The cover Bryan Ferry is “most proud of”
The 1970s was a potpourri of an era for music, as the shrapnel of the previous decade’s cultural explosion shot off in many different directions, creating room for shoots to grow. There was innovation across the board, from metal to electronic music, and amid such immense change, one man stood out: Bryan Ferry.
Ferry first found fame as the frontman of one of the decade’s most exciting groups, Roxy Music. A collection of former art students, they fused their respective influences and a desire to create something truly unique with verve. While they were undoubtedly a vital part of the glam rock wave of the early decade, they were always a separate entity, with their music far more forward-thinking than the relatively short-lived zeitgeist they were tied to.
Of course, some of this had to do with in-house synth wizard Brian Eno, but it wasn’t all down to his efforts; each member brought something vital to the fold. For instance, without Ferry they would have been a completely different outfit.
Although Roxy Music were one of the most lauded bands of the 1970s, Ferry couldn’t be contained as a restless creative. In 1973, only a year after they released their acclaimed self-titled debut, he arrived with his first solo effort, These Foolish Things. This was also significant as it arrived within the same 12 months as the band’s second album, For Your Pleasure. A departure from Roxy Music’s distinctive sound, it comprises covers of mostly standard songs. This saw it be a commercial and critical success, peaking at five on the UK Albums Chart.
Given its success and the fact that Ferry has covered many other songs in his time when speaking to Vulture, he was asked to name the rendition that he is “most proud of”. Somewhat unsurprisingly, it’s the cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall’ from his solo debut that he thinks is the best.
He told the publication: “I can’t be precious enough to say that any of my covers is ‘better’ in that sense, but the one I’m most proud of is ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’. It was my first cover. The first single from my first album, These Foolish Things. I remember it was a very spontaneous way it was made. The whole album was made really quickly. I just felt like doing an album of other people’s songs for a change!”
He continued: “I thought, I must choose a Bob Dylan song. Because he writes such great lyrics and really strong songs. I chose that one, and I worked it out on the piano — just pounding those keys. It was very different from his version. You don’t try to beat what the original version is. You just try to do something a bit different and take the song into a slightly different place.”
Listen to Bryan Ferry’s cover of ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ below.
