Customer Reviews

Another Time Another Place

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one heck of a strange album. I'm not really sure what to make of it, and I think that's a good thing. Sometimes, I find myself oddly moved by the songs. Ferry's quavering take on "Smoke Gets in your Eyes" IS weird, but almost definitive. It raises goosebumps. Sometime, I find myself laughing at the album. Ferry sings "What A Wonderful World" like he's mad at the song. It's not really a bad thing, but I just wonder what he was thinking or what sound he was going for. "You are My Sunshine" displays the silly-serious dichotomy within the same song: at times, it's touching, at times laughable. It seems like Ferry set out to prove that some songs are just SO good, no matter how strangely you sing them, you can't diminish thier power. That sentiment, in fact, sums up this album. Definitely odd,(even by Ferry/Roxy standards) probably goofy, but to my ear, excellent in its own idiosyncratic way. Camp and schmaltz have always been a part of the Ferry/Roxy music pantheon, and they are played to the forefront here. That said, the musicianship is fantastically professional, the arangements deep and eclectic, the recording (of course) pristine, and the title track (a Ferry original) one of the best things he's ever sung.

For extra laughs, check out the liner notes. The credit "Cover Concept By Bryan Ferry" really had me giggling. I could just imagine him saying (in... British accent) "hey guys, I'm so damn handsome, Let's just get a shot of me dressed like the Great Gatsby with a come-hither-look on my face standing in front of a swimming pool. That would make a great cover." And you know what? In a way, it did?

For me, Bryan Ferry's second solo album is a bit uneven in the quality of song choices. I find most of these selections rather boring, even with Ferry's unique arrangements and vocal stylings present. But though half of the CD is a little uninspired, there are five songs that make this worth purchasing. The best songs are the first and last ones. "The In Crowd" is handled perfectly with just the right amount of camp and humor. Also a bit humorous are the versions of "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" and "Fingerpoppin'". "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is touching and lovely. Finally, the title track is one of Bryan's best original songs with its unusual time changes and catchy melody. If you dig this CD, pick up his first solo outing, "These Foolish Things".

Are you kidding??!! Ferry's version of "You are my sunshine" is one of the highlights of this excellent album. The gospel choir compliments his vocals perfectly.

"Another Time, Another Place" is an interesting selection of Ferry's unmatchable arrangements of cover tunes. My favorite piece on the album is "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," a slightly more upbeat arrangement than usually seen for the song. Other notable cuts include "Funny How Time Slips Away," done as a barrelhouse blues piece, and a jazz version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night." Fans of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music will certainly enjoy this collection.

This album of covers ranges from the most excellent: "The In Crowd", very Ferry, and the only non-cover on the album "Another Time, Another Place", to the virtually unlistenable "You Are my Sunshine." Good early(er) Ferry is better defined with the "In Your Mind" album.

Ferry's second solo round finds him mining the classic cover songs again, but with far less inspiration. Although the album opens very strongly, with back-to-back phenomenal covers, most of the rest of the album sags. The first track, 'The In Crowd', is explosively sublime, and he renders the following track, 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes', in a way that forever defines the song (in my view, THE definitive version of this standard), but the energy quickly flags and the record limps along with what seems to be a bevy of filler tracks until the final, title track (the only original composition on the album) which returns the listener to the stratosphere. Overall disappointing after his debut effort, but well worth having if only for the first 2 and final tracks.

This album would have made a classic two-sided single, with his absolutely sick and brilliant version of "The 'In' Crowd" (dig those power chords and freakout guitar solo) backed with the original "Another Time, Another Place," which sounds like an outtake from "Stranded" or "Country Life." The rest of the album is at best OK--depends on how much you like the songs he's covering. It's pretty much a must-buy album for those two songs alone...try to find a used copy.

This album is an excellent attempt to take oldtime classics and turn them into actual rock songs, and then add a few good originals. The remakes are fantastic, especially "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", "Funny how time slips Away", and "Fingerpoppin". You will have all your limbs shakin and boppin and funkin at these remakes. The final tune has a great core rythym, and it's too bad Ferry couldn't have found a way to make it longer and more soulful.

Ever go on a vacation to somewhere new, and you don't know what to expect, and you just have the most fun, and enjoy yourself immensely, and you can't wait to go back? Well, that's what Ferry's 1st solo album, THESE FOOLISH THINGS is like. And then you go back to that same vacation spot, and the magic is gone, and it's not the same the 2nd time around, and it's not nearly as much fun as the 1st time you went. That's what this album, the follow-up, Ferry's second solo LP, is like. Thematically, ANOTHER TIME... is the same a THESE FOOLISH THINGS, but for whatever reason; song selection, inspired performances (or lack thereof) or execution, it's not nearly as fun, or as good, as its masterwork predecessor. Sometimes, you can't go back.

Another Time, Another Place being was released 1974 and was Ferry's second studio album and reached number 4 in the UK charts. This album is a cover album for all tracks except "Another Time, Another Place". Tracks that stand out on this release are "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "It Aint Me Babe" and "The 'In' Crowd". Ferry looks very debonair on the cover and looks just as stylish on the photo in CD booklet. We get a very nice list musicians and the lyrics to "Another Time, Another Place". 4/5.