At first thought, that sounds like a strange combination. Super cool, super smooth Bryan Ferry singing a bunch of sixties protest songs, but believe it or not he does it extremely well. I'm a big fan of Bryan Ferry and I have a bunch of his CD's, and I don't think I've heard him sound better.
According to Wikipedia, this CD was recorded in a week, and it sounds like it. And I definitely mean that in a positive way. Bryan sounds really relaxed and loose. It's quite a live sounding album. He's got a killer band behind him and it's apparent they wouldn't need many takes to get things sounding right.
This is first and foremost a ROCK album. Dylan purists will probably hate it. It doesn't sound much like Dylan, but it is a credit to Bob Dylan's songwriting skills that you can take his songs and play them in many different ways and they still sound fantastic (Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" is one of my favourite Springsteen songs).
My only criticism of the entire CD is that there are only 11 songs on it. The first law of showbiz is to always leave your fans wanting more, and Ferry certainly does that with this album.
There are a few surprises on this CD. I'm a Dylan fan and have a bunch of greatest hits albums, and there are a few songs on here that I've never heard before. Ferry should be congratulated for not just sticking to the big hits. You can probably (unfairly) say that he has played it safe with this song selection, but, hey, it's Bryan Ferry. This is exactly what I want to hear anyway.
The album kicks of with a smooth version of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", which is actually one of the songs I had never heard before. The production, as with all songs on this CD, is very understated, unlike the usual Ferry album. There are a few piano based songs, but for the rest, the guitar is very much front and center. They are using a very tasty bass sound, provided mainly by the fantastic Guy Pratt (usually in Pink Floyd).
The band then goes straight into my favourite song on the CD, and another one I'd never heard before, "Simple Twist of Fate". This is definitely a song I'm going to learn how to play on my ukulele.
The album then goes into it's first quiet piano ballad, "Make You Feel My Love". Again, another song I had never heard before. Who knew Bob Dylan good write stuff as beautiful as this? This is a different Bryan Ferry to the one who has sung on every Ferry/Roxy Music album before this. The emotion just pours out of him. He barely raises his voice above a whisper.
Next, we get back into rock. This is a great version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'". I'm listening to this CD again as I write this, and I am swaying back and forth in my seat as this song is playing. I'm sure a Dylan diehard would find this version sacrilegious. This version would not be out of place on an album like Springsteens "Born in the USA".
"All I Wanna Do" is next. If the album has a weak point, it's this song. Not that it's a bad song, or a bad version for that matter, but the rest of the album is so strong that the arrangement of this song is a bit lightweight compared to the other rockier songs.
Then next comes the classic, "Knockin' On Heavens Door". When I was hanging out in a band in my younger days, this is one song I used to love to play. We used to do the Guns 'n' Roses version, with the heavy power chords. I think every garage band at the time was doing this song. This version is sort of in-between the original Dylan version and the Guns 'n' Roses powerchord version. It's one of the best versions I've heard. The arrangement is spot on.
Now we have the second piano ballad, and it's a surprising one, "Positively Fourth Street". Like the first ballad, you can really feel the emotion in Bryan Ferry's voice. He's got the near whisper happening again. It's always been one of my favourite Dylan songs, and this is a great version, and completely unexpected.
Again, I'm grooving in my seat as I listen to "If Not For You". This is by far the coolest song on the CD. You cannot listen to this version and not feel happy. Guy Pratt, bass player extrordinaire, at his best.
I'm not sure if the next song was written by Dylan or not. The songwriting credit is given as "Traditional". Dylan must have recorded a version of it at some point for it to appear on this album. The song is "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down". I know it better as "Baby Let Me Drive You Home", done by The Animals back in the sixties. Again, a rocky track.
Time for another ballad. "Gates of Eden", and guess what, another song I've not heard before. This arrangement is probably the best on the album. I think they took a bit more time on this track. It sounds fantastic.
Then before you know it, the album draws to a premature (in my opinion) close. "All Along The Watchtower". I ask you, is there a better song with which to close an album of Dylan covers? Of course, it just can't compare to the Hendrix version, which is as perfect as a recording as the world will ever hear. But that would be unfairly treating this version, which is powerful and dynamic. It actually reminds me of Jesus Christ Superstar, the Australian version from about twenty years ago. This song could easily slip into that show, and it wouldn't be out of place, musically speaking.
I listened to this album the other day, whilst walking the dog in the park. It started to rain so I listened to most of it crouched under a tree in the pouring rain. Somehow, that just made it sound better.
If you want to hear some of the songs, I found a website that has a review of the album, and links to samples of some of the songs: Dylanesqe Review
Thanks to Wikipedia as well for various tidbits:
Dylanesque - The Album
The Bryan Ferry Page
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