Customer Reviews

Mamouna

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have long been a fan of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music. This album is a real experience, beyond the jaunty, glam rock of the 70s and early 80s. There is a surreal feeling to this music. It's best listened to in an environment where it can truly be absorbed. Bryan Ferry's voice, of course, has a quality that is hard to explain, and with this great background music, it truly resonates to the ethereal.

It's the kind of album that you listen to a few times, then put it away for a few months, then do it again. Each time you will be amazed at the power of this incredible music experience. It is a beautifully constructed album, in that the music builds on itself to a great climax, then the amazing, haunting denouement of Chain Reaction just carries you away.

I cannot recommend Mamouna highly enough for Bryan Ferry/Roxy fans, or anyone else who likes stylish, inventive pop music creations.

Bryan Ferry's finest overall solo album to date. The above post mentioned the Roxy Music reunion and this may be it. Mamouna, along with Bowie's "Outside" and "Wrong Way Up' with John Cale are also the finest pop music that Brian Eno has produced since the '70's (I guess the ONLY pop music since the 70's for that matter.) Ferry with Robin Trower(?) and a no doubt un-credited Eno recorded this on an astonishing 56 tracks and you can hear something on everyone of them. There is layer upon layer of sonic stuff to enjoy so break out those Sennheiser's and enjoy! Oh yeah, it is very funky, sensual, avante-garde, romantic, sentimental, challenging and rewarding too.

"Mamouna," released in the mid-90's, remains one of my all-time favorite Bryan Ferry albums. His unique arrangements and poetic song-writing are displayed beautifully on this album. The title cut, a ballad, is Ferry at his smoothest and most elegant. Another favorite cut, "The 39 Steps," is slightly more pop-py, but with a darker edge. For fans of Roxy Music, or Ferry as a solo artist, this is a must-have.

Rarely do I ever listen to a whole CD and like the entire thing, but this is an exception. The title song "Mamouna" is just haunting. "N.Y.C." is also a wonderful song that barely stands out due to the quality of this work. This would absolutely be one of my TOP TEN to take if on a stranded island. Get this CD, you will not/can not be disappointed.

Mamouna............very little to say, except...this is a GREAT Recording for Bryan Ferry and...Robin Trower. Yes. Robin Trower is producing this album with Ferry, and you can feel Trower's presence in every single song.
To sum what I can say about this album:
If you like Roxy Music; specifically "Avalon" and "Flesh and Blood",
If you are a fan of Bryan Ferry,
If you are into Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" or his guitar riffs and melodic touches,
This is like putting those 2 artists in a Blender and coming out with Mamouna
This fantastic album is highly recommended.
This album has been in my CD player for 2 days in a row, to me it is like a brand new album for Trower as well as Ferry. Two in one. Can't get any better.

Bryan Ferry has always been perceived as the debonair vocalist who epitomizes melancholic love songs. Partly, that is true, the man has been responsible for some of the most recognizable and seductive love songs of the 80's, but there is another side to him that is mostly neglected. Ferry is also one of the best producers and songwriters of sophisticated, multi-tracked music there is and this album is the proof. Starting with the otherwordly\funk guitar hook of 'Don't wanna know", to the mid-eastern\electronica of the title track, this album is a masterpiece by any standard. Aside from the accomplished instrumentation and meticulous production, Ferry's vocals on this album are also at their most hypnotic, enigmatic and emotive best. Recorded on 56 tracks and taking 7 years to complete this is Bryan Ferry's towering, most underrated musical achievement. Mixing funk, rock, new-age and even a soupcon of chill-out, this is an original and ethereal melange of genre and sounds that is highly recommended for fans of experimental music or fans of Ferry. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed

I still listen to this album frequently. I am a lover of Bryan Ferry's music and this album, in my opinion, comes very close to the feel of Boys and Girls and Avalon. Bete Noire is a more upbeat album.

What I love about Mamouna is that it is "chill" music. Listening to it evokes something haunting and mysterious to me. My all-time favourite song is the closing track, "Chain Reaction". Try listening to this song while lying in the dark. I absolutely can't get enough of it.

This is a great collection of original music from Ferry. If you're a fan, get out there and pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

A lot of artists sing ABOUT dreams, but Mamouna was Bryan Ferry's attempt at creating the aural equivalent of dreams THEMSELVES. This is not an album that jumps out and punches you in the nose, but rather envelops you slowly with understated, trance-like rhythms, subdued solos, falling minor key chord progressions and haunting vocals. In lesser hands, this material would sound homogenized and dull, but Ferry's distinct voice and persistent grooves keep the record percolating along. U2 producer and former bandmate Brian Eno is back on board as well, bringing an element of "mannered chaos" that threatens to break through the placid surface at any moment. Of course, like all pleasant dreams it ends way too soon. Highly recommended to people who like an elegant, luxurious sound tempered with menacing undertones. Stand out tracks: "Mamouna", "Gemini Moon", "The Only Face"

...As soon as I heard the first sounds of the opening song, I got a chill up my spine and knew I'd lucked into another classic along the lines of Boys and Girls and Bete Noire. By the time I'd gotten through "Your Painted Smile," I was hooked. I cannot get that song out of my head, it's haunting me. I'm a die-hard fan of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry -- I don't think there's really anything by them that I don't like. They're all just very special artists. Cheers to life handing me a surprise gift when I least expected it!

Can NOT believe that nobody has reviewed this! Well then, lets just set the record straight shall we? I think of this as the third album in a trilogy of albums following Roxy's final release, the beautiful "Avalon". Then comes "Boys and Girls", and "Bete Noire", which are both excellent. Mamouna fills out the trio by sticking with the same themes, but filling them out perhaps as far as they could be taken, I guess that's up for debate. For you as people looking for info, I say if you like ANY of the albums I've already mentioned, then do NOT wait, order this! My first feeling when I heard it was "Oh, it is more of the same", but then I went on to feel that this is another brilliant entry in Mr. Ferry's fantasitc portfollio. The musicianship is top notch! His band is simply amazing! I saw them play "Love is the Drug" on Letterman, and I was shocked at how it "rocked". OK, I could go on and on, get this! If you don't know any of the albums I mentioned, then get Avalon first, then try the solo stuff.