Bryan Ferry And Other Music Faves.*

I love Bryan’s solo career but I would love to hear a final Roxy Music album. That one album that Manzanera and various band members on various tracks was as close as we got.

 

I have this as an additional track on the Japanese single release for one of his solo songs. It was written by Ferry with Eddie Jobson and features Jobson with Fripp.

 

Welcome to the forum

Love Roxy - well “Manifesto” is pushing it

Kick myself I didn’t fly up east and see them in 2002?

The Live at the Apollo blu-ray captures it well.

Was able to see Bryan and his group do a faithful and moving set featuring many Roxy tunes last year.

If you listen to cds the Complete RM 2012 box set is a must
impeccably mastered

 

Welcome to SHF!

Never witnessed Ferry solo although I did attend a handful of 1970s Roxy shows & all but 1 was great...

My top 5 preferences in order...

1.Roxy Music / Stranded
2.Roxy Music / For Your Pleasure
3.Roxy Music / Country Life
4.The Bride Stripped Bare
5.These Foolish Things

 

Damn, off topic & here we go again, BF is #4 lol...

1.Hendrix / AATW
2.Johnny Winter / Hwy 61 Revisited
3.Manfred Mann's Earth Band / Please Mrs Henry
4.Bryan Ferry / AHRGF

 

Wow! Thank you.

 

I've not seen this thread til now but a (very, very) belated welcome to @ForeverAmber! One of my longer posts, sorry, but when the opportunity arise, I like to reminisce and give my impressions of some of his/their great body of work...

Felt I had to say that Bryan and Roxy music really is the first music I remember loving. Of course, it would have been his voice that got my attention and it was via songs I heard on single like Streetlife, Virginia Plain, Pyjamarama and Let's Stick Together. The last one of those is perhaps what he is still best known for and I can never get bored hearing it! So simple yet fantastic production - nothing over the top but some nice touches and the one note harmonic 'riff' is genius. The LP of this, my eldest brother had on cassette (actually he'd used the low-tech method of putting his tape recorded next to the speakers of his record player!) I remember being in bed with the flu and I must have worn the thing out... can't have been older than 7.

Plenty of records at home but anything more than a few months old barely got a look in by anyone but me. I'd be curious about the b-sides and I discovered some weird and wonderful stuff as well as the occasional album track (when these LPs were not present in either of my brother's collections... they are both a fair bit older than me.) It was decades before I heard Roxy's s/t debut and that is my favourite of theirs - has been for a long time, funnily along with Avalon! For solo, it has to be The Bride Stripped Bare - one of the first records I was given as a gift and I couldn't be without it now. There was talk of it being a double - I'm not sure how I'd feel about it but am a little skeptical it would have been lumped in with those 'classic doubles' of the 1970s. Could have been altogether quite bleak!

The first album I remember being released was Roxy's Manifesto - exciting to see the promotional material plastered all over the walls of a music shop I was visiting... I'd not enough money for it although I could have asked for it for Christmas but then things moved so fast back then and it's one of my favourite eras for music (a certain band called Madness were just gaining recognition for example...) but I was able to get the singles released from it. When I got round to getting a copy, it wasn't quite as I expected but it grew on me and is certainly a good indication of where there were going musically, next (Flesh And Blood certainly has its moments but I feel it all came together for Avalon - and I do like the 'slick' stuff... his Boys And Girls and Bete Noir albums being particular favourites of mine.)

Everything I've heard him release in recent years has been great too - all worthwhile for all but the casual fan IMO but like everything, some albums are more memorable than others.

And... I'm really glad he is still active.

 

As a massive Hendrix fan... I have to say that 'Watchtower' is really all about the guitar for me (oh and that intro!)

But Ferry's voice on A Hard Rain gets me every time and for I long time I only heard the single edit on Street Life - 20 Great Hits (which has been recommended for SQ on this forum many a time.) Then I got a copy of his first solo album and didn't know or expect there to be the longer cut - wow! Some are not a fan of the sound effects on it which I can understand but I've not problem with them and they make it a bit different IMO.

 

This the b-side to the single 'This Is Tomorrow'... the uploader got the date out by two years (should be '77) and so is a 'bonus' that really could/should have been on the In My Mind album. Great album but this would have made it even greater IMO.

 

As a Roxy fan since 1973, I’m loving the new live ‘74 album, vinyl and cd. Had to buy the cd as it has a booklet of photos not included in the vinyl set.

 

I have to say that I love the sound effects on "Hard Rain" - first time I heard them, I laughed harder than I ever have since, I think - and at the same time, it's a great version of the song, not merely a joke. I still can't wait till to hear the SFX when they turn up on a replay.

 

Great stuff! Just ordered the 45 with picture sleeve for only $3.00!

 

I picked up the This Is Tomorrow 45 recently too. Just a UK pressing with a Polydor company sleeve. As The World Turns is a well buried gem.

 

I always thought that must have been one of his better-selling singles... surprised how many times I've seen it in charity shops, including with the centre punched out for jukebox play. Worth seeking out folks and should be fairly easy to obtain!

 

I've seen it a few times. It was a top ten hit I think. I could do with a better copy. It looks great but has the dreaded groovewear, mostly on the A side though.

 

It gets a bit loud and distorts at times - especially during the guitar solo on This Is Tomorrow. I've had a few copies and it's been quite bad on some. Not the same as groove wear but I would go for a copy that looks as new as possible for that reason. And you want the b-side to be as pristine as well, of course.

Here's a link to his UK single chart placings and you were SO close! BRYAN FERRY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company I thought top 20, somewhere around 17 but then I was even further off with Let's Stick Together - I rather strangely thought the reissue/remix from 1988 got to #1 but none of his singles did. Must have been used in an advert on TV and that was usually a dead cert to get you to the top of the charts, especially if it was an 'oldie.' Only Roxy's Jealous Guy (which I remember very well from that miserable winter of 1981 - great music in the charts though) managed that but a few others were not far off.

 

Well I guess I am late, but welcome to the forum lol

Roxy Music are excellent from first to last. Ferry solo has done some excellent stuff.

I always loved his version of Jealous Guy

 

A very heartfelt and to my mind, easily the best tribute cover of one of JL's songs. Like the extended guitar solo/instrumental at the end - lovely touch.

This has reminded me of something. From the Let's Stick Together album (originally a US-only release along with a 4 track UK EP containing 4 cover versions, this being one):



Nice vocal performance, again from Bryan and I had the delight years later to find it is a Beatles song! He was clearly a fan as he recorded You Won't See Me on his debut which followed fairly soon after Roxy's debut as well. Lennon famously said this was one of his own worst songs but I've always been a fan.

 

The copy of This Time Tomorrow I have does look near new and does sound distorted during the guitar solo too. I think the B-side is near perfect.

 

Totally agree

 

I'd not be surprised if finding an undistorted one is a near-impossibility. Can't say I've heard one. But at least it should be a lot better on the In Your Mind LP. It's also on the 1988 Bryan Ferry - The Ultimate Collection With Roxy Music compilation (not aware of any later than that where it features - a few of BF/RM Best Ofs in the collection is sufficient I feel... ) but that's a good collection which only has 6 songs in common with Streetlife: 20 Great Hits and there are 15 on TUC. Either or preferably both are worth picking up by a newbie if they only know and like some of the hits so far and these should still be found very cheap. Released quite close together but on different labels may explain things. The Ultimate is pre-loudness wars/no-noise and so sounds fine as far as I remember and has that remix of Let's Stick Together - should anyone have a need for it.

 

Typically savvy to choose 65-66 for his Beatles covers

 

Also his best selling album (x3 platinum)..

 

I think their best period. Although I thought he did more than what's been mentioned so far and yes, there is She's Leaving Home in 1976 which was a single and on the various artists 'soundtrack' album to All This And World War 2. 1967 but only fairly early in the year when recorded. His version was a big favourite as well in my young years (again, the only one I'd heard at that point, I have to say) and although I'd doubt anyone would prefer Bryan's version, it is a respectable cover and there can't really be much you can do to change it musically anyway. His backing/harmony vocals are the highpoint for me these days.

(Going OT for a moment, for those who don't know it, the film soundtrack to the film is decent for what it is - mostly well-known rock/pop stars of the time and probably the best thing on there is Elton John's Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. Highly likely in fact! But the film is just a montage of b/w 'newsreels' and looks a bit too random to be relevant to the music featured although I remember at least two TV showings over here in the 80s.)