Bryan Ferry - These Foolish Things (LP, 1973)

I was trying to remember the first time I heard Bryan Ferry, and for some reason I have this very odd memory of the "Kiss and Tell" video. Was it that popular of a song? Either way, it was long before I discovered Roxy Music, the band with which Ferry did his best work. Now I can't remember how I got into Roxy Music...

I go through phases with Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, sometimes convincing myself that it's just the kind of debonair rock that I need to add more of to my collection, other times wondering where Ferry gets off with that suave bullshit. Right now I'm sort of in between, but leaning towards liking it. Ferry's voice is always great, and Roxy Music has written some songs that I will always love ("The Thrill of It All," anyone?).

This is Ferry's first solo record, and it's a collection of covers of popular songs. So, it's not my favorite offering of his (I've never been a fan of a full album of covers), but it's well worth the dollar I paid for it. Some of the songs are over-the-top corny ("It's My Party"), others seem like odd choices ("I Love How You Love Me"), but most of the songs are well-done, and very different from the originals. His version of the Beatles' "You Won't See Me" is surprisingly great, and his take on "Sympathy for the Devil" is bizarre enough to totally work.

But I still prefer his original stuff, or at least his more obscure covers.

"Sympathy for the Devil"