The importance of Roxy Music's 1982 album Avalon

Originally published at: The importance of Roxy Music's 1982 album Avalon | Boing Boing

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I think the bigger disjunction is between with Eno and without Eno.

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Brian Ferry has the voice you recognize one bar into the tune. Sublime sounds…

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“More Than This” always delivers on teenage nostalgia and romantic angst for me.

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More than that, there was nothing.

(Or rather, it felt so at the time.)

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I was walking through my neighborhood record store when I heard a song come on that stopped me cold. I went up front and said “what the hell is this?” to the guy behind the counter. He pointed to that iconic poster on the wall and I said “where is it?” “We’re out of the records but we have cassettes” and I bought it then and there, never minding that I did not own a cassette player. Ferry and company and their stories have been good friends ever since and I’ve had Avalon in every format I could lay hands on. Brilliant, dreamy, magical work.

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Gorgeous story. Welcome to BoingBoing!

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One of the greatest merits of Roxy Music was “discovering” Eno.
His music has always fascinated me, and “Golden hours” remains one of my favourite songs.

BTW, his pissing in a very specific urinal was pure art.

EtA: found! The date of the concert I saw in Rome: July 8 1980, post-Eno (I already knew) but still a wonderful experience. I still remember Phil Manzanera maniacally tuning his guitar every song.

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Perhaps I should buy this on vinyl and see what happens. I think the only track I know is More Than This, but that makes me think it’s the kind of thing where you have to simulate the authentic 80s teen bedroom experience.

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“More than this” is sublime; there is something about the melody and harmony that is magical. I can’t bear to watch Brian Ferry dance in the video, though.

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You have to be a teenage girl, on the floor, with your feet on a chair, talking with your best friend on the phone.

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Artist’s impression:

image

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Roxy changed everything I knew about music. 1972, me and my friends had 7th row tickets for Jethro Tull’s “Thick As a Brick” tour at Madison Square Garden. Never heard them, nor heard of them, the warm up was Roxy Music on their first American tour. They were allowed a measly 30 minutes or so, but…as my best friend said as they left the stage…“Fuck Tull”

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I could say ‘finding forrester’ top cast member was annexed the title for some subject matter

but I’ll bet it’s got some mix in ‘addicted to love’ music video… char char char…
cause I liked it too… actually

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! The pink princess phone is the finishing touch.

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“Avalon” has grown on me over the years too. I think the re-invention of Roxy Music for that album is comparable to the re-invention of King Crimson in the 80’s: a different feel, a different sound, but still great. I can’t say I cared much for “Manifesto” or “Flesh + Blood.”

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