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 Post subject: Olympia v Avonmore
PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 5:22 am 
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Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 7:23 pm
Posts: 1568
Hipsters,
W2 has been pondering the merits of our hero’s last two vocal releases.
As he oft returns to ‘Olympia’ but seldom to ‘Avonmore’ and as they are both geographically set in W14 and were released just four years apart, W2 felt that further analysis was required.
Both are good albums (Friend Ferry doesn’t do bad ones) but with the exception of the brilliant interpretation of that Robert Palmer classic
, ‘Johnny & Mary’, there is - in retrospect - something numbingly transient about ‘Avonmore’.
There isn’t anything W2 can put his finger on but it is certainly the one he plays least in the canon and one which he virtually never plays in its entirety.
Somewhat tellingly, when our hero toured in ‘14 & ‘15 tracks from the album were notably few in the set list.
Conversely ‘Olympia’ is seldom far away from W2’s turntable and is almost always invariably played in its entirety.
There is literally not a bad track on the album and even one that Windswept liked least on launch - the ubiquitously titled ‘You Can Dance’ - has grown on him.
As for the rest of it - what a bunch of stunners.
‘Me Oh My’, ‘Tender Is The Night’ & ‘Reason Or Rhyme ‘ are off the Richter scale and even the bonus tracks, ‘Whatever Gets You Thru’ The Night’ and ‘One Night’ are flat out brilliant.
In terms of criticism - yes, ‘Song To The Siren’ is a little bloated but in the scheme of the overall magnificence, that’s a small thing. Albeit it is one of W2’s favourite chansons and he was disappointed when Ferry failed to give his favourite version. Heresy he knows but Robert Plant’s take is much better.
Strangely, when it came to the tour, again tracks were thin on the ground. Windswept caught this one at Vienna’s State Opera House and although it was a great night, only ‘You Can Dance’ and ‘Alphaville’ made it onto the set list.
Bizarrely, W2 would have to wait until AEWBF before he would hear Ferry’s best song in years, ‘Reason Or Rhyme ‘ played live.
In summary : ‘Avonmore’ is good but ‘Olympia ‘ is brilliant and maybe both would have been more successful if more of their songs had been featured in tours named after them !
What thinks you learned Ferryistas ?
Salutations,
Windswept


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 Post subject: Re: Olympia v Avonmore
PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 10:39 am 
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Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:40 am
Posts: 623
Location: Merseyside
As it seems our hero has been hard at it in the studio whilst the wider world rested on its collective covid laurels, it seems an opportune moment to reflect on the albums that a new offering will supplant as his most recent work. Expectation for any new album will be high given the 8 years that have elapsed since 'Avonmore' (if we, reasonably, discount the three live albums and 'Bitter-Sweet') and given that much of the canvass previously turned to the wall has now been utilised on the two albums being discussed here.

Neither 'Olympia' nor 'Avonmore' are 'go to' BF albums for me. Both were played to death for months after their release and enjoyed enormously but are played only occasionally these days and more out of curiosity than the affection in which other albums are held. That said, revisiting them elicits fondness and warm memories because both have much to commend them.

I'd agree that 'Olympia' is the better of the pair. For me, 'Avonmore' has sadly always felt less a coherent whole and more of something cobbled together. I'm acutely aware 'cobbling together' is not within BF's gift and therefore it can only be an unintended consequence - at least in part - of the disparate periods from which the content (and vocals) are drawn. Played now, I'd reluctantly skip some tracks. 'A Special Kind Of Guy' and especially 'Lost' feel like the musical equivalent of watching paint dry. The latter, in particular, sounds like something retrieved from the 'Avalon' cutting room floor and is easily my least favourite BF track ever. Highlights are 'Loop De Li', 'Soldier Of Fortune' and 'Driving Me Wild'. I was prepared to cringe upon hearing 'Send In The Clowns', much as I still do when hearing 'Amazing Grace', but it's a fine rendition. I'd concur though that the breathy, electro and utterly understated 'Johnny and Mary' is the stand-out song. Right up there with the finest of BF's re-imaginings of other artists' work.

In my view, 'Olympia' fares far better as a 'complete' album. The archived material integrates with the new pretty much seamlessly, making for a more coherent and 'current' feel to to its entirety. There are some great tracks - 'Alphaville' oozes sophistication and 'Heartache By Numbers' is the sort of pop perfection that would undoubtedly have rewarded BF with a massive hit, back in the day when he was in the singles market. 'Shameless' is brilliant in all its many guises and, for me, 'Song To The Siren' is the definitive version much as 'Make You Feel My Love' leaves the rest - including the original - in its wake. But, as with 'Avonmore', it's the closing coupling that give 'Olympia' its crowning moments. It's a cause of some sadness to me that poignant and tender work of this calibre from such an important and influential artist is tucked away on a generally under-appreciated album. Maybe, as with 'The Bride Stripped Bare', its time will come?

'Reason Or Rhyme' and 'Tender Is The Night': magnificent and relatively unknown beyond BF's most ardent followers, but an insight into what BF is still capable of and, coming full circle, whets the appetite for what he might have to say next.


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 Post subject: Re: Olympia v Avonmore
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2022 4:04 am 
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Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 7:23 pm
Posts: 1568
UKRichard wrote:
............ Expectation for any new album will be high given the 8 years that have elapsed since 'Avonmore' (if we, reasonably, discount the three live albums and 'Bitter-Sweet') and given that much of the canvass previously turned to the wall has now been utilised on the two albums being discussed here.........

.....I'd agree that 'Olympia' is the better of the pair. For me, 'Avonmore' has sadly always felt less a coherent whole and more of something cobbled together. I'm acutely aware 'cobbling together' is not within BF's gift and therefore it can only be an unintended consequence - at least in part - of the disparate periods from which the content (and vocals) are drawn.

......... I'd concur though that the breathy, electro and utterly understated 'Johnny and Mary' is the stand-out song. Right up there with the finest of BF's re-imaginings of other artists' work.

In my view, 'Olympia' fares far better as a 'complete' album. The archived material integrates with the new pretty much seamlessly, making for a more coherent and 'current' feel to to its entirety. There are some great tracks - 'Alphaville' oozes sophistication and 'Heartache By Numbers' is the sort of pop perfection that would undoubtedly have rewarded BF with a massive hit, back in the day when he was in the singles market. 'Shameless' is brilliant in all its many guises and, for me, 'Song To The Siren' is the definitive version much as 'Make You Feel My Love' leaves the rest - including the original - in its wake. But, as with 'Avonmore', it's the closing coupling that give 'Olympia' its crowning moments. It's a cause of some sadness to me that poignant and tender work of this calibre from such an important and influential artist is tucked away on a generally under-appreciated album. Maybe, as with 'The Bride Stripped Bare', its time will come?

'Reason Or Rhyme' and 'Tender Is The Night': magnificent and relatively unknown beyond BF's most ardent followers, but an insight into what BF is still capable of and, coming full circle, whets the appetite for what he might have to say next.


Ferryistas,
Some great points from ‘UKRichard’.
Windswept agrees completely that ‘Olympia’ has the potential to be ‘The Bride Stripped Bare’ of the third phase of Bryan’s career and the thought that ‘Reason Or Rhyme” and ‘Tender Is The Night’ May herald the future has W2 indecently excited!
Salutations,
Windswept.


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 Post subject: Re: Olympia v Avonmore
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2022 8:19 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:21 pm
Posts: 390
I loved most of the lush musical production and artwork of Olympia, but Bryans voice is terribly croaky on some songs, and I'm afraid I just can't take "No face..." seriously as a lyric, it ruins the album, I know it's a cover but it's like the ancient joke about "my dog has no nose" - then how does he smell?- "terrible" !

UK Richard is spot on about Avonmore having a feel of being cobbled together, but I love every track.


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 Post subject: Re: Olympia v Avonmore
PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2022 12:16 pm 
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Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 7:23 pm
Posts: 1568
rendezvous wrote:
I loved most of the lush musical production and artwork of Olympia, but Bryans voice is terribly croaky on some songs, and I'm afraid I just can't take "No face..." seriously as a lyric, it ruins the album .......


Mes Amis,
Interesting.
W2 actually likes 'No Face, No Name, No Number'.
OK, maybe it doesn't scale the heights of some of his other interpretations but it is solid and distinctly Ferryesque. It had certainly had the appropriate amount of Ferry dust sprinkled.
With regard to his voice - W2 actually finds it very soulful and found Bryans answer to a thinly disguised question to this quite insightful.
He said; "You have to recognise there are some things you can't do anymore but there are other things you can".
His magnificent version of 'Boys & Girls' on the fabulous 'Bitter Sweet' is, in Windswept's Not So Humble Opinion, a classic example of what can still be achieved.
Salutations a tous,
W2


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 Post subject: Re: Olympia v Avonmore
PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2022 3:01 pm 
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Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2012 4:25 pm
Posts: 616
Location: Kempten
I thought I'd be the only outsider here who prefers Avonmore to Olympia but rendezvous seems to be on my side 8-) .

The only thing I disliked when I first held the Avonmore album in my hands was its cover. Black (not my colour) and a rejuvenated Bryan Ferry on it. Why :roll: ?? In the forum some of the songs had been disqualified as old stuff re-made/re-modeled but soon I discovered that I could listen to the whole album again and again. Even Send In The Clowns is a very successful cover version (IMHO). But Loop De Li, Midnight Train and Driving Me Wild are my favourite tracks.

Olympia had some songs on it I really appreciate (Song To The Siren, No Face, No Name, No Number, Whatever Gets You ... and One Night) but I didn't like the slower tracks on it. You Can Dance had an absolutely monotonous arrangement (the re-mixes were much better). Some of the songs are good Ferry standard (Alphaville, Heartaches By Numbers) but one of my favourites is the electronic version of Me Oh My. After all I must confess that I rarely listen to Olympia as a whole album - like Frantic, but that wasn't the question ;) .


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