard parts are understated and sparse, providing the rest of the arrangements with more room to breathe and expand.
Avalon peaked within the top ten of charts around the world, even reaching the #1 position in the UK, Sweden, Norway, and a few other countries. But in the US, Avalon stalled at #53 on the Billboard 200. Still, Avalon went on to be registered platinum globally, including the US, and it landed in the year-end top ten list for several countries. Avalon consistently receives critical praise, even to this day. And it ranks on many "best of" lists, such as Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of all Time and Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest CDs A Love-It-Or-Loathe-It Guide to the Essential Disc Library.
Flashback: Avalon (5/28/1982)
That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
I'll see you in seven!
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