Bryan Ferry is an English singer-songwriter who is considered, like David Bowie, as one of the most influential singers across the Channel during the 1970s-1980s, both in terms of music and look. How charismatic leader of the group Roxy Music between 1972 and 1982, he really began his solo career from the mid-80s (the songs he produced in the 70s would be mainly covers of great Standards).
By combining the two careers, he can even boast of having sold no less than 30 million albums around the world !
It was therefore from 1985 that the artist took control of his destiny by releasing the album "Boys and girls". The album was a huge success across the Channel and achieved impressive sales scores in the USA. So much so that it will stay in history as his highest ranked album of all. In particular thanks to 2 enormously enormous Singles which are "Slave to love" and "Don’t stop the dance", flagship titles which will remain as his 2 most brilliant achievements of the decade on the Singles side.
The year 1986 will be exclusively devoted to the release of titles that will be used in soundtracks. “The right stuff” will illustrate the film Legend and “Help me” will illustrate The fly.
Back in force in 1987 with the release of the album "Bête noire", a notoriously successful album which will be his last album of the decade. Of which will be extracted mainly "The right stuff" which leaves the same year and "Kiss and tell", which leaves him a year later in 1988. Two titles which will carry out a nice course in the Charts. The artist is then in top form.
Then, as paradoxical as it may seem, we will have to wait 5 years before the artist returns to the front of the stage thanks to the album "Taxi", a new album which is therefore released in 1993. In any case, back winner because the album is a real success especially thanks to the luxury cover of Jay Hawkins' track "I put a spell on you", cult title dating from 1956. And to a lesser extent "Will you love me tomorrow".
A winning return, but the artist began to decline irreparably because the album "Mamouna" which came out in 1994 did not produce any top hits, despite once again high sales scores. Ditto for the album "As time goes by" which will be released five years later (!) In 1999.
Like many artists of his generation, the 1990s saw the singer gradually disappear from the radar, failing to renew himself in a decade when everything was going really too fast. Be that as it may, his name will always be associated with notions of natural class and dandy, 2 rare qualifiers that will have made him one of the most notable singers of this end of the XXth side across the Channel.
While we thought that the adventure would end there, he will return in a spectacular way to say the least in the years that follow and show de facto that in music nothing is ever finished.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
A hard rain’s a-Gonna fall 1973
I love how you love me 1973
The In’ crowd 1974
Smoke gets in your eyes 1974
You go to my head 1975
Let’s stick together 1976
The price of love 1976
Heart on my sleeve 1976
This is tomorrow 1977
Tokyo Joe 1977
What goes on 1978
Sign of the times 1978
80s Decade :
Slave to love 1985
Don’t stop the dance 1985
Windstep 1985
Is your love strong enough ? 1986
Help me 1986
The right stuff 1987
Kiss and tell 1988
Limbo 1988
He'll have to go 1989
90s Decade :
I put a spell on you 1993
Will you love me tomorrow 1993
The girl of my best friend 1993
Your painted smile 1994
Mamouna 1994
Dance with life 1996
As time goes by 1999
2000s Decade :
It's all over now, Baby Blue 2002
Goddess of love 2002
One way love 2002
Fool for love 2002
The times they are a-changin' 2007
Simple twist of fate 2007
2010s Decade :
U can dance 2010
You can dance 2010
Shameless 2010
Reason or Rhyme 2010
Alphaville 2011
Johnny and Mary 2014
Driving me wild 2014
A special kind of guy 2014
Loop de Li 2014
Alphaville 2018
New town 2018
2020s Decade :
Love letters 2022
I just don't know what to do with myself 2022
Fooled around and fell in love 2022
Roxy Music Adventure :
Tracks :
1973 ... what better than a good old cover of a Bob Dylan title and dating from 1962 to start his solo career without getting too tired...
1973...it's really hard to imagine in this year 1973 that the young Bryan will become a few years later one of the leading figures of the English music scene...
1974...we continue with the luxury cover of a Dobie Gray title dating from 1964. And as before, it works rather well for the buyer !
1974 ... so there, we have to go back to the 1930s to find the original that he uses. The title "Smoke get in your eyes" actually comes from the Roberta musical from 1933. Well, there's a while, we shouldn't go too far back in time Bryan ...
1975 ... we regained a few years but not by many. This time, it is a title recorded by Larry Clinton in 1938 which has the favor of the artist...
1976 ... and here comes his first global mega hit. This time, he can say a big thank you to Wilbert Harrison and his song dating back to 1962. Like what, once again, the best soups are made in old pots !
1976 ... when Bryan takes over Everly Brothers dating from 1965, this is the result. A modernized version that works perfectly and offers a new major success to the artist...
1976...the last title of the year which will unfortunately go much more unnoticed. After all, not all titles can finish No.1 in the Charts, that's for sure...
1977 ... the first original titles of the artist, finally. He finally takes off on a very typical '70s rock sound and my faith, it also works too...
1977 ... a beautiful year 1977 with a second notorious hit in the wake. The rise in power is obvious, so we imagine that the sequel will be up to the task...
1978...new luxury cover this time on the Velvet Underground title dating from 1969. Nice but nothing more as they say...
1978 ... although 1977 was a Grand Cru, 1978 will not be remembered as the artist's best year. A tiny hit and then goes...
1985 ... then nothing solo for 7 years. But it is the better to return in a brilliant way in this year 1985 when the artist will deliver several exceptional titles. Starting with this one ! MA-GIC !
1985 ... he does it again in the wake and delivers a second amazing title with brilliant inspiration. The artist is at the height of his possibilities and his potential for attractiveness. In one year, he delivered 2 of the most emblematic pieces of the decade. MAS-TER-FUL !
1985 ... a decidedly exceptional year 1985 with a third title of very high caliber. The singer literally walks on water !
1986 ... the year 1986 will not equal the year 1985 but we feel the artist has an exceptional dynamic that is not about to stop...
1986...a title which will almost completely go under the radar. A title that it would have been a shame not to highlight at least a little...
1987 ... business picks up again in this new year. A single-title year that allows the artist to catch up with the leading pack...
1988 ... another very high-caliber title which shows the full extent of his talent and that he remains undoubtedly one of the very best artists of his generation...
1988...a sequel which will not really have the same level of success but which is far from deserving. Anyway, we'll be happy with that...
1989...a title which will be one of the artist's 'small' hits. There will have been a few like that but they still deserved to be highlighted like the others...
1993 ... then a big 4 years air hole. A change of decade which rhymes with a change of style and flagrant sound. And it works, new top hit !
1993 ... a change in style so drastic that even early adopters get lost in it. Race results : last notorious hit ....
1993...we're not going to lie, the best years are now behind him. Afterwards the adventure can absolutely continue whatever happens...
1994 ... totally outside the musical standards of the moment, the artist tries to keep his head above water at all costs. Unfortunately, his extraordinary talent is no longer enough ...
1994...the level of success in the Charts is decreasing from year to year and this is not going to get better. Hard law of the trade...
1996 ... a last standstill with a particularly inspired title. Like what, you have to believe in it to the end, especially for the greatest !
1999...the adventure continues but it is clear that the best years are now behind. His revisited version of this title dating from 1931 is nice but marks the breaking point between the great years and the much less prosperous years that follow...
2002...and here he is, beginning a new decade. You still have to remember that he started his career almost 30 years ago. An exceptional longevity...
2002...a desire to believe in it until the end which undoubtedly commands respect. And it's not the basic fans who are likely to complain about it...
2002...core fans who continue to support him massively, hence the results in the Album Charts are still very satisfactory...
2002...what he continues to produce is not devoid of interest, that's for sure. But it is clear that the level of inspiration no longer has anything to do with the boom years...
2007...this mid-decade 2000 will rhyme with a tribute to Bob Dylan. It starts from a good feeling but it will not bring him more than that in the Charts...
2007...we are far, very far from what he offered during the 70s and 80s. Not easy to reinvent yourself over the decades, that's clear...
2007...as long as he continues to enjoy what he does why would he change anything ? That's what he says to himself every day at first glance...
2010... he will have gone through the 70s, then the 80s, then the 90s, then the 2000s and here he is beginning his 5th decade of career. Who would have thought he would still be there when he started in 1973, not many people that's for sure...?
2010...he continues to believe in it, but he's the only one to believe in it now. The general public has gone elsewhere for a long time and it is clear that he does more some figuration than anything else now...
2010...what he continues to produce is far from deserving but he has accustomed us to such a level of excellence that seeing him return to a normal level cannot necessarily satisfy us. Hard law of the trade...
2010...a style that is totally out of time but which he takes on perfectly. Afterwards there is obviously a price to pay in this case...
2011...even if he will no longer classify almost any title on the Singles side, the success remains on the charts albums side. More than enough to encourage him to continue....
2014...here he covers Robert Palmer's mythical title dating from 1980. His revisited version is nice but difficult to fight on equal terms with such an emblematic original version...
2014...he crosses eras, years, decades and fashions with disconcerting ease. Admittedly, without necessarily taking into account what the younger generation expects, but it doesn't matter, the main thing for him is to continue to exist...
2014...as the title of the song says so well, he too is really a truly atypical person. A one-of-a-kind model...
2014...an adventure that almost ends here. Almost because with him everything is possible and there is no reason why we shouldn't see him again at some point or another...
2018...the proof because here he is again ! He comes back again and again and he will go all the way as long as his strength will carry him. A real feat !
2018...titles totally out of time and therefore totally unclassifiable. We feel that he has decided to have fun until the end by venturing on musical paths that are surprising to say the least...
2022... he begins his 6th decade of career here, just that ! And as the survivors of the 80s are popular in this new decade, the future may hold some nice surprises for him...
2022... what does he have in store for us in the future, only him can answer this question. What is certain is that he may still surprise us, as always...
2022... what is certain is that we will follow him to the end because he fully deserves it. Such a prize list necessarily deserves the greatest respect and the greatest attention...
Top Bonus : when the singer covers one of the most inspired songs of the end of the 20th century, the result can only be extraordinary !
Wiki :
Official Website :
http://bryanferry.com/ Greatest Hits :
Discography :