Originally released through Virgin Records in May 1982, Avalon was Roxy Music’s eighth and final studio album. A departure from their experimental art-rock beginnings with synthesizer wizard Brian Eno, Avalon ultimately became their most successful studio release, spawning two U.K. top-20 hit singles in “More Than This” and the title track. The album eventually earned a platinum sales certification from the RIAA.
To celebrate Avalon's 20th anniversary in 2002, the original engineering team of producer Rhett Davies and mixer Bob Clearmountain were tasked with creating a 5.1 surround sound mix for the Super Audio CD edition. The 5.1 SACD remains a desert island disc for many immersive music fans–myself included–and has since become a collector’s item that’s very difficult to obtain for sensible money on the second-hand used market.
The Clearmountain/Davies 5.1 remix deconstructs-and-reconstructs Avalon all around the listener to absolutely stunning effect, with key instrumentation like Andy Mackay's saxophone and Phil Manzanera's guitar often placed in the rear speakers. The album’s multi-dimensional soundscapes and otherworldly textures made it a perfect candidate for the multichannel format.
Having the opportunity to remix Avalon was a little scary at first. I am usually against any remixes of "classic" records as the originals always seem to capture a time and place in your mind that somehow gets lost in the remixes. But when Sony approached me about remixing the album in 5.1 surround, I felt it would be possible to create something new that would not detract from the original stereo mixes but would provide a new dimension in which to explore.
Bob and I decided that we would use the "surround" to place instruments and effects than than just create an "ambience" and when we opened up the multitracks we realized how well the original recordings suited this approach. It seemed to us that Avalon was just waiting for 5.1 to come along!
Rhett Davies, 2003
Clearmountain would go on to complete dozens more 5.1 surround mixes in the ensuing years, both for then-contemporary records like The Indigo Girls’ All That We Let In (2004) and Mary Fahl’s From The Dark Side Of The Moon (2005) as well as old classics like Bob Marley and The Wailers' Legend (1984) and The Band’s Music From Big Pink (1969).
In 2005, he and Davies joined forces again to work on a 5.1 mix of Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry’s 1985 solo album Boys and Girls–a spiritual sequel to Avalon that featured a who’s-who of rock royalty, including Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, and Chic's Nile Rodgers.
With the newfound ubiquity of Dolby Atmos music in the 2020s, Clearmountain has gone back and revisited many of his past 5.1 projects in the new format–including the aforementioned Big Pink as well as The Band’s 1969 self-titled ‘brown’ album, which he first remixed in both stereo and 5.1 for its 50th anniversary in 2019. Now, he and Rhett Davies have reconvened once more to bring Avalon into the realm of immersive audio.
Having become very familiar with the 5.1 remix of Avalon over years of listening to the SACD, I was surprised to find that there are some notable differences between it and the new Atmos interpretation. Though the addition of the side surround and overhead channels in a 7.1.4 system certainly opens up new creative possibilities beyond standard six-speaker surround sound, it's also worth noting that–as revealed to me by Clearmountain at the MixLA Immersive Music Production Conference this past March–the new Atmos mix has been completely rebuilt using high-resolution digital transfers of the original multitrack tapes.
The analog masters were said to be deteriorating at the time the 5.1 mix was done, necessitating the use of copies that had been backed up on Sony digital open-reel tapes. Additionally, multitracks for the instrumental piece "India" could not be located–Clearmountain and Davies cleverly managed to get around this by slowly moving the stereo mix around the 360-degree environment. The SACD also included a 5.1 mix of "Always Unknowing" (B-side to the title track), but that song oddly has not been given the immersive treatment this time around.
Whereas much of the core instrumentation (drums, bass, lead vocal, solos) was dispersed fairly-evenly across the left, right, and center speakers in the 5.1 mix, the duo have instead opted to more aggresively focus those parts in the center channel for the new Atmos version. Similarly, elements that previously appeared in the rear speakers–Phil Manzanera’s guitar, Andy Mackay’s sax, backing vocals, keyboards, and time-based effects like reverb or delay–are now spread out across the side, rear, and height channels.
The main thing I found when I went back and re-listened to Avalon in 5.1 was I spread Bryan Ferry's lead vocal across all three front speakers, and I don't do that so much anymore. Instead, I'd focus it more in the center speaker and use a divergence where there's a little bit in the left and right so it's not totally isolated.
Bob Clearmountain, 2021
“More Than This” kicks off with the iconic guitar phrase spread across the front speakers, with keyboards quickly filling out the back while Manzanera’s guitar in the left side speaker trades off with Mackay’s sax over to the right. Said opening guitar line instead appeared mostly from behind in the old 5.1 mix, along with some tom-tom strikes that now reside upfront with the rest of the drum kit.
Percussion fills out the sides for “The Space Between,” with Mackay’s sax pushed out into the left rear speaker. Keys take the left side, while the echoey backing vocals towards the end appear firmly in the rear surrounds. Percussion, keys, and guitar playfully call-and-respond from different quadrants during the intro to “Avalon.” Andy Mackay’s sax solo owns the right rear speaker, while Yanick Étienne’s backing vocals hover over the listener’s left shoulder.
The short instrumental segue “India” is easily the most-improved track in Atmos, as it’s now presented as a true remix from the multitrack tapes rather than a manipulation of the stereo master. The synthesizer gracefully rotates around the height array, with keyboards filling up the front stage, guitars in the sides, and percussion in the rear. The bass guitar and handclaps at the end appear firmly planted in the center channel.
Editor's Note: Due to the absence of the original multitrack tapes, a 5.1 mix of "India" was achieved by creatively panning the original 1982 stereo master around the 360-degree environment (as visualized above). Fortunately, said multitracks were located for the new Dolby Atmos mix–finally allowing for a genuine surround remix of that song.
Andy Mackay’s sax at the beginning of “While My Heart Is Still Beating” starts in the right side speaker before quickly jumping over to the left to make way for Phil Manzanera’s guitar. The cavernous reverb and delay on Bryan Ferry’s voice fills up the side and rear surround speakers, while the backwards guitar sound at around 1:30 floats around the height array.
Handclaps from the front stage kick off “The Main Thing,” with the drums soon arriving from the center speaker and Manzanera’s guitar filling out the sides. Backing vocals appear from behind during the chorus, along with guitar blasts that bounce between left rear and right rear channels. Towards the end, Mackay’s sax pops up in the right rear speaker.
The long instrumental intro to “Take A Chance With Me”–my personal favorite track–offers some of the best surround interplay on the album, with percussion, sax, guitar, and keys alternating from different quadrants to breathtaking effect. When the full band kicks in at around 1:20, the power and 'punch' in Andy Newmark's drums is palpable. Manzanera’s guitar fills from the left side speaker call-and-respond with Ferry’s voice from the center channel, while layers of synthesizer fill up the back of the room.
Editor's Note: The original Bob Clearmountain/Rhett Davies 5.1 remix of Avalon was released on Super Audio CD (pictured above) in 2003. The duo's new Dolby Atmos mix, released in August 2024, is currently exclusive to streaming services that support immersive audio such as Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music.
Percussion from the center in “To Turn You On” gives way to keyboards that span the side and rear channels. Manzanera’s guitar hovers directly beside the listener on the left side, with Kermit Moore’s cello balancing things out from the right. Mackay’s sax flares from the right rear speaker for “True To Life,” while the ‘wobbly’ processed vocals burst from the side surrounds.
Avalon then concludes with “Tara,” as synths fade in from the rear and the ocean sound effects take up residence in the heights. Interestingly, this is the only track on the album that makes minimal use of the center channel. Mackay’s sax appears upfront using the front ‘phantom center’ rather than the actual center speaker.
Going up against arguably one of the best-ever 5.1 remixes of a classic album is an unenviable task, but Clearmountain and Davies have amazingly managed to outdo their past work. The only disappointment is that the new Atmos mix is exclusive to streaming services, rather than available via TrueHD download or Blu-Ray disc. That said–even in its current lossy streaming incarnation, this Dolby Atmos mix is simply outstanding and a must-hear for immersive music fans.
