One of my very favourite BF tunes. For me the original album version cannot be topped primarily because of the same depth and richness of sound that made Mamouna a masterpiece. The unplugged tour versions are ok but feel one-dimensional in comparison although I adore the abridged version that Bryan did for the making of Mamouna documentary with the echoey piano intro (why has this never been released in its entirety). His voice was also in much better shape when that version was recorded in 1994 compared to when he first performed it live on the 1999 ATGB tour. I always thought that Enrico Tomasso's trumpet ruined that live version anyway. I've never been a big fan of the Jools Holland version - much too jaunty for my liking, which really doesn't fit the mood and lyrics of the song. The Jazz Age version was also one of the less interesting moments of that album for me.

Mes Amis,

Un très grand merci a AZ Artist for adding this 'Frantic' version.
W2 loves it and has been playing it sans arret.

'Frantic' was such a great show and such a cool evolution from the ATGB triumph. Windswept saw it initially at NYC's Beacon Theatre and remembers Bryan pretty much opening with TOF. He was on piano and the fabulous Lucy Wilkins provided strings.

It's a good job life isn't a competition because comparing these arrangements is becoming really difficult.

It could be said that the 'Frantic' keyboard arrangement lacks the intricacy of Jools or Colin Good - Ferry doesn't pretend to be in their league when it comes to tinkling the ivories.
Nor does it have the harmonica solo or Tomasso's blistering trumpet.
That said, there is just something achingly simple about it and he really puts it all out there.

If Windswept remembers well, one of the great tricks Ferry played on the Frantic tour was to come out solo and then to gradually build the band as the set progressed. It worked brilliantly and this ultra stripped arrangement was clearly put together with that in mind.

As this thread progresses and we visit more songs with different arrangements W2 thinks it will become increasingly apparent that a lot of these different arrangements were put together between 1999 and 2013. The period when Bryan was working with Colin Good - clearly a golden era.

As things stand with TOF, W2 would put his personal ranking as follows:

1= Jools (More Friends)
1= Frantic (AZ Artist)
3 ATGB (Le Grand Rex)
4 AEWBF (Tollwood)
5 Jazz Age (Album)
6 Mamouna (W2 considers the Horoscope version a demo for this)

Mais, this is my truth - tell me yours.

Salutations,

W2

Well, I've heard them all now and just can't decide!!!

A bit like Bryan over the years.....

They're all fabulous. It's a really great song.

I think that WS2's thread is the perfect place to tell a little story about my Garbo encounter.
I always thought that if I ever met Bryan this would be a tale I could tell. Well I doubt Bryan will ever make it to the red rocks of Arizona so perhaps it will pass through the hallowed walls of this cyberhall to him.
In the late 70's to the mid 80's I was a floral designer at a cutting edge flower shop on Manhattan's upper east side. I was a realist painter in the age of punk painting and conceptual art. And I'm still a realist painter with a flower shop in Sedona. Some things don't change. Anyway Persephonie Flowers was unique shop. The owners were a couple with 2 young children. He was a mad Greek and she was an ex Dallas debutante hippie mom. Both were very creative and the shop was this beautiful chunk of Greece plopped on the upper east side. We had many celebrity clients. The biggest being John Lennon. We got John and Yoko's account through their friend Sam Greene. Sam Loved our shop. Sam was an art dealer who first met the Lennon's when he sold them their collection of Egyptian art. Sam had an apartment around the corner from the Whitney Museum. It was decorated in the Empire style. And in the main room was a black Steinway piano. In the right corner above the keyboard was a brass plaque that said "Love from John and Yoko". I got to play that piano. Anyway Sam was someone who got to know people. And one of those someone's was Garbo.
One summer day I was walking down Sam's block after just working on a 5th ave terrace. I looked down the block and saw Sam approaching with Garbo on his arm. I have to say that she looked just like Bowie in that video. A plot was hatched in my wicked brain. As we got closer I saw Sam's eye's say "Keep walking,Peter". That wasn't gonna happened. I walked right up to Sam and Garbo and started chatting away. "Oh what a beautiful day" and on and on I went. I turned to Garbo and said "How ya doIng?" And turned back and continued talking to Sam without letting him get a word in. Not to be rude I turned and smiled at Garbo every once in a while. I continued for 5 or 10 minutes or about as much as I could milk it and as I saw Sam's eye's about to roll back in his head I said "Oh my goodness I have to get back to the shop." Smiled at both and darted off.
The next day Sam came into the shop, came up to me and poked me. He said " Do you know that was Garbo I was with yesterday?" "Of course" "Well you didn't act like it." " Yea, that was the plan." Sam laughed and said "Well I'll have to tell her that. She'll get a chuckle from that."
He did and she did. Garbo didn't like cut flowers."They just die she says" But Sam would usually take her a single rose. So she never came into the shop. She would call occasionally to talk to one of our delivery men who was also a skilled woodworker. Mark worked for her on and off for a couple of years. It was always a call from Mrs. Brown. If you ever see Garbo's apartment the shelves and cabinets were Mark's handiwork.
So that's my Garbo story and I'm sticking to it.

Only on a Roxy forum.....great story.

I bet WS2 is jealous....

Cher AzArtist,

What a fabulous story and doubtless right down Geordie boy's street.

W2 is waiting for a call from Mrs Brown !

Sedona is a great spot by the way. Windswept has visited it a couple of times and loved it.

Salutations,

W2

Nice Garbo story. BF has said he wrote the song around the time of her death, which was in 1990, and which fits with the making of Horoscope/Mamouna timeline. However, if I'm not mistaken, I think he's also mentioned that the first cut was from years earlier in the late 70's. Could be wrong though. I'd forgotten about the Frantic tour version btw - the violin suits it so much better than the ATGB trumpet so many thanks for posting the link.

What Fascinating responses and

Oh that Garbo story....
Like spotting an Elusive, Lovely Rare Bird that's on your list
Fellow birders will understand...


So many people here on the Forum have lead such interesting lives ...

Thanks WS2, for this interesting post.
Thank you Rendezvous and all our other posters for such Thoughtful, Intelligent responses,
Ahahaha
In My Not So Humble Opinion to borrow a phrase from WS2

I think my personal favourite version of this wonderful piece of music might be
The Grand Rex version, and the probably similar version AZ posted...
Thanks Roxy, for putting the sample versions together!

I Love Ferry most when the spotlight is on Just Him, Him and the Music....

No writhing women, no distractions,
Just the Music and the Moment..

WS2..
Garbo Would Never
Have Stood You Up...

Ahahaha
I Know I Am....

Il est vrais, qu'il est très jaloux !

W2