These Foolish Things

Within 18 months of starting the first Roxy Music recording sessions, two Roxy Music albums had been recorded, and promoted through international tours...and Bryan Ferry had recorded and released his first solo album, These Foolish Things.

Bryan Ferry: These Foolish Things

Bryan Ferry: These Foolish Things

I warn you, there are those amongst you who will hate this album with a vengeance. It has the temerity to take well-loved songs by:

The Beatles...You Won't See Me
The Rolling Stones...Sympathy For The Devil
Bob Dylan...A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
The Beach Boys...Don't Worry Baby
Janis Joplin...A Piece Of My Heart
Elvis...(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care
The Four Tops...Loving You Is Sweeter
Smokey Robinson...The Tracks Of My Tears

...and turn them into just about the happiest celebration of pop music that I have on record. Ferry seems to be so thrilled with having the luxury to record these songs after a lifetime of being a fan, that he's like a puppy going wild, warbling, crooning...and generally goofing around like nobody I've heard in Rock'n'Roll do.

His version of Dylan's apocalyptic A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall is not only a brave reinterpretation, it's also genuinely funny...and deserved to be the hit single it was in the UK.

Bryan Ferry: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

I wholeheartedly recommend this little-known collection, which never fails to put me in a good mood. There are a couple of clunkers, I'll admit. I'm not that keen on:

Sympathy For The Devil...which doesn't seen to fit the album's bonhomie &
Piece Of My Heart...Janis' version is too strong in the memory

...but all the rest is mighty fine.

Ferry leaves the best until last, the title track, a remake of this old chestnut by Frank Sinatra, These Foolish Things. The snippet on Amazon is one verse but in Ferry's full version, each verse builds and builds exquisitely...and it's always a let-down when song finally finishes, you just wish it could go on.

Bryan Ferry: These Foolish Things

"...These Foolish Things...is a treat, from the slightly campy take on It's My Party to the very sexy Piece of My Heart, there is something for everyone on this album... ballads, rockers...and Ferry's trademark '30's dancehall style, beautifully displayed on the title cut. Add this to your collection immediately!..." Amazon reviewer Sharon E. Cathcart

"...There is no-one on this planet that can take a hoary old classic, blow the dust off it and make it completely his own, quite the way Bryan Ferry can...Apart from the fact that this man has a sinfully wicked voice, he also has this wondrous ability to interpret lyrics that have been recorded ad nauseum and create something fresh and eclectic (I listen to his version of Don't Ever Change at least once a day!) He has had many great albums, but this is the one that I would grab if my house caught fire..." Amazon reviewer Burgo Fitzgerald

"...This man is such a spaz. It's almost blasphemous the way he covers some of these songs but that's probably why it's so great. If anyone wanted to take songs and made them his own, this album could be the blueprint...(but) it's all so shockingly retarded...If you can appreciate the absurdity of it, you'll love it..." Amazon reviewer J. Steine "grandmasterspam"

"...I listened to about 3 seconds of Hard Rain and couldn't stop it fast enough. It's really, really awful..." Amazon reviewer Trudy Caswell "trudy51"

I can't recommend this nutty collection more, it's completely delightful.

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