Roxy Music – Avalon [HSACD – DTS CD]

Roxy Music – Avalon [HSACD – DTS CD]

Review
"The uniqueness of Roxy Music and their style of romantic rock endeared a large following. Roxy Music and the vocal swagger of Bryan Ferry gave the 70s and 80s a style of music that was largely inimitable because no one was like Ferry. With his suave vocal delivery and the band’s perfectly smooth and complementary musicianship, Ferry and company dished out one of the most elegant styles of rock known to its brief history.

The stylish music that Roxy Music created never radically changed but it did mature making for very pleasant and increasingly desirable albums to listen to and to enjoy. At their creative peak with Avalon, Roxy Music made the final bow.

Avalon is remembered by many. It is remembered by fans who adored its depth and its beauty. It is remembered by the casual listener who only heard a song or two off the album that enjoyed fairly heavy rotation on radios. Roxy Music was further adorned by Ferry’s memorable solo albums which generated hits of their own bringing new listeners to explore, however briefly, his past. And Ferry’s past always seemed to be personified by Avalon.

With the band’s inclination toward art-rock largely influenced by the then departed extraordinaire known as Brian Eno, the band became the complete sum of their entire career in 9 well-crafted songs that were fitting for a swansong. In this SACD reissue, the beauty of Avalon increases and we are once again captivated.

The multi-channel tracks are largely projected from the L/R main speakers and the Centre channels (used for vocals and a chosen instrument most of the time) while the L/R Surrounds largely projects an ambience that places you in the middle of the soundstage. This does not mean that certain instruments do not issue from the rear speakers.

Where the instrument is more an adornment rather than central to the tune, they often find themselves projecting from the rear speaker setups. This creates an overall interesting and immersive feeling as you drink in the lushness of Avalon. Quite frankly, for surrounds, it could be no other way. The art of Avalon allows for the ambient placement of certain sounds while otherwise echoing the mains to create a dreamy effect.

An interesting thing that occurs with surround is that the isolation of the vocal track in the centre channel quite often reveals the less than stellar vocal talent of the singer. Of course, that’s not meant badly but it does serves to present the amazing blend of the band and the vocalist. In this album, Ferry’s vocals are naturally exquisite thus showcasing his incredible talent. As it isolates in the centre channel, you are amazed at just how much control and lushness is at his command.

Every song on Avalon uses the ambient technique to great effect. But the shine is even brighter on the Stereo mix. Avalon was created in stereo and therefore excels in this medium. The drum tracks are crisp and singular; the bass resonate. Ferry’s vocals take the fore just as they do in the multi-channel mix but also take on a more powerful projection as they take shape, blending in with the two-channel effect. In “The Space Between”, it is a little disarming to hear Ferry so dominant in the recording while Manzanera’s guitar craftings seem wispy. On the other hand, the romanticism of “Avalon” is quite overwhelming easing you (unknowingly) into the heart of song. It is only when it’s over that you open your eyes to realize you’ve been slightly swaying.

The musical TV theme-like, “India” becomes another song, one that you don’t remember because it takes on such a different shape. “Take a Chance With Me” is otherworldly in its delivery as the distinctive guitars swirl around the song like a cloak of diamond dust. Add in Ferry’s vocals and the build of a great band such as is Roxy Music and it defines the band. No other song on this album produces the hues and colours that this band did as a unit.

Mackey’s sax intro and body of “Tara” is a soulful piece that elicits emotion as it spills from the speakers. The bad thing is that the damn thing is too short. The bonus track, “Always Unknowing”, which is only available on the Surround layer, is a logical addition to this album as it fits the mood quite effectively. Fonzi Thornton’s background vocal is haunting and lends an eerie tinge. Given the length limitations of vinyl, one could only guess at the quality of conceptual albums like this had they then been afforded the length of CDs.

All in all, Avalon is one of the definitive albums of a changing time. The 70s had started to give way to the 80s wholesale stripping of fusion from music. Avalon was the transition; the gateway into the future while doubling as the end of a time. Unfortunately, it also served to be the last genuine work of art from a band that understood the pliability of rock.

This SACD is a demanding reason to acquire the next hardware step in music reproduction. Not surprising since Roxy Music always took us to the next level." — Matt Rowe

EC1073	Roxy Music – Avalon [Hybrid SACD – DTS 5.1]
Label:	Virgin Records Ltd.
Catalog#:	ROXYSACD 9, 7243 5 83871 2 4
Format:	DTS CD 5.1
Source:	Hybrid SACD (PCM & DSD Stereo & DSD 5.1 SACD MultiChannel) Roxy Music – Avalon
Released:	Oct 21, 2003  (First release: 1982)
Barcode:	7 24358 38712 4
Style:	Pop/Rock, Art Rock

============================================================================ Bryan Ferry – Avalon [Hybrid SACD – DTS 5.1]
============================================================================
1. More Than This
2. The Space Between
3. Avalon
4. India
5. While My Heart Is Still Beating
6. The Main Thing
7. Take A Chance With Me
8. To Turn You On
9. True To Life
10. Tara
11. Always Unknowing (multichannel only)
Total Time: 42:50

Companies, etc. ▼

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Virgin Records Ltd.
• Copyright (c) – Virgin Records Ltd.
• Published By – EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
• Published By – BMG Music Publishing Ltd.
• Recorded At – Compass Point Studios
• Recorded At – Power Station
• Recorded At – Gallery Studio
• Mixed At – Mix This!
• Mastered At – Masterdisk
• Remastered At – Gateway Mastering

Credits ▼
Cover – Antony Price, Bryan Ferry, Neil Kirk, Peter Saville (2)
Design [Booklet] – Bogdan Zarkowski
Engineer [Original Album] – Bob Clearmountain, Rhett Davies
Liner Notes – Bob Clearmountain, Rhett Davies
Mastered By [Original Album] – Robert C. Ludwig*
Mixed By [Assistant, Reissue] – Kevin Harp
Mixed By [Original Album & Reissue] – Bob Clearmountain
Producer [Assistant, Original Album] – Barry Bongiovi, Benjamin Arbiter, Ian Little, Peter Revill
Producer [Assistant, Reissue] – Colin Good
Producer [Original Album & Reissue] – Rhett Davies, Roxy Music
Remastered By – Bob Ludwig
Tape [Archivist] – Michael Boddy

Notes ▼
Original release: 1982
Recorded at Compass Point, Nassau,
The Power Station, New York
and Gallery Studio, London
Mastered at Masterdisc

21st Anniversary Edition:
Mixed at Mix This!
Remastered at Gateway Studio, Portland, Maine

21st Anniversary Edition, remixed in 5.1 and remastered stereo track.
Track 11 extra only on 5.1 SACD layer, not on CD or SACD stereo layer

CD layer is HDCD encoded.

All tracks published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd. except 5, 7 & 10 published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd. / BMG Music Publishing Ltd.
All tracks originally ℗ 1982 Virgin Records Ltd. except “To Turn You On” ℗ 1981 Virgin Records Ltd. © 1982 Virgin Records Ltd.
Digital remasters ℗ 2003 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Virgin Records Ltd.
© 2003 Virgin Records Ltd.

Barcode and Other Identifiers ▼
Barcode: 724358387124
Barcode (Text): 7 24358 38712 4
Matrix / Runout (SACD Layer): 50735137/UNIVERSAL 583871-2 01
Mastering SID Code (SACD Layer): IFPI LP 73
Mould SID Code: IFPI 07D4
Mould SID Code (Variant 2): IFPI 07M2
Label Code: LC 03098
Price Code (F): PM 576
Rights Society: bel BIEM

WARNING!!!
Audio Format: Digital Surround DTS 5.1
To play DTS CDs you need to have equipment that supports DTS and a surround sound system that is capable of decoding the DTS signal. Don’t play this on equipment that isn’t compatible because you’ll only hear static!