John Lennon once said that Glam rock is just rock’n’roll with lipstick. In the case of this last album from the pioneers of Glam rock, the entire make-up is missing, let alone the lipstick. And the resulting music is lush, poetic and mellow compared to their earlier edgy and quirkily ostentatious work. It is a dignified exit by a band who experimented hard to give new sounds to the world of music. Avalon is about ageing gracefully.

The LP takes off with More Than This, the dreamy love song with a simple chord pattern (G C Am D), fluid lyrics and trademark Bryan Ferry’s suave vocals, setting the mood for the album. It has been covered by many artistes over the years including a sultry jazzy version by Norah Jones. Next track, the slightly peppy The Space Between is where the guitarist Phil Manzanera shows his skills.

Then comes the title track, where the dream continues into a late night of seduction, ‘Now the party’s over/I’m so tired/Then I see you coming/Out of nowhere’. It’s one word chorus, mesmerizing vocals of both Ferry and Haitian singer Yanick Etienne and Andy Mackay’s saxophone, makes it one of the most haunting after-party affair.

The rest of the album follows the best laid plans of the dreamy charm with a few tracks appearing more charming than others. Noticeable ones being While My Heart Is Still Beating (last track, Side One) and Take A Chance With Me (second track, Side Two).

The album contains some of vocalist Bryan Ferry's strongest song-writing (and singing) to date and perhaps that’s the reason behind its mellow nature. In the words of Manzanera,"I think Bryan decided he wanted a more adult type of lyric. We were making music that was a bit rockier, but then we decided — in light of the way Bryan was thinking lyrically — that we should tone it down, so it ended up having a more constant sort of mood. And although that mood wasn't very up and rocky, it was positive."

To the hard-core glam-rock era fan of the band, this album is a let-down, but over years it has garnered immense appreciation and labels like ‘make-out inferno’. As for me, give me Roxy Music in any avatar, with or without the lipstick.

Year: 1982 Genre: Art Rock, Sophisticated Pop (If I can use that term) Duration: 37:31 Label: EG. Records / Polydor Producer: Rhett Davies and Roxy Music

Rating: ****

Meraj Hasan is a Mumbai based communication professional (and an amateur poet/musician) with a passion for listening to music the vinyl way. His 25 year old Technics turntable along with a humble collection of LPs across genres like Classic rock, Classical, Blues and Jazz (amongst others) are his prized possessions.

He can be reached at +91 9833410791 or email: meraj.hasan@gmail.com .