Roxy Music's Avalon

Bryan Ferry revamped Roxy Music, moving away from punk and progressive music towards a dreamier and mellower sound inspired by chivalric romances. The album Avalon imposes a polished production and engineering that replaces emotion with an acoustic simulacrum of courtliness and etiquette. Ferry encourages embracing nostalgia while acknowledging its falseness, as it is a fundamental aspect of our fantasies and artistic expression.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bryan Ferry, the visionary behind Roxy Music, transformed the band into a haute couture suit, meticulously hand-stitched with elements of punk and progressive music. With his artistic touch, he imbued Roxy Music with a dreamier and mellower essence, drawing inspiration from poignant chivalric romances. The once chaotic and Dadaist punk noise gave way to a serene and ambient soft soul, creating a captivating atmosphere. Ferry bid farewell to his collaborators, including Eno, electric violinist Eddie Jobson, and drummer Paul Thompson, abandoning the broken-sounding synthesizers, chance-based elements, and elaborate makeup of their previous albums. The production and engineering of Avalon imposed a distinct acoustic simulacrum of courtliness, polished manners, and codes of etiquette, replacing the raw emotion with a polished veneer. While Ferry's seductive lyrics explored the art of seduction, he maintained a sense of decorum, adhering to the principles of "amour courtois." The backbeat, a nostalgic hallmark of Roxy Music, remained an integral part of Avalon's architectural structure, creating an allusive sheen that evoked feelings of longing. However, it is important to recognize that nostalgia, whether inspired by medieval Arthuriana, 1940s film noir, or the euphoria of the 1980s drug scene, can be deceptive. Nostalgia shapes our fantasies and serves as a fundamental aspect of our artistic expression, but it is essential to acknowledge its falseness and embrace the inherent artifice behind it.

Weight: 154g
Dimension: 165 x 120 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501355349