Bryan Ferry by David Chiu

These Foolish Things , Another Time, Another Place , Let's Stick Together
In Your Mind , The Bride Stripped Bare , Boys and Girls
Mamouna , As Times Goes By
(Virgin/EMD)
Taxi
(Reprise)

In some ways, Bryan Ferry's solo work represented somewhat of a stylistic departure from Roxy Music. Especially when it comes to Roxy Music's early albums, Ferry adapted more of pop stance than an art rock one of his band. But like Roxy's musical evolution, Ferry's solo albums shifted from outrageous camp to mature subtlety. He is one of the few artists who have maintained a solo career and a band career--between 1972 and 1982 when he was with Roxy Music and on his own, he has recorded a total of 14 albums.

Ferry's clipped vocals and unconventional arrangements dominate These Foolish Things (1973), which consists mainly of cover songs of standards (the title track), pop (the Beatles' "You Don't See Me," "It's My Party"),and rock (the Stones's "Sympathy for the Devil" and Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall"). It's almost sacrilegious what he does to these songs; it's like hearing a Vegas lounge lizard. Still, this is a striking debut. Another Time, Another Place (1974) follows the same formula but to a lesser degree of success; the guitar work in the brilliant take of "The In Crowd" lends verve; Ferry's version of the Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is lovely; he breathes interesting (if kitschy) life into "What a Wonderful World," Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe," and "Walk A Mile In My Shoes."

Let's Stick Together (1976) is an unique album in that he reprises songs from the first Roxy Music album that sound similarly the same to the originals ("2HB," "Chance Meeting," "Sea Breezes") and interpretations (the title track, the Beatles' "It's Only Love," the Everly Brothers' "Price of Love"). It's nothing remarkable but a decent effort. An underrated album, In Your Mind (1977) is pretty good from beginning to end, in the vein of Roxy's brilliant Siren. Most of the original material has a rhythmic thrust with a pop sheen that would mark later Roxy albums ("Tokyo Joe," "Love Me Madly," "One Kiss," "All Night Operator"). Another gem is The Bride Stripped Bare, (1978) which is rockier and soulful. The musicianship is impeccable (including guitarist Waddy Wachtel and drummer Rick Marotta) and Ferry reaches a high point vocally, lessening the camp, with his own compositions (the tumultuous "Can't Let Go, " the feel good "Sign of the Times," and the ballad "When She Walks into The Room") and interpretations ("Take Me to the River," "Hold On (I'm Coming))".

Three years after Roxy's final album Avalon, Ferry returned with Boys and Girls, (1985) an album that would set the standard for future Ferry albums--subdued, mature, richly textured music with slick production work and superstar sessionmen. That is certainly true of Boys and Girls, which is not far from Avalon. The album's stronger tracks are the Arabesque "Slave to Love" and the hypnotic "Don't Stop the Dance," but there are some other noteworthy ones like "The Chosen One" and "Windswept." Mamouna (1994) is another groove oriented, atmospheric effort. The first half of the album is strong ("Don't Wanna Know," the title track, "Your Painted Smile"); despite the presence of Roxy alumni Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay, the second half of Mamouna comes to a crawl--it's like what Cliff Jones of MOJO said before, that the music a variation of the same groove.

Taxi, released a year earlier (1993) , was a return to the covers; though bathed in its electronic arrangements, Taxi was one of Ferry's stronger recent outings. He treats the material with respect and maturity, a far cry from "These Foolish Things" ten years earlier the arrangements to "I Put a Spell On You," "Rescue Me," and the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" sound radically but refreshingly different; "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" is mesmerizing.

His most recent effort As Time Goes By, (1999) goes one step forward in the covers department--this album consists of popular standards from the '30s. It's a great album partly due to the absence of the synthesizers in favor of traditional instruments and arrangements. Ferry gives these songs his all with perfect results: the title track, "I'm In the Mood for Love," "The Way You Look Tonight," "September Song," etc. Ferry's strongest suit comes when he plays it straight both in his singing and the playing. Hopefully this can be translated on the next studio outing.

Though his solo material has its weaker moments, for the most part, his work has been relatively consistent. And like he did with Roxy Music, he brought a sense of ironic detachment through his voice and approach, allowing us to gain another perspective on songs we are accustomed to hearing all of the time. Judging by the way he covers other people's songs and his own material, he is one of rock and pop's most inventive and innovative singers and interpreters, bringing a sense of style and class.