Cher India,
Bravo - I think you are the voice of reason.
I've long thought that the constant Ferry bashing within the context of Roxy Music and the non existent 9th album to be a tad bizarre.
Surely even the most devoted "First Four Album" boa lover must by now understand that talented as the other band members are, their leader now prefers to work in another way.
When I reflect on the 2011 tours, although I enjoyed them both enormously, there was a frisson in "Olympia" that I didn't find in "FYP" and it's all to do with the dynamic in the band - the joy of playing together and all being on the same page - and that's Ferry's page in a very long and exciting book!
Regards,
Windswept

I, for one, am not Ferry bashing just cos I'm boa a lover. My objection is the way the Ferry camp painted Olympia as some sort of Roxy reunion and tried to promote the album on the back of that. My own personal view was that Ferry slightly used the 2005/6 sessions for his own advantage and at the end of the day Rhett Davies, TGPT, PM, AM and Chris Thomas all had good words to say about the material that was recorded in one way or another. Ferry didn't but what really stopped it, IMHO, was that Ferry, who I think is one of Rock's greatest lyricists, has a writer's block that has lasted from Mamouna up to the present day with the odd exception - see JOB's list.

As for FYP vs Olympia tours - there was far more frission on the Roxy gigs in my view simply because of the material played, although I think Ferry's shows were among the best of his solo career.

I think the whole thing is rather sad.

Yeah, "sad" is the word, "sad, sad, sad", - "sadder" than we realize.

Monsieur Le Freak & Monsieur Richard,
Don't be sad. We have TJA, a new album promised for next year and a new tour - what more could any self respecting Ferryista ask for - apart from a complementary visit to Anderson & Sheppard?
Maybe our hero is not producing the volume of songs that he once did - most songsmiths seem to peak in their 30s - but the quality is still there. For me, "Reason Or Rhyme" and "Tender Is The Night" are up there with his best.
Also, as he said recently, he doesn't just want to repeat himself and yes, it does get more difficult as time marches on.
That said I think the well is fare from dry.
Be Happy, Christmas is coming and my bow tie has arrived!
Regards,
Windswept

Well, I guess I am not a Ferryista. But I am a Roxyista and that is quite a different thing. Ferry is a significant and important artist, but is he The Great Man whose ever action (or lack thereof) is to be celebrated and revered? No.

Windswept is right. There is nothing to be sad about - quite the opposite. Our hero is approaching 70 and he is still making music and concerts.
Some of you sentimental fools never seem to get that Bryan wrote all the early Roxy songs.
I also found the Olympia tour far more vibrant than FYP. It`s good to have Paul T. on drums, though.

I think only some of his songs have reached something similar to "Roxy standard" during his post Avalon solo years. Those are:

1) Windswept
2) Is Your Love Strong Enough?
3) Kiss And Tell
4) The Right Stuff
5) I Put A Spell On You
6) Because You`re Mine
7) Your Painted Smile
8) Mamouna
9) I`m In The Mood For Love
10) Nobody Loves Me
11) Ja Nun Hons Pris
12) Hiroshima...
13) San Simeon
14) I Thought
15) The Times They Are A-Changing
16) You Can Dance
17) Song To The Siren
18) Reason Or Rhyme
19) Whatever Gets You Through The Night
20) One Night

What about:

Slave to Love
Don't Stop the Dance
Bette Noir
Zamba
Goddess of Love
Make you Feel My Love
Alphaville
Tender is the Night

I could go on ...

I think this depends very much on what you are measuring against. If the benchmark is set at Roxy's low point (i.e. the last 3 albums) then there are many post Avalon BF tracks that measure up. However, if you are comparing against the first 4 albums (or 5 at a stretch) then nothing comes close

I know it's only a matter of opinion, but I fail to see how Avalon can be considered a low point.