Monday 26 February 2007

Another (different) TV gig of Bryan Ferry promoting Dylanesque

If you missed Friday’s delightful Bryan Ferry Dylan covers gig on BBC TV, there’s a second chance to see the material performed in a different gig recorded for competing TV station Channel 4.

It airs at 1210-0115 next Saturday night, 3 March, ie two days before the keenly awaited album goes on sale here.

Gerry Smith




My review of Friday’s TV gig:

Bryan Ferry excels in Dylan covers gig: review/setlist/video link

The 45 minutes of Bryan Ferry’s Dylanesque promo gig, which has just finished on BBC1 TV, saw England’s rags-to-riches rocker delivering an inspired set. Ferry was backed by a lively band – a rock quartet, filled out by piano, keyboards/viola, horn(s), and a pair of tumultuous gospel-tinged backing vocalists.

The broadcast component of Ferry’s set, recorded at the lovely ex-church, LSO St Luke’s, London, was a rich mix of Ferry/Roxy favourites, interleaved with Dylan covers:

SETLIST:
1. The In Crowd (Ferry – Another Time, Another Place)
2. All Along The Watchtower (Dylan – JWH)
3. Slave To Love (Ferry - Boys And Girls)
4. Make You Feel My Love (Dylan – TOOM)
5. Let’s Stick Together (Ferry – Let’s Stick Together)
6. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (Dylan – H61R)
7. Don’t Stop The Dance (Ferry – Boys And Girls)
8. Gates Of Eden (Dylan – BIABH)
9. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Ferry - Another Time, Another Place)
10. I Put A Spell On You (Ferry – Taxi)
11. A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall (Dylan – TFBD)
12. Jealous Guy (Roxy – single)

Ferry’s treatment of the five Dylan covers was both soulful and reverential. He worked the nuances of each tune. His occasionally melodramatic delivery served to highlight the majesty of both the Dylan and the other songs in the set. He delivered some well-felt, lively harp on songs 6 and 8, too: bonus!

It was instructive (if predictable) to hear how well the Dylan material sat alongside the old Jerome Kern standard, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

The only slight weakness of a delightful gig was the choice of final tune – a weak song by an over-rated writer, with an appropriately weakly whistled outro.

Overall, this was a lovely show – the best rockpop gig I’ve seen for some time. Now, is it too late to I book for Ferry’s forthcoming UK tour… ?

You can see a splendid 15 min video, with clips of the gig, plus a Ferry interview discussing the Dylanesque release (due 5 March – yummy!), as well as an album review, and related Roxy Music stuff:

www.bbc.co.uk/music



Gerry Smith

Saturday 24 February 2007

Bryan Ferry excels in Dylan covers gig: review/setlist/video link

The 45 minutes of Bryan Ferry’s Dylanesque promo gig, which has just finished on BBC1 TV, saw England’s rags-to-riches rocker delivering an inspired set. Ferry was backed by a lively band – a rock quartet, filled out by piano, keyboards/viola, horn(s), and a pair of tumultuous gospel-tinged backing vocalists.

The broadcast component of Ferry’s set, recorded at the lovely ex-church, LSO St Luke’s, London, was a rich mix of Ferry/Roxy favourites, interleaved with Dylan covers:

SETLIST:
1. The In Crowd (Ferry – Another Time, Another Place)
2. All Along The Watchtower (Dylan – JWH)
3. Slave To Love (Ferry - Boys And Girls)
4. Make You Feel My Love (Dylan – TOOM)
5. Let’s Stick Together (Ferry – Let’s Stick Together)
6. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (Dylan – H61R)
7. Don’t Stop The Dance (Ferry – Boys And Girls)
8. Gates Of Eden (Dylan – BIABH)
9. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Ferry - Another Time, Another Place)
10. I Put A Spell On You (Ferry – Taxi)
11. A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall (Dylan – F)
12. Jealous Guy (Roxy – single)

Ferry’s treatment of the five Dylan covers was both soulful and reverential. He worked the nuances of each tune. His occasionally melodramatic delivery served to highlight the majesty of both Dylan and the other songs in the set. He delivered some well-felt, lively harp on songs 6 and 8, too: bonus!

It was instructive (if predictable) to hear how well the Dylan material sat alongside the old Jerome Kern standard, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

The only slight weakness of a delightful gig was the choice of final tune – a weak song by an over-rated writer, with an appropriately weakly whistled outro.

Overall, this was a lovely show – the best rockpop gig I’ve seen for some time. Now, is it too late to I book for Ferry’s forthcoming UK tour… ?

You can see a splendid 15 min video, with clips of the gig, plus a Ferry interview discussing the Dylanesque release (due 5 March – yummy!), as well as an album review, and related Roxy Music stuff:

www.bbc.co.uk/music



Gerry Smith

Friday 23 February 2007

Amy Winehouse: music for grown-ups

If you’re reading this outside the UK, the name Amy Winehouse will probably be new you – the word is that she has yet to be promoted overseas.

If you’re in the UK, you can hardly have escaped Ms Winehouse. Back To Black, her chart-topping second album, her colourful lifetyle, and triumph at last week’s Brits awards, have made her the best-publicised English pop persona since, er, Oasis.

Back To Black, the new album, released before Xmas, has already stacked up 700,000 sales. Frank, her fine debut album, was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2003.

A fine, ballsy songwriter blessed with an authentic soul/jazz/r&b voice and on-stage charisma, Winehouse is a massive new talent. Lovely tone. Fine range. Convincing actress. And – bonus – she swings.

But, because she was cross-promoted at launch to the supermarket crowd with a bunch of less talented Brit “jazz” singers, I’d dismissed her, along with the rest of the wannabes.

Mistake. Amy’s the first pop star to have made me pay serious attention for many years. Music for grown-ups? From a boozy, potty-mouthed, loose-lipped 23 year old? You bet.

Best check out Amy Winehouse - rapido!


Gerry Smith