 |  | Revenge served hot 'n' Steamy. |  |
Supposedly his response to getting jilted by his then-gf Jerri Hall (for Mr. Jagger, no less!), this album reaches well beyond any personal issues to encompass anguish and uncertainty in more universal terms. While a return of sorts to the hybrid covers/originals formula of earlier records, this is also a step forward stylistically. Simultaneously painful and uplifting, Ferry once again shows others how to express complicated emotions and still be immensely entertaining. Essential.
August 21, 2007I've been a fan of Bryan Ferry and R.M. since the 70's.. "The Bride Stripped Bare" is another high quality solo effort released in 1978.The "back story"-Ferry went into "self exile" in L.A., removing himself from the lingering unpleasentness of his recent break-up with model Jerry Hall. Not a happy period for the man, as the somber looking cover photo suggest.Ferry goes back to having a mixed assortment of originals and other artist's songs- mostly R&B, with an Irish folk song"Carrickfergus" and Lou Reed penned number"What Goes On"
. For once Ferry seems not to be hiding behind his "world weary lover" character, as songs written by him are more personal and less detatched."When She walks Into The Room", "Can't Let Go" and my fave "This Island Earth"- are all some of his best he's done. What I think detracts from this album is the use of the L.A. studio musicians. Waddy Wachtel is fine for Linda Rondstadt,, Warren Zevon and the like, but his playing here is dry and sadly inferior to say the creative flourish of Phil Manzanara or Chris Spedding. There is a sterile quality(?) to the whole album except "This Island Earth" which retains a Roxyish layered dream-like way to it and is indeed, somewhat ruined by Waddy's pedestrian playing. This is a good CD. Every time I hear these songs I think "Too bad he moved to LA.". PS.-Not an LA basher- I grew up and was living in So Cal when this album came out.
July 7, 2006 | | An intriguing and enjoyable entry in Ferry's catalogue | |
This album has a reputation of being Bryan Ferry's darkest and least esoteric of all his work. This is partly true, but only partly. True that the cover design is thematically very dark and some of the lyrics are darker than usual for him especially on "Sign of the times" and "This Island Earth", but the album still has all of Ferry's trademarks: meticulous production, unique arrangements, excellent musicianship and a prevalent sense of romantic longing. What sets this album apart from all of his other work is how eclectic and more raw than usual it is. It starts with the dark rocker "Sign of the times", shifts to the epic and wonderfully arranged "Can't let go" to soul "Hold on I'm coming/That's how strong my love is" to blues "The same old blues" and the unique synth-driven atmospherics of the closing track "This Island Earth", to a few other genres in between including astounding funk "Take me to the river". By being a mix of six covers and four originals, it allows Ferry to produce a unique and highly intriguing album full of his unique production touches and ability to handle several styles vocally and musically, but it is not more or less esoteric (or as some call it more human) than any of his other works. What it is is Ferry's last album as a solo artist before entering his sonically fog-shrouded, experimental phase (which was equally intriguing and produced masterworks such as BOYS AND GIRLS and MAMOUNA) and an underrated, extremely enjoyable piece of eclectic music filtered through Ferry's unique style.
November 9, 2005This is Ferry's best solo work. The production doesn't sound horribly dated like some of his 80's and 90's stuff; the covers aren't bizzare or kitschy ("what goes on" is wonderful, as is "carickfergus"). But the originals are what makes the album the best of his solo lot with "Sign of the Times" and "When she walks in the room" standing out as compositions worthy enough to be on "Siren".
July 22, 2005| | | Bryan hits the style button | |
Ferry`s - The Bride Stripped Bare, is an album which really shows Ferry at his best in terms of his early solo work and succesfully bridges the lean mid seventies period. This album contains an eclectic selection of covers (mostly R&B and Soul)and originals supported by a strong cast of Brit Rock champions. Highlights include Can`t Let Go, a great driving song, What Goes On from Velvet Underground, a beautiful rendition of a traditional Irish lilt "Carrickfergus" which Ferry takes ownership of. Sign of the Times which sounds like it should have been on Roxy Music`s Siren. An intense, theatrical, This Island Earth and some sublime vocal performances, Thats How Strong my Love Is. Same Old Blues. Ferry demonstrates his love of R&B and his ability to mimic the genre. An overlooked album which did not receive the sales that it should have.
August 6, 2003More reviews at Amazon.com ...
