I'd do anything to turn you off, Bryan (Avalon - Roxy Music)

Member Name: cswann

Product:	Avalon - Roxy Music
Date:	08/10/03 (179 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A couple of good tracks

Disadvantages: Just not the Roxy Music I know and love

"Avalon" turned out to be one of the biggest selling Roxy Music albums ever, and it’s
often the one that people quote as their favourite.

Well – this is just my opinion, but – “Avalon” is one of their worst albums.
Maybe not as bad as its predecessor "Flesh and Blood", but it’s still an album I hate listening
to I wasn't that impressed by it when it first came out, and I especially dislike it now.

I’m a great fan of the very early Roxy Music, especially
the years when Brian Ferry/Eno collaboration was the thing that made them
tick. From the burst of that first single “Virginia Plain” along with the
debut album in the Summer of 1972, it was obvious they were something
special. Destined to be described as art-rock, and brilliantly blending
50s kitsch with electronic sounds and rock and roll and futuristic fashion
– they were just so completely different from anything else around.
And that includes David Bowie and T.Rex – we are talking about a pretty
influential era in general, here.

"Avalon” was released in 1982, many years after those good old days (Eno left the band in 1973), and only a year before the band called it a day – well, until their recent reunion,
that is.

Around this period stalwarts Phil Manazera and Andy Mackay were
joined by Andy Newmark on drums, Neil Hubbard on guitar, and David Skinner
on keyboards.
And of course Bryan Ferry is on vocals.

Now, in many ways “Avalon” sounds like a Bryan Ferry solo album,
especially if you compare it to the earlier Roxy material. It’s very lush,
sophisticated – the perfect vehicle for Ferry’s lounge-singing style, you
could say. This may be the reason why some people like it. For me – it’s
the reason that I don’t like it – “Avalon
” is just too sumptuous and,
ultimately, I find it dull.

This is not to say that I don't like Bryan Ferry's solo albums - there are many tracks on the two solo albums that I love and still play.

Anyway, back to "Avalon"...
The singles released from the album didn’t do all that well - “Avalon” reached number 13 in the UK, and “Take a Chance With Me” number 26, and I have to say they had no impact on me at the time. I have heard the album quite a bit though.

"I’d do anything to turn you on" is, in my opinion, the best song on the album. It has a distinct sexiness, and is highly atmospheric.
But even then it’s very, very MOR, and works best as backgorund music, and the song almost sends me to sleep nowadays (maybe that’s just my age – things that once were sexy, seem to get less so as you get older!)

"True to life" starts off sounding a lot like Dr Hook’s sexy eyes – maybe there’s a theme here?
“While my heart is still beating” has a certain sincere appeal to it, but elsewhere I really
struggle for tracks that I can bear to listen to. Although there is
variation between tracks, with pieces like "India" being quite rhythmic,
and tracks like “The Main Thing" are dance-y, with plentiful ballads
throughout, I still feel the overall effect is tedious.

Oh, and there’s some weird mixing of concepts, I mean… Arthurian legends and the beaches
of old Zanzibar?

There even seem to be moments when (dare I say it)
Ferry’s voice isn’t up to scratch, and I swear he’s straining at times. In
fact he seems to be between stages - neither going for that wonderful
sneering growl/scream, nor singing in that “easy” style from his later
days.

What can I say? If you already know and love
this album I’ll never
change your mind.But if you’re new to Roxy Music, don’t believe this is
the only style of music they could do – and do try something like "For
your pleasure" as well. Roxy Music were capable of much, much better.

Summary: