Bete Noire

Oh Boy! You know that an international album's in big trouble when the title can't even be pronounced by Mr. & Mrs. Joe Public of Delaware.

"Beat Noy-errrr?"

...I can hear Joe saying to his lovely tank-topped lady while shopping in the mall on a Saturday morning in 1988...as Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Volume 2 blares recognisably and blue-collarishly through the record store's speakers.

Translated literally from the French, Bete Noire means black beast, colloquially implying creature of the night. However, for an album that was meant to break Ferry big-time in the USA after the excellent building work done by:

Avalon &
Boys And Girls

...it was a really stupid business move. You've got to have a title that folks understand! Men & Women would probably have been much better...if you see what I mean...and it would have tied it to the previous and reasonably successful album. Drats!

Bryan Ferry: Bete Noire

Bryan Ferry: Bete Noire

Anyway, Bete Noire is a significant development from Boys And Girls. If you've read my review, you'll get the idea of what Ferry was doing and Bete Noire is...only more so.

On the plus side, getting then-hot-shot dance producer Patrick Leonard as producer was a smart move. He helped Ferry create a sound that surprisingly remains contemporary and you could easily imagine any of the tracks being used in a modern movie soundtrack, which is quite an achievement.

Kiss & Tell

However...Bete Noire, like its title...is curiously European. I can't quite work out why...but this rhythmic music, music of the night, though it sounds funky, is so ambivalent about every emotion, every image, every loin-stirring...that, to me, it seems the antithesis of the American spirit...which (besides the title) may explain why the album didn't sell as well as expected.

That's not to say Bete Noire isn't beautiful:

the lyrics are incredibly atmospheric, frequently like beat poetry, throwing off images like a literary catherine wheel
the voice, a featured instrument that weaves in and out of the mix
the effect: a vertigo-like fall into a strange abstraction of passion

...but funky it ain't.

Bryan Ferry: Bete Noire

"...What I've always liked about Bryan Ferry back from his Roxy Music roots to his smooth crooner ballads of late, is the fact that he has such a gentlemanly appearance, but there is something almost sordid running beneath the surface... it's very attractive..." Amazon reviewer Craig H. Ferguson "Starksfergie"

"...I love this release. Bete Noire...(it)...is my favorite Brian Ferry solo album. It is an austere piece of mood music with a sexy dance edge to it. I love it all, yet the hit, Kiss And Tell, stands out..." Amazon reviewer Gregory Alonzo

"...Bete Noir is probably my favorite Ferry album, as it consistently gives off spooky/sexy vibe perfect for late night listening...but for my money the best song on the album is Zamba. Almost unbearably atmospheric, the song floats seductively along a droning synthesizer riff while Ferry croons about a former lover. A great album..." Amazon reviewer Peter Lee (pl2006).

Incidentally, the splendid video to Kiss And Tell can be found on...

Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music's Video Collection

...it's one of my favorite videos, ever.