Bryan Ferry – These Foolish Things

1 Review for 14 Albums ...

A preemptive thanks for reading. As I feel it’s possible to cover all of Bryan Ferry’s solo material in one review, here goes … a bold notion, nevertheless, I’m up to the task.

It’s impossible to have heard any Roxy Music album and not understand that Bryan Ferry, the voice and directional inspiration for that band, did not have his sights set on becoming a crooner. This has always left me in a bit of a quandary, where shivers inch down my spine when I consider that he rose from one of the most successful and short lived experimental rock bands of all time, and that Mr. Ferry should have wandered off as he had done.

The dialectic confusion for me is that I enjoyed both the ‘early’ Roxy Music material and their later material equally as much, where the later Roxy numbers might just as well have been Bryan Ferry solo outings, which of course would mean that there’s no reason Ferry’s solo manifestations could not have been Roxy Music productions as well.

As time moves on, the Roxy Music albums will fade from view much slower than Bryan Ferry’s solo collection, as the Roxy albums will always be blessed with the moniker of Roxy Music. On the other hand, Ferry’s albums will fade more quickly, precisely because they do not have that Roxy Music connection, other than the fact that Ferry had once been a member, along with the fact that Bryan’s solo material will never have the claim to fame, or venture down the same avenues as those early Roxy albums; Roxy Music and For Your Pleasure.

Stepping into the shoes of a crooner, Ferry delivers material that’s already been dated and perhaps fallen out of fashion by the time of its delivery. This is the essence and fabric of a crooner, to discover relics from the past and breath new life into them. Of course Ferry may have been much more successful if he’d come into fashion a decade or two earlier, where his talents would have been taken to heart and appreciated all the more. Please indulge me … Dylan did the same thing, he began as a folkie in order to get a foot in the door, then turned and redefined rock n’ roll, taking a step forward. Mr. Ferry on the other hand stepped though the door with the likes of Brian Eno at his side, set to expand musical horizons, yet he turned to look back and become something from the past. Then again, David Bowie was flush with inspiration, managing to infuse his rock stance with that of a space-age crooner, walking ever forward.

Ferry’s material for the most part is not highly prized, where on fourteen albums he delivers nearly 150 songs that no one knows nor cares about, numbers such as “You Are My Sunshine” and “Amazing Grace,” where for that matter, he might just as well have laid down a collection of national anthems from around the world with his stylish presentations and haunting delivery. And that brings me back full circle to my initial confusion with Ferry, I find little from those fourteen albums to hang my hat on, as his somberness can become both over and underwhelming, causing me to wonder how I’d make it through the night if I had to play these entire albums for the couple of songs that ride most comfortably in my back pocket.

As if winning the lottery, fate smiled on me last week, as one of my dearest friends handed me Brian Ferry’s entire catalog on remastered HD and SACD’s for my consideration, to which I graced myself with forty tracks that eloquently filled my musical needs, burned them to four discs, enhanced the collection with a nifty cover and housed them in a quad jewel case.

When Ferry is considered is such manner, his vision is irresistible, his deliveries are bright, filled with ion and a spark for perfection, defined by the smoothness of a singular voice, one instantly recognizable, even if you’ve heard but a single note sung by Bryan Ferry in your entire life. With that in mind, I assure you, there is nothing intrinsically innovative with what Ferry lays down, it’s all been done before by others, so the essence of this collection is that the material, the music and the delivery are to your liking. My collection of forty-some songs will last me a lifetime, and without the displeasure of hearing Ferry attempt to redefine and reinvent himself. (laughing) My collection is a collection that could stand as a setlist for three nights of back to back shows, my collection is flawless, my collection suits me. Of course that doesn’t mean that there’s not material that suits you better, or that holds your attention more acutely … regardless, the point is that Bryan Ferry’s albums need to be combed through, where his material that rises to the (your) occasion are all you ever need to keep.

Review by Jenell Kesler