Buenos Aires Herald - Wed 19th Feb
Buenos Aires Herald
19 February 2003
There is the passion of it (tango) which I relate to, I like passionate music. I like the sadness, the melancholy aspect... some people say it is the blues of South America.
MARICE MASER - Buenos Aires Herald
Tonight, Bryan Ferry brings his blend of self-penned prophetic tunes along with covers of old classics to the Gran Rex stage in downtown BA.
By Brian Byrnes
For the Buenos Aires Herald
Seeing Bryan Ferry in person, one thing is clear: the guy wears a suit well.
Of course, for any crooner worth his weight in Dolce and Gabbana, this is of supreme importance. Ferry doesnt sport tuxedos or smoking jackets (hes not ready for the Vegas lounge circuit just yet, thank you) but rather only the finest that Europes fashion houses have to offer. He is elegant and erudite, James Bond with a microphone. A smooth operator with a demeanor that is anything but frantic, although that is the title he chose for his eleventh and latest solo release.
The thirteen tracks on Frantic are a mix of Ferrys usual blend of self-penned prophetic tunes along with covers of old classics from the catalogues of Bob Dylan, blues legend Leadbelly and more. Re-recording songs made famous by others has become a tradition on Ferrys solo efforts and one that he says he enjoys immensely.
It seems quite natural to me to investigate other peoples songs, plus it helps me to broaden my repertoire and my range as a singer, he said yesterday in an interview with the Herald. Ferry will play the Teatro Gran Rex tonight at 8pm.
In the music that I liked, the people who sang the songs were very rarely the writers, because until Bob Dylan and The Beatles came along, generally singers didnt write. They sang the songs that songwriters wrote. So if you look at Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, the three biggest singers of the 20th Century by far, they didnt write anything at all, he said.
But Ferrys fondness for paying homage to his musical peers both past and present has done nothing to take away from his own powerful songwriting chops. He has penned a slew of tunes over the years, hitting the top of the charts as a solo artist and as the creative force behind Roxy Music, the highly successful and influential band he co-founded in London in 1971.
Roxy Musics sexy amalgam of rock, pop and glam caught many critics and listeners in the UK off-guard at first, but the often-fickle British music press soon embraced them and a worldwide media frenzy began.
Roxy Music wore makeup and outrageous clothes and always kept it campy and kitschy onstage. These kinds of theatrics were nothing new for the London music scene of the early 1970s, but their fresh new sound, highlighted by Ferrys smooth voice and the blazing sonic offerings of Brian Enos synthesizer, is what set them apart from the rest.
They were heralded as a new breed of rockers, associating more with the glitz of David Bowies alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, and T. Rexs Marc Bolan than to the other British heavyweights of that era like Led Zeppelin and The Who.
Thanks to Ferrys debonair singing style, the idiosyncratic synthesizer contributions of Brian Eno and killer sax riffs from Andy Mackay, Roxy Music went on to achieve worldwide fame and fortune during the 1970s.
Creative differences led to Enos departure from the band in 1973, a source of much controversy at the time. Eno has since gone on to quite literally change the sound of modern music, producing hugely successful records for U2, Talking Heads, David Bowie and others.
Ferry maintains contact with his longtime friend and collaborator, with Eno writing and performing on two of the tracks from Frantic.
Brian and I have a very strong musical affinity and were both workaholics, he said.
We both have very demanding careers, or we choose to have them, so we dont really see much of each other. He is self-obsessed and so I am. I hope well work together again and Id like to very much.
With tensions brewing within the ranks of Roxy Music, Ferry went off to record his first solo album, 1973s These Foolish Things. On it, Ferry presented his own versions of tunes from the likes of Smokey Robinson, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones. It marked the beginning of Ferrys long-running commitment to covering others songs.
I find it equally fascinating to do covers of the right songs, as to sing my own songs... but you dont get paid as much, that is problem! he said with a laugh.
The original members of Roxy Music (minus Eno) reunited for a world tour in 2001, an experience cherished by the band, fans and critics alike.
For many years, I said, No, no, no, leave Roxy Music in the past, Ferry said.
But it was great to work with (Phil) Manzanera and (Andy) Mackay again.
Ferrys lifetime fascination with film and fashion has played out in many of his offerings, coming to life through his album covers, music videos and live performances. His songs often speak of romance, love and loss, which perhaps explains why he maintains a strong affection for the tango music of Argentina.
There is the passion of it which I relate to, I like passionate music. I like the sadness, the melancholy aspect... some people say it is the blues of South America, he said.
After seeing a performance of the Tango Argentino tour in New York several years ago, Ferry was so enthralled that he later asked members of the troupe to record with him in Los Angeles and London.
The whole appearance of the tango, is right up my street really, having been brought up on Hollywood movies, and being a big fan of old cinema, the look of tango is a very nostalgic one.
Ferrys own look has also earned him considerable praise. He is a man who has always taken clothes and suits seriously, even before he was a world-renowned recording artist. He even worked in a tailor shop while attending university in England.
It was in the day when everybody wore suits, and I guess that had a big impact on me, even in the sixties when I was in university. I went to study Fine Arts up at Newcastle and it was quite a cool college, the psychedelic era was starting, people wearing weird clothes, but we were more into looking like Jack Kennedy, you know suits and stuff. Mens clothing is all about details.
And it is the attention to detail that has kept Ferry on top of his game for more than thirty years. Frantic features appearances by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, evidence of Ferrys cross-generational pull. His effect continues to be felt throughout popular music today, with some of the worlds most popular musicians like Moby and Pulp citing him as an influential elder.
Its a role that he wears very well. Just like the finely tailored suits that always grace his body.
In person, not frantic at all
In the flesh, singer Bryan Ferry, interviewed by the Herald in this issue, isnt Frantic (the title of his latest solo release). He is found to be "elegant and erudite, James Bond with a microphone," the interviewer says. Over the years, Ferry has penned a slew of tunes over the years, hitting the top of the charts as a solo artist and as the creative force behind Roxy Music, the highly successful and influential band he co-founded in London in 1971. "I find it equally fascinating to do covers of the right songs (by others), as to sing my own songs... but you dont get paid as much, that is problem!" he says nowadays.