Bryan Ferry - Frantic

he lookd gud

Though it sounds like his voice might be beginning to slip a bit? Maybe age has finally crept up. Still quite listenable throughout, though, hopefully he can churn out a few more of quality...

He's playing Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh on Saturday, perhaps i should have a peer over the railings and check it out.

ust to be mean, I'm playing "Bete Noir" now and – wow. It's the difference between grabbing a hairbrush to lipsynch Julio Iglesias in front of the bathroom mirror and humming a song while sitting at the very last table in a hotel lounge.

I'll be among the few who has something nice to say about the Dave Stewart tracks - the vocal melody on "Goddess of Love" is really quite lovely and inventive.

Bryan Ferry "Don't Think Twice" > Mike Ness "Don't Think Twice"
The Church "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" > Bryan Ferry "Hiroshima, Mon Amour"

The problem with this comparison is that they both sound fun.

"The problem with this comparison is that they both sound fun."

I'm doing both this weekend – a wedding!

Hey, Ned, I just read your "Bete Noir" review: you're OTM on "Kiss & Tell." I have a soft spot for "The Name of the Game," at least the part before the chorus kicks in.

Ain't that the truth.

Yay!

Hey, Ned, I just read your "Bete Noir" review: you're OTM on "Kiss & Tell."

I completely forgot what I said!

"Frantic" was a much improved LP, even though his voice had become smokier after..... uhh..... having given up cigarettes.

Still waiting on a new Ferry/Roxy album this year/2006. Odds on which comes out first??

In hospital. May have suffered a heart attack:

http://www.factmag.com/2011/04/06/bryan-ferry-seriously-ill-in-hospital/

Official statement just sent out: "Bryan Ferry has left hospital following a 24 hour period of routine observation and tests. All is well and he will be touring his 'Olympia' solo album commencing on April 19."

Phew.

oh hi i really like this album

Frantic was def an unexpected blast of (comparative) fresh air as far as Ferry records go.
Not classic, but waaaaaay better than it was likely to be. Still enjoy it.

http://thequietus.com/articles/16665-bryan-ferry-interview

I've only just discovered how amazing I Thought is. My favourite Ferry song and one of my all-time favourites by anyone is Just Another High and incredibly, this songs touches similar ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4HSj8IR8GE

The chintziness of the organ preset is part of the charm -- it sounds like one of Ferry's beloved musical idols, beaming in from the ether to this island earth.

I've found a live version on youtube which is 5-10 bpm faster and it largely kills the mood, sadly. Guess they didn't think it would go over live well at the original tempo. It really does sound like it could have been written in 1975 though

Has either Ferry or Eno discussed this song much in any interviews? I can't help but think that Eno simply handed over the outro chords from The True Wheel, which make up 90% of the song

"I Thought" is phenomenal. The rest of this album doesn't do much for me. Too many upfront guitars and shuffly breakbeats. I guess I prefer hazy and overproduced, singing-in-a-barely-enunciated-whisper solo Ferry.

Also much prefer this mix of "Hiroshima". Ups the mystery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VuSJ1VZfNU

Cruel is the standout track on this for me

I had never heard this before picking up a $2 cd yesterday to fill in my collection and it’s… okay? It’s more energetic than his 80s/90s stuff, but none of the covers did much for me, and the originals didn’t grab me on first listen except for “I Thought.” I’ll spend more time with it though.

yeah the covers are whatever (which is usually the case with Ferry IMO) but the originals on this album are great, particularly 'Cruel'

oh I guess that was the last comment on this thread before the revive

The Dylan covers seem perfunctory, like Dylanesque leftovers. I was surprised this album came first. And he has a way of plopping an (imo) unnecessary “Carrickfergus” or “Amazing Grace” in the midst of things that disrupt the flow for me. On this one it’s “Goodnight Irene.” I’ll focus more on the originals next listen.

The "One Way Live" cover is magnificent; it complements "IThought." When he sings, "Take it from me, I know what I say" it's a big friendly aural wink.

"Love"

I don’t know “One Way Love” at all so that one slid right by me.

The opening “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” positively *blasts* out of the speakers/headphones. It has a delightfully energetic late period Ferry vocal (perhaps his last) and a honking harmonica solo. I have absolutely no idea what all this “perfunctory” business is all about.

Also Chris Spedding IIRC

Yeah, it's one of his greatest covers.

This for me is his best post-70s release - his Heathen.
I like the Dylan covers on this better than any on Dylanesque. Maybe "Don't Think Twice" tied with "Gates of Eden".

Certainly leading off with "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" is one of the worst sequencing decisions of all time

It's a bold move that plays off - "let's start from the ending and see where we can go from there".

Cruel is the standout track on this for me

It's good, especially since it features his first lyric that isn't based on romance/"the high life" since Manifesto, maybe?

things that disrupt the flow for me. On this one it’s “Goodnight Irene.”

A friend suggested the best way to appreciate this was to imagine Ferry singing it in denim overalls in the middle of a pigsty.

Don't like "Goddess of Love" or "One Way Love", sorry Dave Stewart.