Customer Reviews

Avalon (Hybr)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After hearing some DVD Audios and SACD's, I have to say that by far, this record contains the finest sound of all. This is the very first opportunity to hear how well crafted is the sound of Roxy Music in this record.
Bob Clearmountain, one of the original engineers in charge, says it better in the booklet: "While the band, Rhett Davies and I were working on the original stereo mixes in 1982, I can recall imagining the sound image as being more than just "stereo". There was so many wonderful things going on, I'd wish I'd had more places to put them than just 2 speakers. I wanted to be totally immersed in the album's soundscapes". About the new mix he adds: "it is how I'd always imagined this album should be presented -the sorround experience actually drawing you inside the music". Maybe other people have said the same about other records being remixed for 5.1. But after hearing AVALON, you'll really understand what Mr. Bob's excitement is all about.
If you are a Roxy Music fan, and SACD Multi Channel amplifier owner, this is a must have. The SACD layer contains an additional song not included in the original version of AVALON, called ALWAYS UNKNOWING (take note that this song is not included in the stereo layer). It's funny, but for me, this song (which is a very good ballad far from being a simple and uninteresting extra) gives this album a completion that I've always missed from the original record...It's as if there was something missing. But now, it's complete.
Note: This record is not made in the USA, but imported from Europe. I'd wish Amazon would give us the opportunity of having more SACD's only available in UK by now. But this is also to tell you that maybe, just maybe, there aren't many copies in store.

I read the reviews for this hybrid SACD with great interest, wondering if the CD layer was as fantastic as the SACD layer was reported to be. I bought the standard CD remaster several years ago when it first came out, but even though it was a big improvement over the original CD release, it was still a little disappointing. I just finished my first listening of the CD layer on this hybrid, and I can whole heartedly, and without any reservations, say that this CD is everything I hoped it would be. Folks, if you have a critical ear for sound quality, this is the version you want to buy. It will play on any standard CD player or SACD player.

If there were any album that I thought would be impossible to improve with technology, it would be Roxy Music's Avalon. The sound stage of the original was rich and full, yet the separation and detail were amazingly accurate. Avalon's masterful engineering helped make it Roxy Music's magnum opus and one of the greatest recordings of all time. Improving on it would take more than just a new technology that utilized 3 more channels. In short, this is not an album that could be pimped.

That being said, it took less than 30 seconds of hearing track one, More Than This, to convince me of two things. First, Sony not only improved what I thought was impossible to improve-they greatly improved it. Second, all the money I spent upgrading my audio system to utilize SACD was money well spent.

SACD recordings often sound untrue to the original; the engineers seem to over exploit the technology and disrupt the feel of the original recording. Maybe it was in effort to avoid this that Sony sought the help of two people who were involved in the original mixing of the album, Rhett Davies and Bob Clearmountain. Two veteran mixers maximized the technology without interfering with the sound or feel of the original. Maybe it is the brilliant job these two did; maybe it is the richness of the music; or maybe it is both, but this new version doesn't seem to add as much as it seems to reveal. This recording of Avalon sounds like it was written to be played on SACD.

The original recording of Avalon probably spun more times in my CD player than any other CD, yet it seems brand new. Every song on the album benefits from the new recording, but track 6, The Main Thing, seems to make the most of the 3 extra channels and the increased sound spectrum. The vocals and percussions are so detailed and crisp that they truly fulfill all the audiophile clichés about "perfect clarity" or "being true to life." The title track, Avalon, seems to drop Brian Ferry just a few feet in front of the listener while over the listener's shoulders, Phil Manzanera plays guitar and background singers help fill the room with hauntingly sweet vocals. The experience is amazing. This track was the first SACD recording where I truly felt center-stage.

As an added bonus, this recording provides what every fan of the original recording wishes they had- more. The SACD has an additional track added on the end, Always Unknowing. It is definitely "A" quality, however it may have been better suited for RM's previous album, Flesh and Blood. It doesn't quite deliver the lush, ambient sound that the other Avalon tracks deliver. Plus, the original final track, Tara, was the perfect finale.

If you are still not sure why you spent money on a SACD player, this version of Avalon will eliminate all uncertainty. Even if you were unfamiliar with the original or not a fan of it, you will not be able to refrain from enjoying the experience provided by this disc. It is remarkable.

The album and songs need no introduction, but the multichannel mix... it's immersive, very tastefully done with some instruments placed specifically in the surround channels.

"India" is interesting in that the song moves around the room, although it strikes me as being a bit gimmicky. The rest of the album doesn't suffer from this and as a result is an awesome enveloping experience.

This is going to be my SACD demo (together with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon).

In the spring of 1982, English rockers Roxy Music's farewell album Avalon was released.
The Avalon album was Roxy Music's only studio album they would record for Warner Bros. here in the States and the first since original drummer Paul Thompson left. He was replaced by studio ace Andy Newmark whom has played with everyone from David Bowie to John Lennon to Pink Floyd.
The three remaining original Roxy Music members(vocalist Bryan Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera and woodwind expert Andy Mackay) crafted together a masterpiece.
The album was produced by the band and Rhett Davies and engineered by Bob Clearmountain(Bryan Adams, The Rolling Stones, etc.).
The single More Than This is an absolutely gorgeous way start to Roxy Music's version of Abbey Road. This was the song that sent me looking for this album after watching VH1 Classic one late winter's day in 2004 so I went and bought this album. I have had the new SACD version since late April, 2004 and I listen to this album constantly. The Space Between follows and was not that awful Dave Matthews song but the ultimate break up song. The title cut follows and is one of the best ballads I ever heard and the female backing vocalist is superb at the end and Bryan's crooning is superb. India is a great instrumental and was used as the entrance music during the Avalon tour. While My Heart is Still Beating is a great song as well.
The Main Thing is a great funk shuffle to begin side two. Take a Chance on Me is next and is a great Ferry/Manzanera collaboration. The flip side to Roxy's remake of John Lennon's Jealous Guy called To Turn You On is next and is excellent and features Paul Carrack on keyboards. True to Life follows and is another winner. The closing Tara is a beautiful coda to end this album which was the band's biggest seller in the US as it is their only Gold and Platinum album in the States.
Bob Clearmountain and original co-producer Rhett Davies give us this great 5.1 remix of Avalon which makes you feel like the band is actually playing in front of you.
Also, the remastering that Bob Ludwig did on this Hybrid SACD demolished the regular remastered CD edition by a longshot!
Highly recommended!

Perhaps Bryan Ferry's greatest achievement, Avalon is more than
several songs on a chunk of vinyl (or polycarbonate, if you insist). The album has a ring-cycle like quality to it, where one song gracefully moves into the next. There has always been a texture or a certian feel to this album that very few have, and playing the album from start to finish presents a mood that can only be described as Roxy Music. Playing only a few tunes is unthinkable, to be fully appreciated, it must be played as a whole, and as an SACD the mood and feel of Avalon has been expanded to incredible heights.

Unlike some SACD's, the album has not been completely reworked, but has been sonically improved to quite simply blow you away. Manzanara's guitar is subtle, but everywhere. Mackay's sax treatments provide texture, and of course Ferry's vocals are those of the love-lost crooner.

Mixed for 5.1 channel surround by Bob Clearmountain and Rhett Davies from the original master tapes, this disc shows the real capabilities of SACD. However, I do suggest testing the waters before commiting to this format, as most recordings today fall short of the very high mark set by this album.

I've never been a big fan of Bryan Ferry or Roxy Music and only bought this SACD since it is well reviewed. This disc is simply amazing. Rather than assorted "dry" sounding instruments popping around in different speakers, this album has ambient washes of sound that envelope the listener, making the surround experience seem organic and natural. If you have even a trace of an audiophile in your blood, and believe the experience of music can be more than some mp3's and computer speakers, then you owe it to yourself to upgrade to SACD and this recording.

First, Avalon is one of our single favorite music disks in LP or CD form. Roxy Music were at their absolute peak when they created it - simply a beautiful collection of music.

I bought a few DVD-A/SACD disks (Dark Side of the Moon, Hotel California) - sounded good but did not impress the spouse at all and I was not blown away either; very well produced, but not "wow". Bought Avalon SACD, now the spouse is impressed with my hi-fi genius. Avalon and SACD were made for each other - the sound is absolutely astounding with a sound front that has to be heard to be believed. Gorgeous.

I just received the SACD version of Roxy Music's "Avalon" last night and gave it a spin. I only intended to listen to a small sample before going to bed just to get a flavor of it. I ended up hearing it in its entirety and replayed the title track 3 times. This disc is absolutely the finest example of the medium I have heard.

The sound is very open and clean, the mix (Bob Clearmountain & Rhett Davies) is tastefully done as far as what instrumentation is on what channel. I got the vinyl version in 1982 as a wedding gift, and later the first CD issue a couple years later. It's always been a classic to me and the way the reissue sounds even more so. There is a bonus track which really works well with the rest of the material as a finale to the album.

This version is better than "Dark Side of the Moon" SACD, and slightly better than the Moody Blues Quad mixes--which also are fine examples of the SACD technology in their own right.

If you are into the original album, you need to own the SACD version.

I bought the album when it first came out. It was actually my introduction to Roxy. I do not label many albums as superior musio. This one I gladly do. I always thought this was a very good album with a better than average sound. Well this album has been recreated with the SACD mix. It is one of two best surround sound albums I have ever heard. Superior album now with superior sound. Anyone wanting an introduction to a great band and great too often over looked classic album this is the one for you.