'Dylanesque'

British singer and glamour icon Bryan Ferry visits Vienna on May 16, appearing at the Stadthalle as part of his upcoming promotional tour following the release of his first new solo album in five years, ‘Dylanesque’.

As the name of the albums suggests, ‘Dylanesque’ is a tribute to Bob Dylan himself, each of the eleven tracks a Ferry interpretation of one of the great bard of rock’n’roll’s songs.

Ferry’s treatment of established pop tunes will not be new to most – his cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ following the latter’s murder in 1980 remains his best known recording, and the one that propelled him to worldwide fame.

Ferry, along with his band Roxy Music, were accused by many at the time of latching onto a tragedy to make a quick pound, but nevertheless this crooner version of that famous tune remains his only UK number one single to date.

The truth is, Ferry has almost always recorded cover versions of his favourite tunes, ever since the beginning of his career, parallel to writing and recording his own material.

His other signature tune, ‘Let’s Stick Together,’ was also an interpretation of a Wilbert Harrison number that had already been covered by Canned Heat in the sixties.

No doubt, many of Ferry’s admirers find a nice counter balance to his own quirky art-pop in his renditions of well known standards.

Regarding his latest project, Ferry claims to have had the idea of recording an entire album of Dylan songs dating from as early as 1973, and has only now found the time to do so.

In the process he has been aided by several famous names; contributors to the album include keyboardist Paul Carrack, of Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics fame, Robin Trower, former guitarist with Procul Harem, and Andy Newmark, a drummer known for laying down the pre-funk beats associated with ‘ly and the Family Stone.

Ferry has perhaps tarnished his pop’s Gentleman image somewhat with recent controversial comments praising the Nazis for their ‘presentational skills’. However, his long and fruitful career is likely to attract a large and appreciative crowd. Dylanesque was released on the Mar. 5.

Bryan Ferry appears at the Stadthalle on the May 16.

TICKETS:

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