Cher Lori,
Rest assured that your enthusiasm for all things Ferry will ensure your immortality in this hallowed cyber hall.
As has been said on multiple occasions, Roxology is a broad church and all styles are definitely served here.
Nobody is perfect and even Windswept has been guilty of flirtations with the likes of Caro Emerald and Paloma Faith. That said, your situation with these ne'er-do-wells is much more serious and he wishes you a speedy recovery.
Regarding the gestation period pertaining to songs, Windswept is with you. How long they take is immaterial. It's the quality that counts. It took The High Priest Of Pathos 40 years to finish 'Born In Chains' and it's an absolute stonker!
Back to the album, isn't it great that our hero has started to include tracks from the new album into his set list?
a bien tôt,
Windswept

Thanks JOB for your post. I think I am one of those who has been a bit fed up with BF over the past 10 years or so. Most of this centres around the Roxy debacle back in 2006 and the "selling of Olympia" as some sort of Roxy Reunion.

I have listened to a few snippets from Avonmore but will reserve my judgement until I buy the new album - probably CD and download.

I think my essential problem with BFs solo output is I believe there is a much higher standard of material dying to get out.

He (with Roxy) produced some of the best and most creative music ever made by a British band and I include Avalon in that. The first five albums go with out saying but I believe Avalon was the perfect 1982 remodelling of the first album and the whole Roxy sound.

Since then BF has been just remodelling that Avalon sound and feel and I just wish he would move on from it. There will never be another Avalon.

I loved Taxi, parts of ATGB and I Thought by the way

I just think he could do better and hope that Avonmore will be a firm step forward.

Cheers

XXXXXXX

I wouldn`t be surprised if many non-fans think there is something cold and monotonous `bout his music. Roxy was so different. They like Elton, Celin Dion and many of those big names, but Bryan? , no...
Let`s hope Avonmore will be a step forward towards granting him new fans!

Elegantly Ageing Hipsters,
Perceptive observations from great Scott.
Windswept shares the angst for a de-luxe version. His enjoyment of some recent releases (Olympia & Nuits de Fourviere) was greatly enhanced by the luxurious extras. They make up, in a small way, for the like of vinyl in the Windswept maison.
Certainly an interpretation of 'Move Closer' would be most welcome and a full length bar room version of 'MTT' would be blissful. As would another 'making of DVD'.
Indeed, pondering the future and in keeping with many like minded Ferryistas and even a couple of ne'er do wells, Windswept hopes for a stripped album with new arrangements of Ferry classics. Our hero is doubtless tampering with things whilst he is on the road and maybe this would allow such a project to come to fruition quickly( as did Dylanesque) and may even allow his new band to make a studio contribution.
toutes mes salutations,
Windswept

I'll be seeing BF in concert a week from now, and I will be buying Avonmore in November. But I'm not inclined to be super excited by the new album.

I've listened to Loop De Li several times on youtube and, as WS2 has previously observed, it's good but not great. The verse sounds a lot like New York City and the chorus brings to mind Goddess of Love from Frantic. LDL is not without its charms, but is nonetheless rather formulaic.

But what I really find irksome is that Avonmore only includes 10 songs, including a Sondheim cover and the Todd Terje version of Johnny and Mary that has already been released. In total in clocks in at about 43 minutes including the Send/Clowns and Johnny/Mary. If the latter two tracks are excluded the roster drops down to 8 tunes featuring only a little over 30 minutes of music. Hmmm. This seems pretty skimpy to me given the sonic capacity of CDs.

It's been four years since Olympia. And now we get a rather parsimonious pastiche of 10 songs.

Some posters appear to be happy with whatever BF casts our way from his bunker/studio in Olympia. But to me, Avonmore seems rather thin, especially in light of the fact that there isn't even a deluxe cd version with bonus tracks.

An open letter to DCJ et al.

What is wrong with you guys? So you've heard 3/4 tracks of the new album and you're criticising it already. I get it that Loop de Li is not an earth-shattering opening track for Avonmore, though I suspect it's a grower and will sound better in album context.

I also get it that Avonmore seems rushed out and cobbled together and has a dodgy title , but Ferry has been very busy with a world tour ( 2 tours really , last years and this current one).

And he's kept his profile right up there - the Hyde Park proms last year, orchestra in Dublin, Glastonbury, numerous festivals around the world.

I liked Olympia - it's a coda of an artist doing new things and remaining relevant.
As an aside, I'd rather the artwork on Olympia had been darker, or a better reflection of the mood of the album. An odd thing to say perhaps, but I think he/they got in wrong with using the Moss cover. We all know how crucial the cover art is for Ferry - one glance at all of the Roxy Music covers will remind you of this. The Ferry canon, after Mamouna, has not looked so good.

There was also a fine remix set with Olympia , and the work he has done with Todd Terje subsequently, shows that he's still prepared to develop ideas , possibly with the assistance of his sons.

The Jazz Age may not have sold well but it was well-received critically, both as a reminder of his considerable career output and as, simply , an authentic jazz record.

And I , like many others on here, eagerly anticipate Avonmore. I feel sure that when it is issued, none of us will be disappointed.
Yes, a lot is us are fan boys, but hopefully, with critical faculties intact.
erm , I don't like the corporate junkets , MCC cricket club - is that really happening?

I feel sure that most people won't like it . Look at all the moaning about Olympia and this sounds, on snippet listen, more dated. I didn't mind Olympia - well the key songs ... Some of the fillers were incredibly dull - and I loved The Jazz age , probably because it hadn't been recorded 20 years before !! Loop de Li is a non event ... If America is calling it 'New Wavey' then you know there's a problem ...

Cher avolon_eyes,
If Monsieur Windswept is one of the "et al", he wishes to assure you that to the best of his knowledge, nothing is wrong with him and he continues to be a devout Ferryista.
Furthermore, his excitement cup continues to runneth over in anticipation of November 17th.
That said, this doesn't prevent him or other free forum spirits expressing opinion — with or without the help of Kool Aid- and the fact that we are starting to see songs, track listings and artwork allows us to do that in an informed way.
With regard to Loop de Li, DJC makes a great point. It does indeed sound like a hybrid of NYC and Goddess Of Love. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. It has some nice guitar work and has a nice noir feel to it. It is however IWNSHO a good song not a great song. This doesn't reduce his hope for the album. As previously mentioned, 'You Can Dance' was not his favourite track but overall, he liked 'Olympia' a lot. Particularly numbers like 'Alphaville', 'Tender Is The Night', and the fabulous 'Reason Or Rhyme'.
Following 'Olympia' we had the amazing 'Jazz Age' and the triumph that were AEWBF and BFWS so there has indeed been a lot to celebrate.
The issue for Ferryistas is that our hero's output is so diverse that Roxologists have their own favourites but isn't that the fun of the forum and with the odd exception most criticisms are well made.
May your Ferry go with you,
Windswept.

One thing that Bryan could have done, which may have pleased more people, was to release a DVD/CD set at the same time of the 'An Evening With....' tour.

Probably not good from a marketing perspective given that it may take some focus away from the new album but I think it may have proved a lot more popular with some fans. If he is to release it though I just hope he does it soon as the Lyon DVD was out a couple of years after the show.

I'm from the younger generation of Roxy/Ferry fans (31 years old) and am just happy that he's still releasing music and touring. It will never hit the heights of past albums/songs but at least he is releasing music which still sounds fresh and significant. I was in my early teens when I first got into Roxy/Ferry and thought that I would never get the chance to see him - then along came the 'As Time Goes By' album/tour. Since then I've seen numerous solo/Roxy concerts around the world and had some great times - hopefully there's still some more to come before the great man calls it a day!

Can i just say that I'll be loop de loo , loop de li and cock a hoop if there is even one song as nuanced, hypnotic and emotional as Reason or Rhyme on this new album. Reason or Rhyme is all i listen to from Olympia ...the rest have dwindled into the ether. One of my most hated songs on the extra track thingy Olympia was the Elvis cover - One night , and i worry that snippet wise quite a few Avonmore songs might be like that ...