Track Listing

1. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
2. Simple Twist Of Fate
3. Make You Feel My Love
4. Times They Are A-Changin'
5. All I Really Want To Do
6. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
7. Positively 4th Street
8. If Not For You
9. Baby Let Me Follow You Down
10. Gates OF Eden
11. All Along The Watchtower

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1868 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-05
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
For those who know Bryan Ferry solely as the frontman of '70s art-rockers Roxy Music, the news this foppish, handsome Englishman is a Bob Dylan acolyte might come as something of a surprise. However, the appearance of Dylanesque - eleven covers of songs by the Freewheelin' one - is not totally unprecedented; Ferry recorded a cover of 'A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall' way back in 1973 on his debut solo album, so really, this is just the latest manifestation of a long-held admiration. Recorded in just a week, backed by his touring band, it's the sound of Ferry happy to get some dirt under his fingernails. All the same, this is sumptuous, richly-orchestrated stuff. 'The Times They Are A-Changin'' is perhaps the highlight, Dylan's bare-bones protest classic reworked as a velvety art-rock anthem, Ferry carrying off the lyric with just enough velvety command; while 'If Not For You' is notable for its strings and "sonic augmentation", courtesy of old Roxy Music friend Brian Eno. Some moments may please neither Dylan nor Ferry fans – the rock-out on 'All Along The Watchtower' feels contrived and unsatisfying. But whether it's a gutsy, impulsive experiment, or just a handy way of avoiding writer's block, Dylanesque works more often than not. –-Louis Pattison

CD Description
Bryan Ferry adopted one of rock criticism's favorite terms for 2007's DYLANESQUE, a markedly Ferryesque take on 11 tunes by rock's poet laureate. An odd pairing on the surface, given their differing roots, but the two have much in common: Dylan is no stranger to the merits of arty posturing nor is Ferry to rock-&-roll grit.
Supposedly recording the albumin one inspired week, the suave singer takes on some of thebard's best here in a manner that would probably appeal to Dylan's mercurial nature. "Positively 4th Street" gets a string section makeover; "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" becomes a slow boiler with bedroom eyes; "Gates of Eden" is a crooner's delight; and the largely faithful "Make You Feel My Love", from TIME OUT OF MIND, gets its due as one of Dylan's great recent songs. This is a gripping listen for fans of both artists.

Customer Reviews

Quite a suprise
Prior to listening, I was sceptical about the necessity of this release, reanalysing and reinterpreting the Dylan catalogue. However, as well as being a Dylan fan, I have a high respect for Ferry and his output. The CD grips you after the first spin. High quality production capturing the essense of the original, but often setting it in a new direction. Ferry's vocals still have that individuality and are balanced by a tight backing band who do a superb job on all of the tracks here. I congratulate Ferry on the excellent choice of tracks too - yes, some common staples are chosen but they sound fresh and you don't need to skip tracks. There are no duds, which for a covers album is high praise indeed.

It is an album you want to share and recommend, and you will not be disappointed.

Top cover story
I've got to disagree with the 1 star reviewer. This is a very enjoyable album which grows on you with each listen. I'm a massive Dylan fan and have over a hundred cd's of his stuff. As you can tell I usually prefer the originals to covers of the great man's work. With this I can make a fond exception. Mr Ferry has always been more than just an interpreter of the songs he covers. This is very true of Dylanesque where he manages to make you believe some of these songs were written specifically for him. There's not many interpreters of Bob's tunes you can say that about.

positively good
Bryan Ferry brings Dylan alive in many ways. I am a Ferry and Dylan fan. Ferry brings some Dylan stuff out of the non-melodic [though brilliant] poetry genre to the really great song genre. And by so doing, maybe makes Bob Dylan more accessible to more people. A couple of weak tracks, most VG, 2 excellent and worth the money on their own: 'Positively 4th St' and 'Just like Tom Thumb's Blues'. Bryan Ferry turns these around really nicely, a bit like 'Hard Rain' in some ways. Best tenner I've spent in ages. I hope this album inspires one of the most under-rated songwriters to bring out a classic pre-76 type Roxy Music album.