From: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org (avalon-digest) To: avalon-digest@smoe.org Subject: avalon-digest V3 #320 Reply-To: avalon@smoe.org Sender: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk avalon-digest Tuesday, December 29 1998 Volume 03 : Number 320 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [AVALON] CDNow's biography for BF [Helchat@aol.com] Re: [AVALON] CDNow's biography for BF [LizzieJim@aol.com] Re: [AVALON] CDNow's biography for BF [Pim Rebholz ] To leave the list, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon-digest ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1998 19:07:04 EST From: Helchat@aol.com Subject: [AVALON] CDNow's biography for BF Hello, all. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday season Check out this information I found on BF in CDNow's biography area: b. 26 September 1945, Washington, Tyne & Wear, England. Ferry began his musical career in local group the Banshees, following which he enrolled at Newcastle-upon-Tyne University where he formed R&B group the Gas Board, whose ranks included Graham Simpson and John Porter. After studying Fine Art under Richard Hamilton, Ferry briefly worked as a teacher before forming Roxy Music. During their rise to fame, he plotted a parallel solo career, beginning in 1973 with These Foolish Things, an album of favourite cover versions. At the time, the notion of recording an album of rock standards was both innovative and nostalgic. Ferry recorded half an album of faithful imitations, leaving the other half to more adventurous arrangements. Some of the highlights included a revival of Ketty Lester 's obscure 'Rivers Of Salt', a jaunty reading of Elvis Presley 's 'Baby I Don't Care' and a remarkable hit version of Bob Dylan 's 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall'. The album received mixed reviews but effectively paved the way for similar works including David Bowie 's Pin Ups and John Lennon 's Rock 'N' Roll. Ferry continued the cover game with Another Time Another Place, which was generally less impressive than its predecessor. Two stylish pre-rock numbers that worked well were 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' and 'Funny How Time Slips Away'. A gutsy revival of Dobie Gray 's 'The In Crowd' brought another UK Top 20 hit. By 1976, Ferry had switched to R&B covers on Let's Stick Together which, in addition to the hit Wilbert Harrison title track, featured a rousing re-run of the Everly Brothers''The Price Of Love'. It was not until 1977 that Ferry finally wrote an album's worth of songs for a solo work. In Your Mind spawned a couple of minor hits with 'This Is Tomorrow' and 'Tokyo Joe'. That same spring, Ferry appeared on the soundtrack of All This And World War II singing the Beatles' She's Leaving Home'. The following year, he retired to Montreux to complete the highly accomplished The Bride Stripped Bare. Introspective and revelatory, the album documented his sense of rejection following separation from his jet-setting girlfriend, model Jerry Hall. The splendid 'Sign Of The Times' presented a Dadaist vision of life as total bleakness: 'We live, we die . . . we know not why'. The track 'Can't Let Go', written at a time when he considered giving up music, maintained the dark mood. It was another seven years before Ferry recorded solo again. In the meantime, he married society heiress Lucy Helmore, abandoning his lounge lizard image in the process. The 1985 comeback Boys And Girls was stylistically similar to his work with Roxy Music and included the hits 'Slave To Love' and 'Don't Stop The Dance'. After a further two-year break, Ferry collaborated with guitarist Johnny Marr on 'The Right Stuff' (adapted from the Smiths' instrumental, 'Money Changes Everything'). The album Bete Noire was a notable hit indicating that Ferry's muse was still very much alive, even though his solo work continues to be eclipsed by the best of Roxy Music. Mamouna suffered from a lack of sparkle; Ferry seems to have become so good at what he does that he ceases to put any energy or emotion into the songs. The production is excellent, his singing is excellent but someone needs to remind him that emotion is necessary, too. end of biography. I was wondering if all this was true. Helene - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1998 23:11:19 EST From: LizzieJim@aol.com Subject: Re: [AVALON] CDNow's biography for BF I agree with the reviewer on Mamouna. It was really not Bryan's best. There was only one or 2 songs that I really liked especially the title song. Bryan needs to rock out more like he did and show the sly sense of humor in his songs all the little effects he used to put in were so neat like the whoosh in The Bride Stripped Bare. Love Me Madly had more passion and pure Bryan Ferry than anyhting on Mamouna. I love the guy but I also know when he could do a lot better. Hopefully when his next comes out SOON I HOPE it'll surprize us all over again. Bryan and Roxy need a resurgence. I'm tired of Elton and Rod with their boring MOR muzak and getting all the accolades. They just don't compare. Janeen LizzieJim@aol.com - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 00:27:09 -0800 (PST) From: Pim Rebholz Subject: Re: [AVALON] CDNow's biography for BF - ---Helchat@aol.com wrote: >Check out this information I found on BF in CDNow's >biography area: >..... > I was wondering if all this was true. > > Helene Helene, Apart from the subjective remarks in the story, the other things about Bryan are all true. At least they are in the biography "The Bryan Ferry Story" (and the other books about him). I do agree with the remarks about the albums, but that's a different story. Pim. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? 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