Mrs Blunt and I have always had a bit of a soft-spot for Bryan Ferry (easily the best thing to come out of Washington, County Durham since the A1231 road to Sunderland). Who can forget his rollicking version of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall?", which reached number 10 in the UK charts in 1973?
It was on the strength of this memory of a fine interpretation of a Dylan classic, and a review by Ian Gittins in the Guardian a couple of months ago which gave it 4 stars, that I yesterday bought Ferry's new album, Dylanesque. An entire CD devoted to re-working of Dylan classics.
On paper, it would seem like a winner: the marriage of Brian Ferry's smoky voice with the piercing intensity of Bob Dylan's lyrics. If so, then it was a marriage made in hell. This album, I am sad to say 'sucks'.
Ferry's vocals sound lame at best and pedestrian at worst - they are delivered with all the passion of a semi-comatose teenager who has been invited to 'wake up and smell the coffee' by his mother, but who has decided, instead, that he'd prefer an extra couple of hours under the duvet.
Only one track verges - almost - on the reasonable: Ferry manages to breathe new life into a wonderful (and not much known) Dylan song Make You Feel My Love.
But one swallow does not a summer make. Today, I'll be doing something I've never done before in my life. I'm taking the CD back to the shop. Not because it's scratched, or won't play on my car's stereo system (which has happened before now with an odd CD or two) - but simply because it's a pile of pants.
Today's top tip, therefore, is to save yourself a tenner by avoiding this CD like you might a rare and virulent strain of botulism that you found on your doorstep.
Thursday, 3 May 2007
Bill's Top Tips: #1 Save Yourself a Tenner
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11 comments:
bryan ferry oozes sex appeal but I've never liked his music.
especially not his version of a hard rain's a gonna fall
hope you get your money back
Oh, nursemyra, you disappoint me. But I imagine your tastes must be for harder vocalists.
Anyway, mission accomplished, and Tesco's learned they had met their match when they tried to refuse me a refund.
Didn't he travel across the Mersey?
If he did so to record this particular album, Archie, I can only think that, like a poor wine, he didn't travel well!
I used to teach the woman who was married to the man who designed the covers of Bryan Ferry's albums.............what a small world.
you used to teach her what?
daddy papersurfer: respect
nursemyra: probably, to avoid listening to Bryan Ferry
How to teach [ and also how to deal with obscene phone calls - not mine you understand............oh, it's far too complicated.]
Mr Blunt
I do apologise for having to meet with Nursemyra on your comments page - it's the only time we get to ourselves without the TG editing me.
Mr Papersurfer / Nursemyra - you are more than welcome to use this dark corner of the blogosphere to meet. My journalist's natural suspicion of editors means you have an ally. And I promise not to watch.
Im not sure I can trust you when it comes to not watching.
we know you're a man of needs and mrs blunt has not been meeting them of late. did you leave that printout where she could see it?
Alas, the print was a tad too small, the bedside light just a bit too low. I fear that article is destined for re-cycling.
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