The band line up takes us back to my suggested cover. I didn't really think it through when I first proposed it - it just made me laugh to think of the usual suspects, all past their prime, being caught on camera like that. However, once I start to think about who might be in the line up, then it strikes me that we could actually be missing a visual treat here.

OK - we are stuck with Messrs Ferry and Bowie, but other than that, the only certainty at this stage for the cover would be the aesthetically pleasing Ms. Calvi. The rest is down to us and our choices could make my suggested cover a lot more pleasant than we think. Jorja is hardly sore on the eye, and if we start to draft in the likes of Julia on harp etc, plus some of the decorative backing singers that Bryan favours then things start to take shape - particularly if we can keep Bry and Dave firmly in the background. We might even think about throwing in one for the girls !!!

Ultimately however, it is Windswept2's fantasy album - so the decision lies with him.

Can I just make a couple of suggestions about the cover?

While not very original (and Zappa ripped it off mercilessly), we could do a sort of Sgt. Pepper cover, but instead of standing on the edge of a flowerbed, have BF and Bowie standing in front of 30s style danceband (a la Stork Club) on the edge of a midnight blue dancefloor. Instead of mannequins behind them, have the danceband comprising images of BF and Bowie in various guises from down the years - the BF guitar pose from FYP, Bowie's guitar pose pirate outfit circa 73 (with the eye-patch), etc. etc.

Second suggestion, and keeping the mannequin theme to a degree: Have BF and Bowie, and whoever we decide makes up the fantasy band, re-create the original Manifesto cover.

The title for the forthcoming fantasy Ferry stripped album will be "debrancher". Hopefully it will have Ferryistas intrigued and stampeding for their dictionaries last used at the time of the "Bette Noir" release.

With respect, I think that title might be a bit much, even for the most pretentious Roxy fan!

The term "bete noire" is in reasonably broad use, whereas (even with French to antiquated A level standard) I had to root around in a foreign language dictionary for "debrancher".

BTW, at the risk of taking pedantry to new depths (I've got previous for this, I'm told!) the literal translation of the proposed title is "To Unplug". Unplugged, referring to the recording (l'enregistrement), would require dropping the "r" off the end and adding an acute accent above the final "e"!

The marketing problem would be that it might cause fans to think it was something to do with pruning trees (or companies closing down their less productive outlets...)!

Apologies, especially to Windswept2, if that sounds horribly negative (not my intention); BF is well known to be a stickler for detail, though, and I'd hate him to pull the plug (sic) on the packaging after it had gone to print!

Smudge and Windswept2:

Reminds me of that quote "You'd have to go a long way to find a thick Roxy fan."

How about calling it "A Life Around the Corner."?

How about calling it "A Life Around the Corner."?

Ooh, good title, Rendezvous! Or even just "Life Around The Corner", suggesting a pointer to the future or the start of the next chapter in BF's life/career? Could also refer to some of the surprises included in the album...

Cher Commander Rendezvous & Avondale,
We are not prepared to be flexible on the album artwork. The oil in the style of Amadeo Modliglian's "The Cellist" has already been commissioned. It will feature our hero seated at his Steinway swathed in Rubinacci.
To cancel it now will completely blow our production budget. Furthermore, I think it's going to look great!
That said, I did like the Stork Club idea but it just came too late.
However we are willing to show flexibility regarding the LP title. Commander Rendezvous' idea adapted by Mr.Smudge to be "Life Around The Corner" is class. Moving away from the French theme may decrease our hero's chances of getting the Legion d'honneur but he'll just have to live with that.
Now we have the tracks, the album title and cover let us turn our attention to the musical troubadours. These are the suggested album players together with the associated rational.
Drums:
Paul Thompson - the definitive rock drummer that never misses a
beat.
John Sutton - great swing style and deft jazz touch.
Bass:
Zev Katz - great on both electronic and string versions.
Guitars:
Oliver Thompson - his generation's Hendrix. This guy is phenomenal.
Chris Spedding - amazing versatility and note perfect. Also a great acoustic player.
Anna Calvi - "Newtown Only".
Horns:
Enrico Tomasso - haunting trumpet player.
Jorja Chalmers - great Sax player with many attributes.
Strings:
Lucy Wilkins (best ever solo on "Out Of The Blue"), Rosie Wetters,
Nathalia Bonner & Lucy Theo - amazing quartet in every regard.
Keyboards:
Colin Good - great player, arranger and director and the cornerstone of our hero's post 2000 success.
Geordie's favorite son - will take the seat on selected tracks.
Backing Vocals:
Sewuese Abwa & Aleysha Gordon - you don't need more
Lead Vocals - Bryan Ferry, Anna Calvi (Newtown only) & David Bowie (Sentimental Fool only) - AC because she is great and will bring younger hipsters to the party and Bowie for the wonga.
Now suggestions are requested but for budgetary reasons, it's one in, one out and you have to give your rational.
Regards,
An ever ageing Windswept.

Another great post Windswept2, well done! I'd not take out anyone from the band you've put together, but would like to see Julia Thornton in there on percussion, she's so beautiful and talented, my heart belongs to her and Lucy Wilkins.

WS2:
Ollie T is a fine guitarist, but any comparison to Jimi is - Hmmm, how to put it mildly - ridiculous. Someday OT may release a solo album and then we can get a sense of his originality as a guitarist, but until then I think any comparison to Jimi is waaaaay premature...

I agree with Helen's general sentiments here - No, not the bit about Sergio Aguero !!! Anyway, now that Windswept2 has rejected the stripped back cover shoot (not nearly as tasteful as the other suggestions, I agree, but this is a fantasy album and I, for one, don't fantasise very much about oil paintings or Sgt Pepper re-shoots), then I guess we can just consider the contributors for their talent alone rather than their other attributes.

We all tend to go a bit stale if we work with the same people all the time, so an injection of new faces and new ideas could act as a real catalyst for Bryan - particularly if he is prepared to take a chance and surrender a reasonable degree of artistic control to them. I have no particular names to champion at this stage, but I don't necessarily think that it should only be restricted to younger faces - just different faces. Is Ry Cooder still with us, for example?

In another recent string I suggested that Bryan should allow Colin Good to enjoy a well earned break in 2012. I know some people consider him to be a bit too flowery, and I understand where they are coming from, but he definitely made a difference to Bryan's output when he came on board. However, he has been around for a long time now and maybe it is time for Bryan to shake things up a bit.

This is a fantasy album - so let's start fantasising and I am sure that we will come up with some interesting nominations.