Bryan Ferry: In Concert - Live In Paris At Le Grand Rex [DVD] [2001]

If I can remember ferry used an orchestra and it worked very well. I always thought that he was talented and really remember the roxy album avalon which was my favourite and he just works well with nearly everything.

Without a TV, and not really missing it, we have been collecting DVDs and our favourites tend to be live concerts by iconic performers. The first live concert I attended was at London's Rainbow Theatre featuring a dream double bill of Roxy Music and David Bowie (as Ziggy Stardust). It was unforgettable and over the years I have followed both acts with interest and varying degrees of enjoyment.This gig is different from the usual Ferry concerts in that it mixes some time-honed standards with many of my favourites from the vast and varied catalogue from this truly innovative artist. As usual, Bryan leads a small army of musicians on stage, this time augmented by a superb string quartet. The opulent ambience of the venue, Le Grand Rex in Paris, is a great complement to the eclectic program and adds to my enjoyment.Sound and picture quality are excellent; although the stage is fairly dark most of the time, soft spotlights pick out the performers, making the visual presence of this concert quite gorgeous. Lots of different camera angles give a very dynamic presentation. Bryan's voice has mellowed over his long career and, although less powerful than it used to be, it remains unique and, I think, very evocative. His phrasing is always original and emotive in a good way. The choice of classic torch songs reflects the taste and sensibility of a music lover. It's difficult to choose favourites, but I have to mention “Casanova” as it is a superb version of this song.There are no real extras: a quick identification of the musicians, and a discography. This concert gets a regular airing in our house, and I am very happy to have bought it. We have a small collection of Ferry's live concerts. Somehow they are all a bit different, but the common elements are the superb musicianship from the whole ensemble, how well they play together, and how much fun they seem to have in the process.

Bryan Ferry has been through many changes in a solo career that has endured over thirty years, some of that time running paralell to his time spent in Roxy Music. This DVD sees the suave Ferry fronting a classy band - well, make that a mini-orchestra - with a string quartet comprising some very attractive young ladies, and a bunch of geezers togged up in dicky bows and tuxedos. Ferry's music has always had something of that continental richness about it (like high cocoa solids dark chocolate), and, as befits the Parisian recording of this DVD, much of that comes out. Re-arrangements of Roxy faves such as 'Casanova', 'Out Of The Blue', 'Chance Meeting' and 'Bitter-Sweet' are vivid, imaginative, freshly reworked and performed with charm and gusto by the ol' lounge lizard. He was promoting his album of Tin Pan Alley chestnuts, 'As Time Goes By', at the time of recording (March 2000) and those numbers are rendered in a similarly elegant style. If I had to pick a highlight, though, I'd currently plump for the 'reformed' Roxy era classic, 'Oh Yeah', which is utterly gorgeous in this context, Ferry's reworking of pop song cliches into something that is genuinely moving and emotionally effecting. He doesn't say much, so I guess a career in stand-up comedy is not on the imminent horizon, but his music does all the talking here, and you will not want for more. All this and unfussy, unobtrusive camera work, and high-end sonics, makes for a very satisfying and essential purchase. As they said in Tin Pan Alley, "It's de-lightful, it's de-licious, it's de-lovely!!

Unless you have loved Bryan Ferry throughout his career, this may disappoint. The performance is very different from the Roxy Music reunion only a year later (Live at The Apollo, London 2001) and the 2011 Live in Lyons (Nuits de Fourviere), together with his Glastonbury and other more recent appearances. In 2000 he was very much still in his 1930s-oriented, semi-crooner - or perhaps "lounge lizard" - period. Which Ferry - of course - does very well, ably assisted by Colin Good.By 2007 (live at the LSO, St Lukes), Ferry had rediscovered his rock 'n roll self, along with guitarist Oliver Thompson, and was about to acquire Jorja Chalmers on sax. Thereafter the musical arrangements became sparser, more to the point, and often more true to his Roxy Music days.Four strings and three brass (and a somewhat redundant Julia Thornton on harp and percussion) make the music too blurred to my ears, though everyone performs well enough. The set does not come alive, however, until the last two songs - Let's Stick Together and Love Is The Drug - when Ferry releases the tension.

Good music and good quality

very good

Bryan Ferry Live showing his adaptability to all types of music, his skills are unseen by most. Have a look at one of the Uk's most talented an unsung performers. Should be Sir Bryan for the influence he has had in the music industry.

Drool! Wonderful DVD - I love it, and I'm in lust with Ferry.