Category: SACD

Title: Bryan Ferry – The Bride Stripped Bare (1978) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2015]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

When Jerry Hall, front-cover model on Roxy’s Siren, left Ferry for Mick Jagger, his response was this interesting album, not a full success but by no means a washout. In part Ferry returned to the model of his solo work before In Your Mind, with half the tracks being covers of rock and soul classics. Thus, Sam and Dave’s “Hold On (I’m Coming),” Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” (which arguably sounds like a strong influence on Talking Heads’ near contemporaneous version) and even the Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On,” among others, take a bow. Unfortunately Ferry’s backing performers, mostly drawing on studio pros like Waddy Wachtel, don’t seem to have the real affinity for the material like his earlier solo-effort cohorts did. If anything, though, there’s also the sense of Ferry channeling his romantic gloom through a number of the songs, giving them a strong personal bite. The guitar and bass-only version of the traditional folk tune “Carrickfergus” works best of all, its lovelorn sentiments and slow pace connecting just right. As for Ferry’s originals, his sentiments are all the more clear, right from the abbreviated charge of the opening “Sign of the Times,” its fractured sentiments of disturbed, vicious romance matched by the clipped punch of the music and Ferry’s own brisk delivery. The other originals don’t cut quite so bloodily, but the sense of loss and confusion is all there, from the opening line “Well I rush out blazin’/My pulse is racin’” on “Can’t Let Go” to the lonely sense of mystery on “This Island Earth,” the album’s conclusion.

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Title: Bryan Ferry – In Your Mind (1977) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2015]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

With Roxy Music set aside for the time being, Ferry took the solo plunge with an album of totally original material. As such, the underrated In Your Mind makes a logical follow-on from Roxy’s Siren, especially since usual suspects — Thompson, Manzanera, Wetton, and many more — assist him in the brief eight-song effort. While lacking early Roxy’s long-gone freakouts In Your Mind still burns more fiercely than both the later solo and group albums, at least on certain tracks – like Siren, it balances between rockier and smoother paths, most often favoring the former. Ferry’s lyrics remain in his own realm of intelligent, romantic dissipation, and are some of his best efforts. The strong opener “This Is Tomorrow” starts with Ferry and keyboards before moving into a big, chugging full band arrangement and a wistful chorus: “This is tomorrow callin’/Wish you were here.” When Ferry aims for a calmer mood, rather than stripped-down melancholia, he lets everyone play along. Sometimes the arrangements almost swamp the songs, but “One Kiss’” combination of female backing vocals, sax, and straight-up rock for instance, make it a great woozy, end-of-the-night singalong before the bars close. There are a few blatant misfires — “Tokyo Joe” has the chugging, dark funk/rock beat down cold, but the lyrics play around too much with Asian stereotypes (and let’s not mention the opening gong and all too obvious attempts at “atmosphere” via the strings). On balance, though, In Your Mind remains the secret highlight of Ferry’s musical career, an energetic album that would have received far more attention as a full Roxy release.

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Title: Bryan Ferry – Let’s Stick Together (1976) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2015]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

As Roxy approached its mid- to late-’70s hibernation, Ferry came up with another fine solo album, though one of his most curious. With Thompson and Wetton joined by U.K. journeyman guitarist Chris Spedding, Ferry recorded an effort that seemed as much of a bit of creative therapy as it was music for its own sake. On the one hand, he followed the initial formula established for his solo work, looking back to earlier rock, pop, and soul classics with gentle gusto. The title track itself, a cover of the fluke Wilbert Harrison ’60s hit, scored Ferry a deserved British hit single, with great sax work from Chris Mercer and Mel Collins and a driving, full band performance. Ferry’s delivery is one of his best, right down to the yelps, and the whole thing chugs with post-glam power. Other winners include the Everly Brothers’ “The Price of Love” and the Beatles’ “It’s Only Love,” delivered with lead keyboards from Ferry and a nice, full arrangement. On the other hand, half of the album consisted of Ferry originals — but, bizarrely, instead of creating wholly new songs, he re-recorded a slew of earlier Roxy classics. Fanciful fun or exorcising of past demons? It’s worth noting that most of the songs come from the Eno period of the band, and consequently the new versions stear clear of the sheer chaos he brought to the original Roxy lineup. As it is, the end results are still interesting treats — “Casanova” exchanges the blasting stomp of the original for a slow, snaky delivery that suggests threat without sounding too worried about it. “Re-Make/Re-Model,” meanwhile, turns downright funky without losing any of its weird lyrical edge. Others have subtler differences, as when the stark, stiff midsection of “Sea Breezes” becomes a looser, slow jam.

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Title: Bryan Ferry – Another Time, Another Place (1974) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2015]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Another Time, Another Place isn’t as immediately thrilling as Ferry’s solo debut, but still is a great listen. The same core band that backed Ferry up on the earlier record stays more or less in place here. If, like Roxy over the years, this collection is a touch less frenetic at points in comparison to Ferry’s earlier solo stab, the opening blast through “The ‘In’ Crowd” doesn’t show it. Porter’s guitar rips along as intensely as Phil Manzanera’s can, and the whole thing makes Dobie Gray’s original take seem pretty tame. Beyond that, things will be familiar to anyone who’s heard These Foolish Things — same general atmosphere, same overall approach of Ferry taking classic originals and putting his own proto-lounge-lizard stamp on them, mixing energetic versions with far calmer ones. A very intriguing development is his inclusion of efforts from up-and-coming country writers and singers — thus, a loud and groovy cover of “Funny How Time Slips Away” by Willie Nelson and another of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” Other country atmospheres slip in here and there via another nod to Elvis (“Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” originally by Joe South), while other classics get tapped with versions of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and Sam Cooke’s “(What A) Wonderful World.” The album as a whole feels a touch more formal than its predecessor, but Ferry and company, plus various brass and string sections, turn on the showiness enough to make it all fun. A harbringer of solo albums to come appears at end — the title track, a Ferry original.

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Title: Bryan Ferry – These Foolish Things (1973) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2015]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Much like his contemporary David Bowie, Ferry consolidated his glam-era success with a covers album, his first full solo effort even while Roxy Music was still going full steam. Whereas Bowie on Pin-Ups focused on British beat and psych treasures, Ferry for the most part looked to America, touching on everything from Motown to the early jazz standard that gave the collection its name. Just about everyone in Roxy Music at the time helped out on the album — notable exceptions being Andy Mackay and Brian Eno. The outrageous take on Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” with Ferry vamping over brassy female vocals, sets the tone for things from the start. All this said, many of the covers aim for an elegant late-night feeling not far off from the well-sculpted Ferry persona of the ’80s and beyond, though perhaps a touch less bloodless and moody in comparison. In terms of sheer selection alone, meanwhile, Ferry’s taste is downright impeccable. There’s Leiber & Stoller via Elvis’ “Baby I Don’t Care,” Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” (with narrative gender unchanged!), Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears,” and more, all treated with affection without undue reverence, a great combination. Ferry’s U.K. background isn’t entirely ignored, though, thanks to two of the album’s best efforts — the Beatles’ “You Won’t See Me” and the Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” Throughout Ferry’s instantly recognizable croon carries everything to a tee, and the overall mood is playful and celebratory. Wrapping up with a grand take on “These Foolish Things” itself, this album is one of the best of its kind by any artist.

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