Elegantly Ageing Hipsters, Debauched Diletantes, Philosophical Philanderers & All Other Ne'er-Do-Wells,
Last year and this, the Windswepts had the great fortune to savour the absolute triumphs that were "An Evening With Bryan Ferry" & "Bryan Ferry With Strings".
IWNSHO (In Windswept's Not So Humble Opinion) these presentations by our hero represented an absolute career high.
AEWBF had the most amazing jazz influenced arrangements and brought a new depth and flavour to some of his own greatest compositions and ready mades. Giving songs that we all know and love a completely new life et raison d'être.
BFWS did likewise in a very complementary fashion. The fandango with Dublin's RTE was beyond compare.
Like all fans, Windswept is prone to enthusiasm. Indeed, fellow haunters of this hallowed cyber hall have accused him of giving excessive support to all things 'Ferry'. Even, on occasion, suggesting that he drinks some of that American Kool-Aid stuff and calms down. This is bizarre when he is perfectly content with a good Scottish Hendricks & tonic or even un coupe de Veuve Clicquot but, on this occasion, he hopes that even the most ardent, feather boa wearing, first four album loving, Eno obsessed fan will realise that his enthusiasm is not misplaced. For these two events not to be captured on vinyl would constitute a crime against modern music!
The existence of the 'Tollwood Tapes' is proof positive that AEWBF was recorded at least once (hopefully there are even more takes) and we just have to pray that Dublin is in the can.
The appeal of this thread is to urge our hero to compile the ultimate double LP featuring these events and to release it before Windswept gets much older. The title should be "Re-Made, Re-Modeled" and the hope is that Windswept could have it in his sweaty palm by Christmas (2014). The price is immaterial, all of Mrs.Windswept's designer shackles could be sold to invest in said item.
For you hipsters out there that weren't lucky enough to see these shows please support this appeal. If these interpretations don't make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, you need to check your pulse and buy a ticket for a Showadddywaddy reunion!
It is just so important that this stuff does not go unreleased.
Cordialement,
Windswept.

Cher Monsieur Riff,
Windswept has to be honest, he doesn't completely understand this voice debate.
Are our hero's vocals the same as they were when he was in his '30s? Mais no but, neither was Sinatra's when he was a sexagenarian!
Is our hero evolving his arrangements and performances to suit his maturing vocals - absolutely!
Are his performances beyond compare and is he still bringing us music that is new, different and in some instances better - absolutely!
Even sexagenarian Roxologists who remember 'The Gas Board' recognise this.
a bien tôt,
Windswept

Windswept, I feel for you. You are the Ultimate Fan and your admiration for BF is, well, admirable. But the "voice issue" can not be easily swept aside, or at least it can't be easily swept aside if the listener is hoping to experience the smooth sonic environment that BF worked so hard to create in his post-70s career.

For me, the sad thing about "the voice" is that it was in pretty good shape as late as the 2001 Roxy Reunion tour. The live album from that tour features BF in fine form with only a few instances where something seems a bit amiss. And then at the end of the Frantic Tour BF suffered major voice problems and it has never been the same since.

Sigh. Why do I keep clacking away on the keyboard? I feel I've been here before...

Anyway, I agree with Mr, Rifff in that it is not easy to sweep aside the Voice Issue. And what will it sound like on the new album?

I expected the vocal frailty to be more evident at the Albert Hall show last year than it was. He was in far better voice than I expected him to be. Live I think it is less noticeable than on record, where his voice is more prominent in the mix. The backing singers also help with the notes he might struggle to hit.

We are assuming that the vocal tracks on the new album have been recently recorded, of course. If he is revisiting unfinished songs that he "turned to face the wall" and didn't use on previous albums, for instance, they may have existing vocals on them. Who knows? Let's hope we find out later in the year.

Back to the original post - some souvenir of the excellent shows of the last 12 months is certainly warranted.

I don't disagree with the 2001 comments DECE.
However, I was told, and I don't know if it is true, the vocal for MTT was done in a studio and dubbed onto the live recording for the CD. In this "digital" age anything is possible I suppose but I would like to think it were not true. I was also told that there were "edits" a plenty, except for one person - TGPT did none.
Take from that what you will.......

Drawing comparisons with the slick post-70s vocals seems irrelevant - I don't imagine anyone expects someone who was already in their 30s or 40s then to sound remotely the same as they approach 70. Very few indeed have managed that.
For me the main thing is BF is presenting his voice honestly. It has changed a lot over his career and this is just the latest manifestation. Some may fall by the wayside as it's not to their liking. Some new devotees may emerge as the voice delivers songs to which it is superbly suited to - Reason / Tender etc.
I've cited it before and will doubtless do so again because some seem fixated on bringing this up in just about every thread possible, but Johnny Cash made some of the finest and heartfelt music of his career in his final years when his voice was shot to pieces. You'd have to have a heart of stone - and questionable musical taste - to suggest he shouldn't have bothered.
I await the new album with relish.

Mes Amis,
Windswept finds himself in complete harmony with the great True2Life and the incomparable UKRichard.
Part of our hero's ongoing genius is his capacity to evolve his arrangements and presentation to ensure that his work is shown in a new light.
There is no question that his voice has changed but he was certainly in fine voice at last year's RAH & Brighton fandangos as he was in Dublin this year.
As UKRichard wisely counsels ;"drawing comparisons with the slick post-70s vocals seems irrelevant" and it is. Indeed, when Windswept thinks of the Dublin version of MTT there can be no comparison with '82. Dublin's was vastly superior. That great song had come of age and grown up with us. It was phenomenal!
There are so many examples like that from the AEWBF & BFWS shows that can't be lost — perhaps Windswept can ask Monsieur O'Brian if the good Doctor has anything lined up to showcase these arrangements?
a bien tôt,
Windswept

I haven't had a chance to experience BF in concert since the NYC Radio City Music Hall Roxy gig back in 2003, but I've listened to plenty of youtube clips and other more formal video recordings since then.

Sometimes BF's vocal sound fine, other times they don't sound so good. Quite variable. But when they don't sound so good it is quite noticeable. He does a good job melding his voice with his backup singers and that helps a lot! But some songs (like U Can Dance) just never sound right to me, either live or the Olympia recording.

His recent concert versions of MTT are convincing "reinventions" of the song - although I wish he would sing the WHOLE SONG and not just half (or less) of it. They are reminiscent of his take on Make You Feel My Love that worked quite well on Dylanesque.

Regarding overdubs for the 2001 Roxy Live album, I can't speak with any authority has to what might have been done in the studio. MTT was an unusual song on the album because the band only played it five times during the tour (all in Japan) and this may have played a role in why it sounds a bit different than the other tracks.

As for me, I mustard the release of the new album...