Avonmore

 

Bryan Ferry is one of my heroes, mainly since I saw Roxy Music at the Gaumont Theatre, Southampton (now The MayflowerTheatre) in 1979 on the Manifesto tour. I wasn’t a huge fan but they were so tight as a band that night and Ferry was on top form and I was converted! 

He’s 75 now and still tours as a solo artist and while like many of his contemporaries needs backing singers to augment the vocals, can still put on a show full of great music. While Roxy Music are effectively no more, many of the musicians used to augment the live band still form part of the solo band and he adds talented musicians to good effect. 

 This song is the title track from a solo album in 2014 and is far far better than a 69 year old should be producing. The song gets its name from Ferry’s recording studio in London and includes Niles Rodgers, Jonny Marr and Flea making the wall of sound that backs Ferry’s vocals. What I like about this track compared to the rest Ferry’s recent material this has an epic sound, you can dance to it, play it very loud and it’s also really good to drive too, but watch your speed! 

The lyrics are another of Ferry’s lost in love genre (Dance Away, Running Wild, Just Another High).

“I want a love that's never ending
Through all the thunder and the rain
But there's no sense in pretending

I know I'll never fall in love again”

One of the quirks of Ferry’s most recent career, is the number of producers and remixers who rework his material and at the bottom of this piece is a video of one of the remixes of this track which in some respects is better than the original! (Play this loud too!!)

https://youtu.be/qQOeXwQzLbk