I know Bryan done the Jazz albums but I always thought it was a missed opportunity that he didn’t do an album of Roxy and solo material with an orchestra.

I’ve got the albums of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Rod Stewart etc with the RPO - it seems like a missed opportunity that Bryan has never done this.
I know that some of those artists they’ve just recorded the orchestra and added the vocals as they’re no longer with us but, like Rod Stewart, Bryan could have re-recorded vocals for many of the tracks. Plus his voice was very well suited to an orchestra arrangement. Especially these days where he might have lost the power but still has the fragility to suit an orchestra.

Much as endless re-issues can sometimes grind one's gears - especially with little or no meaningful extras - I'd welcome any new iteration of this unique and timeless element of the BF catalogue. Any previously unreleased tracks would be truly magnificent.

As with all albums at times, I've given ATGB a short rest recently whilst airing some other BF/Roxy albums that had become overdue for a listen. That only serves to make returning to ATGB all the more enjoyable.

I've listened to it a few times already this week and it still sounds as fresh as a daisy! It really is the most timeless of records. Very little in the BF/RM sounds dated but I'd argue nothing sounds as eternally fresh as this album.

Others have waxed lyrical far better than me about the album and in particular the outstanding musicianship, but you can't possibly talk about this album without reiterating it. Then there's the inspired song selections, 1920s/30s arrangements, the wonderful whimsy that pervades much of the content, the production and, to cap it all, BF's wonderful vocals.

The voice was changing by 1999, but I'd argue that this is BF's most accomplished vocal performance on any record. The phrasing is worthy of the master - Sinatra - and every one of BF's varied vocal nuances is here - with bells on! Others might have attempted the same and become a caricature of themselves, but BF pulls it off perfectly. For all his great songwriting of yore, the fashion, the style, the influence, I think this pulls together every facet of BF's talents into the most perfect and fitting whole. It's him at the very top of his musical game.

Of course, the whole album is a collaborative effort - perhaps more so than any other before or since - given Colin Good's MD and shared arranging roles and the co-production with Rhett Davies. But if there's one thing we know about BF, it's his painstaking (or should that be painful?!) attention to detail that means, without a shadow of doubt, this magnificent recording has him running through every aspect of it like Blackpool through a stick of rock. It's his personal triumph.

We know there are other songs from these sessions that have appeared outside the album or not at all. As such it's probably the album that most easily lends itself to a SE with bonus tracks. It's never had a re-release of any kind and as BF's most successful album of newly recorded material since Taxi, that surely makes this a prime candidate for commemoration.

His biggest seller , since Taxi. Yes, though I wasn’t aware.
And , of course, it was nominated for a Grammy, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal, an interesting category but an accolade across the pond nonetheless.

PS . On looking this up , I also found out that Bete Noire was Grammy nominated, for Best Album Package.

I haven’t checked out who succeeded in those categories back then.

Mes Amis,

Apres UKRichard’s excellents propos sur ce sujet W2 feels inspired to make a proposal for the 25th celebration of ATGB.

It would be a triple disc set in all formats featuring :

1) ATGB remastered and including any unreleased material.

2) Live performance- music track from Le Grand Rex Concert.

3) Live performance - Blue Ray disc of Le Grand Rex with extras
including a commentary from Bryan Ferry & Colin Good.

Windswept propose cette idee entierement gratuitement.

What else would fellow Ferryistas like to see include for this most important anniversary?

Salutations a tous,

W2