Avalon

In the spring of 1982, English rockers Roxy Music's farewell album Avalon was released. The album was the band's only studio album they would record for Warner Bros. here in the States and the first since original drummer Paul Thompson left. He was replaced by studio ace Andy Newmark. The three remaining original members(vocalist Bryan Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera and woodwind expert Andy Mackay) crafted together a masterpiece. The album was produced by the band and Rhett Davies and engineered by Bob Clearmountain (Bryan Adams, The Rolling Stones, etc.). The single More Than This is an absolutely gorgeous start to Roxy Music's version of Abbey Road. This was the song that sent me looking for this album after watching VH1 Classic a few weeks ago. I have had the new SACD version since late April and I listen to this album constantly. The Space Between follows and is not that awful Dave Matthews song but is the ultimate break up song. The title cut is one of the best ballads I ever heard and the female backing vocalist is superb at the end and Bryan's crooning is superb. India is a great instrumental and was used as the entrance music during the Avalon tour. While My Heart is Still Beating is a great song as well. To Turn You On is excellent and features Paul Carrack on keyboards. The closing Tara is a beautiful coda to end this album which was the band's biggest seller in the US as it is their only Gold and Platinum album in the States. The CD sounds superb thanks to Bob Ludwig's painstaking remaster of this classic. Bob Clearmountain and original co-producer Rhett Davies give us this great 5.1 remix of Avalon which makes you feel like the band is actually playing in front of you. Also, the remastering that Bob Ludwig did on this Hybrid SACD demolished the previous edition by a longshot! Highly recommended! – Terrence J Reardon

Why must so many artists take the name Avalon? There's the German progressive-metal band Avalon, the contemporary Christian vocal group Avalon, the one-man electronica outfit Avalon and now there's a new melodic-rock project helmed by multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Richie Zito called Avalon. Zito's rsum, you may recall, includes Cheap Trick, White Lion, Mr. Big, Tyketto, The Cult, Heart and Bad English. Avalon is his attempt to reconnect with some of the singers with whom he's worked over the years and make what he considers the ultimate melodic-rock/AOR album.

Avalon is the eighth and final studio album by English rock band Roxy Music. Released in May 1982, it was recorded in 1981–82 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, and is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of the band's later work. It was the band's most successful studio album, reaching No. 1 in the UK (for 3 weeks) and staying on the album charts for over a year. Although it only peaked at No. 53 in the United States, Avalon endured as a sleeper hit and became the band's only million-selling record in that country, ultimately receiving a platinum certification.