Bryan Ferry takes us through his solo catalogue in the new Uncut, dated May 2015 and out now.
From 1973 debut These Foolish Things right up to last year’s Avonmore, the Roxy Music singer and songwriter recalls the writing and recording of his best albums, remembering sessions with Nile Rodgers, David Gilmour and more in locations ranging from west London to Bette Midler’s loft in Tribeca, New York City.
Ferry even responds to the rumours that Bowie’s Pin Ups concept was inspired by his own covers album, These Foolish Things, recorded just before Bowie’s.
“David Bowie actually telephoned me,” he says. “We must have done the [Finsbury Park] Rainbow show with him before that, and the Greyhound in Croydon, another show where Roxy supported Bowie. David rang me cheerfully one day and said, ‘Just to let you know, I’ve just done an album like yours.’
“But it wasn’t really, it was a covers LP, but all from the ’60s, whereas mine was a more comprehensive take on pop, just lots of different people who were interesting to me, writers like Goffin & King, Leiber & Stoller, The Rolling Stones, Smokey Robinson, of course, and Dylan.”