Hipsters,

The parallels between Bryan Ferry and Robert Palmer are numerous.

Both were baby boomer sons of the industrial north who passed through Art School into the music world by starting their musical adventures as apprentice soul men - Ferry with The Banshees and The Gas Board. Palmer with The Mandrakes and Alan Brown.

Both went on to have two of the most prodigious and varied musical careers of their generation. Demonstrating, not only great song writing prowess and production abilities but a fascination for interpreting other composers and a particular affection for the great songs of the '30s and '40s. Ferry was the first rock singer to give his interpretation of that era with 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' in 1976 but Palmer was the first to completely cover the great American song book when he released his incomparable 'Ridin' High' album in 1992.

Both have given us the best album art of all time. Palmer's 'Pressure Drop' is up there with 'Roxy Music' in the iconic music art stakes.

Both have given us some of the best produced, most exciting and charismatic life performances of all time.

And, last but by no means least, they are the only singers of our generation to garner as much admiration for their style and look as they have for their music.

Sadly, we lost Robert prematurely in 2003 but happily Bryan is still rocking the house.

Do you ageing hipsters share my enthusiasm for this dynamic duo and I wonder if they ever met - does anybody know?

Windswept.

Sorry to be an anorak, but Ferry covered 'These Foolish Things' in 73, that was his first foray into classics from the 30's. He also recorded 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' in 74, not 76.

Dear Dexter,
Worry not. You probably look very cool in your anorak and you are doubtless correct.
That said, the more interesting point could be who gave the best interpretations?
Regards,
Windswept.

And Robert Palmer died on Ferry's birthday.

Blimey! Do you think that Bryan breathes a sigh of relief every time he makes it safely through Robert Palmer's birthday?

I think it is possible to draw parallels between a lot of artists if you look for them - but ultimately it comes down to what floats your boat.

While acknowledging that Robert Palmer produced a lot of credible stuff, apart from the brilliant, barnstorming "Bad Case of Loving You" and a few highly stylised songs such as "Looking For Clues" and "Johnny & Mary", he didn't really do it for me. Admittedly I have never delved too deeply into his output but I have heard enough to know that it does not produce that inner spark. I think that I would best describe him as "worthy".

Bryan Ferry, on the other hand, .........well, it obviously goes without saying !!!!!!!!!

I don't know if the two ever met, but if they did then I hope that Robert had the humility to recognise that he was in the company of a much greater talent!

Robert Palmer is/was a far less interesting musician/artist than BF, but RP's success in using a band of tarted up models to back up a fashionably dressed singer in "Addicted to Love" was an amazing usurpation of the "Roxy Girl" image that reached a MASSIVE world audience including the USA. BF could only sit on the sidelines and think 'Hey, that's my concept - how can he be doing this?"

But do it he did, and I can imagine that BF never had a lot of kind thoughts regarding RP in the years that followed. Maybe I'm wrong, but BF strikes me as someone who can bear a grudge for a long time...

I suspect the video concept was more to do with the director Terence Donovan than with Robert Palmer himself.

Ferryistas,
We all appreciate the brilliance of Bryan (last Sundays gig in Vienna was brilliant by the way) but, anybody who doubts the depth of Palmer should take a long cool listen to 'Pressure Drop', 'Sneaking Sally Thru' The Ally' and his last ever album 'Drive'.
This man was a huge talent.
The parallels between these two huge artists were and are numerous; their love of black music, their affection for 'The Great American Song Book',their skill as songsmiths and a diversity of music production that is cinematic in scope. Not to mention their dandy status!
I raised more than a glass or three with Robert back in the late '60s at the late great Kirk Levington Country Club but Roxy hadn't been formed at that point and I don't know if Robert new Bryan from 'The Gas Board' so I didn't ask him.
If anybody knows if they ever met - let me know.
Regards,
Windswept