Track Listing

1. Limbo
2. Kiss And Tell
3. New Town
4. Day For Night
5. Zamba
6. Right Stuff
7. Seven Deadly Sins
8. Name Of The Game
9. Bete Noire

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10846 in Music
• Released on: 1999-11-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

CD Description
Shortly after the release of their 1982 masterpiece AVALON,Roxy Music went their separate ways. Singer Bryan Ferry, who had already released a handful of excellent solo recordings during his time with the band, put out a flurry of first-rate pop albums. First came 1985's BOYS AND GIRLS, followed by 1987's more rhythmically complex BETE NOIRE.
More resolutely dance driven than AVALON or BOYS AND GIRLS, BETE NOIREfeatures several international club hits, including "Limbo", the gentle "Zamba", and the excellent title track; all nine tracks are veneered with smooth Latin percussion. Ferry's solo recordings, with BETE NOIRE and BOYS AND GIRLS in particular, occupy an interesting if not altogether unique space in '80s popular music. More romantic than Talking Heads, andmore world-weary than the Pet Shop Boys, Ferry has remainedcommercially successful without compromising his unique vision of lush, sophisticated pop music.

Customer Reviews

Forgotten Ferry
Something of a 'forgotten' work in the Ferry canon, Bete Noir repays seeking out if it passed you by. Its a dense, moody recording, with Ferry' songwriting in good form and his voice sounding good against the swirling mix. My personal favourite is the delicately swirling Zomba with its plaintive vocal but the opening track Down In Limbo run it a close second.

The right stuff!
Bryan Ferry spent most of the 80s wallowing in the sound that he had created on Roxy's Manifesto LP. It was an almost seamless journey through 'Dance Away', 'Oh Yeah', 'Avalon' and even onto some of the other 80s solo material such as 'Slave to Love'. Don't get me wrong, these are all great songs and I still love them to this day, but Ferry really needed to change direction and he did so with his Bete Noire. Johnny Marr from The Smiths plays guitar on the first single released from this album 'The Right Stuff'. I just love the enthusiasm with which Ferry booms out the catchy chorus. The follow up 'Kiss and Tell' has more of a clubby feel to it, but you'll find yourself singing along to this too. I'm not quite sure how to describe 'Limbo' but what the Ferry fan really needs to know is that it's different from the songs with which he found greater commercial success, but you'll like it just the same! No Ferry collection can be complete without Bete Noire but, trust me, you will not just be leaving this in your CD rack next to 'Boys and Girls' for the sake of completism.