Bryan Ferry: Dylanesque

Bryan Ferry covers Bob Dylan. It'd at least be an interesting match up, right? One would think.

Yeah, not so much.

The entire process seemed uninspired, unimpressive, and downright insulting to Bobby Dylan's work.

The problem may stem from having absolutely no attachment to Bryan Ferry or any of his work, my complete dislike of his voice, or just that these all seem to be bland interpretations of some major and minor Dylan tunes.

And, to be honest, I didn't think anyone could screw up "Watchtower." The song has been covered, altered, re-imagined, had the re-imagining become the definitive version, covered, altered, and replayed so many times. I don't think you can be a band without covering "All Along the Watchtower." Hell, even Battlestar Galactica did.

Yet, here is Bryan Ferry, shoving this pitifully lame, soulless version of a Dylan uber-classic.

In the end: The whole thing feels awkward and clumsy like a 15 year old unhooking his girlfriend's bra for the first time. There are good cover albums out there, there are bad cover albums out there, and then there's this one. Please, do us all a favour and pick up Patti Smith's "Twelve." At least she tried to mix things up a little bit.

Technorati Tagged: Bryan Ferry | Cover Album | Rock | 2007