Avalon, released in 1982, was Roxy Music's eighth and last studio album; it is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of the band's later work. It was a commercial success, reaching number one in the UK and staying on the album charts for over a year; a single, "More Than This," was also a Top 10 hit in Britain and other European countries. The same song was also a minor hit in the US, especially on the college radio circuit.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 307 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It is one of four Roxy Music albums that made the list (Siren, For Your Pleasure and Country Life being the others).

The lush arrangements and synthesizer drenched sound of Avalon later found its way onto Bryan Ferry's solo follow-up album Boys and Girls (1985).

"The Main Thing", an album track from Avalon, was also used in a 2006 television advertisement for the Vauxhall Vectra, which was based around football and featured Pierluigi Collina. Pianos were added to the track in the advertisement version