Personnel: Bryan Ferry (vocals, guitar synthesizer, keyboards); Phil Manzanera, Neil Hubbard (guitar); Kermit Moore (cello); Andy Mackay (saxophone); Paul Carrack (piano); Neil Jason, Alan Spenner (bass); Rick Marotta, Andy Newmark (drums); Jimmy Maelen (percussion); Fonzi Thornton, Yanick Etienne (background vocals).

Recorded at Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas and The Power Station, New York, New York.

Digitally remastered by Robert C. Ludwig (Masterdisc).

This is a limited edition "Album Replica" CD of AVALON specially packaged to simulate the original LP design.

Personnel: Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Phil Manzanera, Neil Hubbard (guitar); Kermit Moore (cello); Andy Mackay (oboe, saxophone); Paul Carrack (piano); Alan Spenner, Neil Jason (bass); Andy Newmark, Rick Marotta (drums); Jimmy Maelen (percussion); Fonzi Thornton, Yanick Etienne (background vocals).

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Personnel: Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Phil Manzanera, Neil Hubbard (guitar); Kermit Moore (cello); Andy Mackay (oboe, saxophone); Paul Carrack (piano); Alan Spenner, Neil Jason (bass); Andy Newmark, Rick Marotta (drums); Jimmy Maelen (percussion); Fonzi Thornton, Yanick Etienne (background vocals).

Flesh + Blood suggested that Roxy Music were at the end of the line, but they regrouped and recorded the lovely Avalon, one of their finest albums. Certainly, the lush, elegant soundscapes of Avalon are far removed from the edgy avant-pop of their early records, yet it represents another landmark in their career. With its stylish, romantic washes of synthesizers and Bryan Ferry's elegant, seductive croon, Avalon simultaneously functioned as sophisticated make-out music for yuppies and as the maturation of synth pop. Ferry was never this romantic or seductive, either with Roxy or as a solo artist, and Avalon shimmers with elegance in both its music and its lyrics. "More Than This," "Take a Chance with Me," "While My Heart Is Still Beating," and the title track are immaculately crafted and subtle songs, where the shifting synthesizers and murmured vocals gradually reveal the melodies. It's a rich, textured album and a graceful way to end the band's career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

From 1975's SIREN through the rest of Roxy Music's albums and his concurrent solo work, Bryan Ferry was leading up to AVALON. The last Roxy Music studio album (it was followed by numerous collections, both live and otherwise), it is the perfect culmination of Ferry's constant striving for the ultimate sophistication. On AVALON, the styles that the band had explored in the past--funk, jazz, and rock--come together to create a texture of remarkable subtlety. The title track is Ferry's finest moment. His suave voice turns the romance all the way up, while the band plays in a smooth, light jazz-funk groove and guitar notes shimmer like the sun on water.

"While My Heart is Still Beating" features Andy Mackay's saxophone drifting in around Phil Manzanera's languid guitar lines. "True to Life," a ballad shot through with reverberation, is the kind of song aching to be played late at night with the lights off. From the almost jaw-dropping elegance of the opening track, "More Than This," to the closing "Tara," a sparse, evocative instrumental, AVALON is Roxy Music's masterpiece.

Rolling Stone (11/89) - Ranked # 31 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The Eighties" survey.

Q (12/99, p.158) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A demi-monde of exhausted, ruined glamour is conjured by the title track....AVALON is their weary goodbye and as a farewell letter from a national treasure, it's a bittersweet treat."

Uncut (9/03, p.126) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The sounds on this, the biggest-selling album of their career, are as avant-garde as anything they'd ever done, just more subtle..."

Mojo (Publisher) (1/00, p.108) - "...a coherent piece of work with a high strike rate....sparkling pop..."

Mojo (Publisher) (9/03, p.123) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...AVALON, in its indistinct beauty, said everything Ferry needed to say about sophisticated pop for grown-ups..."