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Dylanesque

Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque Audio CD

A fair review of the Bryan Ferry "Dylanesque" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Bryan Ferry reviews here, or go back to the Bryan Ferry tabs.

Band: Bryan Ferry
Title: Dylanesque
Rating:

Release Date: 2007-06-26
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 2: Simple Twist Of Fate 3: Make You Feel My Love 4: The Times They Are A-Changin' 5: All I Really Want To Do 6: Knockin' On Heaven's Door 7: Positively 4th Street 8: If Not For You 9: Baby, Let Me Follow You Down 10: Gates Of Eden 11: All Along The Watchtower

Bryan Ferry Does Dylan Best
Ferry's voice is as unique as Dylan's, but much easier to listen to. What a pleasure it was to hear Bob Dylan's music done in such a way you could hear what the music and words were saying. Where has this guy been? .

Buy this only if you are a Brian Ferry fan.
This is one of them. There are a few Bryan Ferry releases that I recommend for fans only. My taste runs to the more sultry and/or serious BF releases, not the "fun" stuff. Mostly, this helps to fill out the later category.

Knocking on Dylan's Door
I've played it many times since purchasing it shortly after its release and enjoyed it each time. For anyone who admires Bob Dylan's songs, Bryan Ferry's singing, or "Flesh and Blood"-era Roxy Music this album has much to offer. Ferry has always had a knack for taking others' songs and making them his own. Perhaps my favorite cut on "Dylanesque" is the up tempo, New Wave take on "Simple Twist of Fate. " My only complaint is that Ferry didn't dig more deeply into Dylan's vast song catalogue to select some less frequently covered tunes. Something from "Street Legal", for example, would have been preferable to yet another version of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door. " .

From someone who is not a Dylan Fan - this is good stuff
Ferry achieved success as the lead singer for Roxy Music - who also had established themselves in Europe, but not in the United States. Bryan Ferry is one of those artists that is well-known among European music fans, but in the United States - Ferry's career has almost gone unnoticed. During his Roxy Music years, Ferry also had a parallel solo career going In 1983, for all practical purposes - Roxy Music would split up and Bryan Ferry would focus on his solo career. Ferry's solo career would also continue a level of success in Europe and not garner much attention in the United States. Ferry would build a reputation as "suave" and "smooth" from both his vocal style and his looks. In fact to some extent, it is safe to say that Ferry can be considered a modern-day crooner. After eleven solo albums, Ferry would take a radical change and record an album of cover songs. These cover songs would be songs made famous by the legendary Bob Dylan. As many know, Dylan is nearly on the opposite end of the spectrum when one compares this to the "suave and smooth" style of Ferry. While Ferry does put his own spin on these songs, Ferry does a good job at preserving the essence of the music made famous by Dylan.

One thing I will go on the record and say is that I am not a Bob Dylan fan. I'm not going to knock Dylan or his talent. I simply do not care for Dylan's Folksy Rock sound, nor do I care for Dylan's nasal-sounding vocals. That being said, I still was very much intrigued by the curiosity of listening to Ferry's spin on these songs. The net result is that I enjoyed how Ferry covered these songs - and it gave me a better appreciation for some of Dylan's music as a result of this.

Here is a synopsis of the tracks:

"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues": On this opening track, I heard some "cracks" in Ferry's usual "smooth and suave" vocals, yet I think this worked perfectly. However the melody on this song still has a smooth feel to it. Ferry tops it off with a beautiful harmonica interlude to pay perfect homage to Dylan.

"Simple Twist of Fate": This was definitely the strongest track of the collection. Ferry goes back to his trademark crooning "smooth and suave" style. There is a good balance of guitar and piano throughout the song. The harmonica once again plays a key role, but there also some good use of the fiddle-style violin that gives the song an edge.

"Make You Feel Your Love": This tracks starts off with a classical style piano and is highlighted by a subtle use of a string section. Ferry's crooning is in full-swing here as he employs a haunting-style to his vocals - something commonly heard on his previous collections.

"The Times They Are-A-Changing": Another great performance by Ferry. This is a classic Bob Dylan song. Ferry employs his "suave and smooth" vocals to this song. The bluesy sounding guitar work highlights the melody of this track. I like Ferry's cover on this much better than the original.

"All I Really Wanna Do": On the Dylan original, this song had a very simple sound to it. Ferry doesn't try to make this any more complex than the original. Combine this with his crooning vocals and it gives it a perfect feel.

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door": Same comments as on "The Times They-Are-Changing" - Ferry's crooning style of vocals produce a cover that might even be stronger than the original. Terrific use of the background vocalists on this track - they complement Ferry's crooning perfectly. More great use of the harmonica as well.

"Positively 4th Street": I like the use of the piano on this track. Like on "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", Ferry "cracks" a bit from his "smooth and suave" style. The harmonica and string section interlude about 2 1/2 minutes into the track is great.

"If Not For You": This track has one a more folksy feels to it from a melody standpoint, but what I found most interesting is how Ferry would "croon" over this folksy melody. Nice use of electronic instruments supplement this sound.

"Baby Let Me Follow You down": This track also has a folksy feel to it, but Ferry employs some of the "cracks" in his voice heard on some of the other tracks. Once again, use of the harmonica is spot on.

"Gates of Eden": Ferry employs some of his trademark haunting vocals on this track. It is the haunting vocals that really give this song an identity. In fact the use of the harmonica is switched here and it also has a more haunting sound.

"All Along the Watchtower": Many artists have covered this track, but Ferry's cover ranks right up there with the best of them. I truly liked the "Rock Edge" that Ferry put on this song. It's a complete change of pace from the other tracks on this collection, and to some extent a change from Ferry's style. Great stuff.

The liner notes contain a nice write-up on the background for Ferry doing the covers of the Bob Dylan tracks. It s also worth noting that Ferry teams up with longtime collaborators - Rhett Davies (producer) and Bob Clearmountain (master mix engineer). Davies and Clearmountain have always found a way to get the most out of Ferry's sound - and even on this change of pace work by Ferry they find a way to do this. Overall, I found this album much more enjoyable than Dylan's original works - but then again, I did state that I wasn't a Dylan fan. However this gave me an appreciation for Dylan's music. I'd definitely recommend this.

Brian Ferry's Usual Genius at Work
Original Dylan fans may be uncomfortable at first but, like all great albums, Brian Ferry's take on the master's classics just gets better, richer and more nuanced with every listen. This CD is a pleasure to listen to. It will be a long time before I get tired of this one. .

You can see a complete list of all Bryan Ferry discography, or go back to the Bryan Ferry tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.