F&B is a quality album, suffering only/essentially from the fact that it marked the departure of TGPT.

Allan Schwartzberg is a renowned studio drummer, as steady as they come with nary a tempo slip or missed beat. But his blandness is a big part of what makes 8 Miles High a soulless venture and one of the least distinguished tracks in the RM catalog.

Oh Yeah is one of BF's most engaging Pop Songs.

My Only Love is also quite remarkable - although it needs a bit of a rest after being played over and over and over in recent years...

And the album art held true to the spirit of the Classic Roxy Cover while not arousing the ire of women who were less than enamored with earlier albums...

To be good looking is a precondition in today's media world (TV journalists, classical music stars etc.) As DCJ points out the F+B javelin models are covered with innocent white shirts ... honni soit qui mal y pense . RM and especially CL could have provoked the female part of the world.

In any case, F+B is really an underrated album with catchy melodies (ITMH, Dance Away, Same Old Scene, Over You), roxy-like arrangements (with AM on oboe!) as in 8MH and NSD - and songs due to make F+B an album (Title track, RRR). My Only Love has been so much over-played since many decades (Bryan likes it very much ...) but Running Wild is simply a beautiful ballad. That's all. But F+B is always worth playing on a good hifi stereo device (I dot mean your i-pod )

Always thought Dance Away was on Manifesto

Yes, Louize, thank you. That's where it belongs to ... my mind drifted (or danced) away to ... let's say ... BF's new album or something else. Sorry, -pm-

Mes Amis,
With the announcement of the German leg, it looks like our hero will, by the end of this year have given well over 150 performances since 2011 and this excludes corporate gigs.
Furthermore, if his new album is released in September, he will have released two albums over the same period - the Geordie work ethic reigns supreme - he is certainly playing his part in pulling us out of the recession!
Quite amazing by any standards!
With the new release scheduled I'm quite sure he won't be able to resist a few UK fandangos next year and it's going to be very interesting to see how this band evolves - maybe the simple fact is the others can't keep up with him?
My excitement for Dublin continues to build albeit I'm concerned about the dress code and have asked my butler to research further.
a bien tôt ,
Windswept

The German tour isn't a long one, but boy-oh-boy the gigs are packed in pretty tight! There is one stretch of three nights in a row!

Both Ends Burning? Let's hope not...

If the new album is indeed to be released in September, then I suspect that a set of dates in Britain in late Oct-early Nov are probably also in the works...

I'm starting to get interested in what the new album will sound like. I may not have been thrilled with Olympia, but nonetheless I'm looking forward to The Next One. I may not drink the Kool-Aid, but I will buy a copy of the new album!

By-the-by, today I was interviewing a 30-something guy who had applied for a job in my "work environment" and in the course of an engaging, pleasant conversation he asks me what I "do for fun" beyond my professional stuff. So I say, well I just got tickets for a Bryan Ferry concert in October and he wanly smiles and says "I don't know what you're talking about." And I say "you know, Roxy Music?" and he just shrugs. So it goes...

Mes Amis,
DJC's post illustrates all that is wrong with the youth of today!
When I was captaining my particular ship potential recruits knew that their Harvard and Insead MBAs would count for nought if they didn't have a first class honours degree in 'Roxology'.
Many a time I would here my assistant tell budding potentials that; "frankly if you can't recite 'A Song For Europe' there is no use in me letting you through to see him.'' She was a good girl old Roxy and always looked after my interests.
My absolute dedication to early formation continues to this day and you can imagine my delight when my eighteen month old grand daughter uttered those immortal words; "what's my name - Virginia Plain'. You can't start them young enough!
Germany beckons -Ich bin ein Berliner!
a bien tôt,
Windswept.

I think it should still work that I can play "A Song For Europe" on the piano and sing even the parts in French and Latin correctly. At least it worked when I was 14 So I could easily apply for a post in Monsieur Windswept's company - although I have the wrong age and maybe the wrong gender

In my life I always tried to "infiltrate" the tastes of people close to me. Not like a missionary but clandestinely. So parents, girl-friends, companions - sometimes even my bosses knew that I was completely "roxy". By the way, you can help the musical memories of younger people playing (or singing ) to them one of Roxy's smash hits. "More Than This", "Avalon" or "Oh Yeah" can do wonders ("There's a band playing on the radio - but what's their name? Virgina Plain? Oh no, Roxy Music")

And today I am going to spend an evening with ... Peter Gabriel in Munich (not me alone).

Greetings from the Alps

Fellow Philanderers,
pianoman offers excellent advice on expanding the franchise and I envy him his musical prowess but, I have to say, if I were to sing any of our hero's songs in an attempt to convert newcomers it would be a sure fire way to send them to the Cliff Richard fan club!
Back to 2014, does anybody know if there were any merchandising materials or a tour programme for ''Can't Let Go"?
a bien tôt,
Windswept.

Windswept2,

Much to my disappointment, there was no tour programme for sale, and the merchandise options were far fewer than during the 'Olympia' tour. What I saw for sale were The Jazz Age CD, Live in Lyon DVD, a Don't Stop the Dance t-shirt (not to my taste), as well as a coffee cup and tote bag each featuring Bryan's silhouette from the These Foolish Things back cover. I'm not quite sure why this tour didn't warrant a programme, although I'm sure it would be quite an undertaking to top the 'Olympia' tour's programme in terms of substance and design.