Wow! What an incredibly stupid name for a band!
Wow! What wonderful fidelity and surround sound!!
Wow! Welcome to the 1980's----21st Century Style!!!
I'm a Roxy Music novice, so I had to do a little research on the band to get some background. Basically, Roxy Music was a band that in the Seventies was a collaboration between Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno among others. By the time the Eighties had rolled around Eno had left the band; thus, leaving it primarilly as a vehicle for fulfilling Bryan Ferry's muse---meaning the band was moving away from its earlier avant-pop sound. Ferry eventually disbanded Roxy Music to pursue a solo career, but before he did Roxy Music released one final studio album entitled "Avalon" in 1982.
"Avalon" is full of lush, synthesized melodies which make it an almost perfect album for mixing into a beautiful "surroundscape", if you will. Ferry's vocals are clean and clear. Keyboards and drums are solid---and, umm, a little bit synthesized. It's not a wonder that AMG lists the band Flock of Seagulls as "followers" of Roxy Music's musical---and possibly visual---style. (Roxy Music were one of the first bands to to fully embrace fashion as an important element to their overall style.)
Remixed into 5.1 Surround Sound by the guys who worked on the original stereo record years ago, Rhett Davies and Bob Clearmountain, "Avalon" does a wonderful job of showing the potential for surround sound in music. In Davies' own words from the liner notes he expresses concern over the thought of remixing "classic records" for 5.1, "But when Sony approched (him) about remixing ("Avalon") into 5.1 surround sound, (Davies) felt that it would be possible to create something new that would not detract from the original stereo mixes but would (instead) provide a new dimednsion in which to explore."
Although I am not familiar with the original stereo mixes, I'm quite tempted to shout: "Mission accomplished!" The mix is more than just ambience, because some instruments, such as saxophone, and effects are placed into the surrounds. Vocals, however, are spread across the front with ambience in the rear. Nonetheless, it's an ambitious mix---yet the overall feel of "Avalon" in surround sound is that Davies and Clearmountain have created a very fine cohesive whole. This is Roxy Music's masterpiece!
Roxy Music's "Avalon" contains the hit single "More Than This" and is offered as an SACD Hybrid which contains both a conventional CD layer and high-resolution Super Audio CD layers. There are both stereo and surround mixes available, but the bonus track "Always Unknowing" is only available when listening to the surround tracklist.
So go buy "Avalon" now! It's available from retailers both on-line and locally. I picked up my copy at Best Buy for around $15.00 and I think it's the same version that used to sell at higher import prices.
Update 08/12/07: I suspect it'd be more difficult to find locally now, but it might still available at some on-line retailers.
