The man with the golden lips knocks off nine more covers and one brilliant original without breaking a sweat.
Kronomyth 2.0: A hard reign’s a-gonna fall.
Bryan Ferry must have known he was courting disaster in some quarters when he released a second album of cover songs. Another Time, Another Place bristles with defiance, charging through a perverse version of The ‘In’ Crowd, nailing Smoke Gets In Your Eyes like only Bryan can, cavorting through Fingerpoppin’ without regard for personal appearance, and closing it all with a killer original. In the end, no one succeeds at knocking the chip off Ferry’s shoulders, although American audiences hadn’t warmed up to the singer’s solo career enough to get close.
Stylistically, this album sounds like it belongs between the half poised/profane These Foolish Things and the lively rock arrangements that appeared on Let’s Stick Together. Sometimes, Ferry exorcises his old demons with noisy arrangements and intense readings, at other times he simply presents the songs in a flattering light. His take on Bob Dylan’s It Ain’t Me, Babe is less subversive than his reading of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” and in fact is far more accessible than Dylan’s cranky version of the classic. Elsewhere, the languid and lovely Help Me Make It Through The Night confirms Ferry’s status as an incurable romantic.
Although his previous album covered better songs, more of Roxy Music’s manic energy shines through on Another Time, Another Place (especially on the title track, which might be the best song Ferry has written outside of the band). After you’ve exhausted the Roxy catalog, work backwards from Let’s Stick Together, then forward from In Your Mind.
Original LP Version
A1. The “In” Crowd (Billy Page) (4:35)
A2. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Jerome Kern/Otto Harbarch) (2:53)
A3. Walk A Mile In My Shoes (Joe South) (4:44)
A4. Funny How Time Slips Away (Willie Nelson) (3:30)
A5. You Are My Sunshine (Jimmie Davis/Charles Mitchell) (6:48)
B1. (What A) Wonderful World (Sam Cooke) (2:54)
B2. It Ain’t Me, Babe (Bob Dylan) (3:53)
B3. Fingerpoppin’ (Ike Turner) (3:34)
B4. Help me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) (4:16)
B5. Another Time, Another Place (Bryan Ferry) (4:46)
The Players
Bryan Ferry (voice & keyboards, harmonica, organ, cover concept), John Porter (guitar), Paul Thompson (drums), John Wetton (bass, fiddle) with Vicki Brown (chorus), Tony Carr, Helen Chappell (chorus), Tony Charles, Don Cirilo, Paul Cosh, Geoff Daley, Martin Drover, Bob Efford, Martyn Ford (brass arrangements), Malcolm Griffiths, Jimmy Hastings, Henry Lowther (trumpet), Chris Mercer (tenor sax), Ann Odell (string arrangements), David O’List (guitar), Ruan O’Lochlainn (alto sax), Morris Pert, John Punter, Chris Pyne (trombone), Alf Reece, Peter Robinson, Ronnie Ross, Bruce Rowlands, Barry St. John (chorus), Steve Saunders, Alan Skidmore, Winston Stone, Liza Strike (chorus), Mark Warner. Produced by Bryan Ferry and John Punter; engineered by John Punter.
The Pictures
Cover concept by Bryan Ferry. Photography by Eric Borman. Design by Nicholas de Ville. Artwork by Bob Bowkett at C.C.S. Fashion by Anthony Price. Media consultant: Simon Puxley.
The Plastic
Released on elpee and cassette in July 1974 in the UK and Brazil (Island, ILPS 9284), the US and Canada (Atco, SD 18113), Australia (Island, L/C 35220), Germany and the Netherlands (Island, 88067 IT) and Japan (Island, ILS-80060) with gatefold cover on some releases; reached #4 in the UK charts.
- Re-issued on elpee in Japan (Polydor, MPF-1116).
- Re-issued on elpee in New Zealand (Polydor, 2310 508).
- Re-issued on elpee in 1977 in Germany (Polydor, 2344 091) with gatefold cover.
- Re-issued on elpee in 1981 in Japan (Polydor, MPF 1338).
- Re-issued on elpee in Japan (Polydor, 20MM 9102).
- Re-issued on elpee and cassette in August 1984 in the UK and Australia (Polydor, 2302 047/3100 347) with gatefold cover on some releases.
- Re-issued on compact disc and cassette in 1984 in the US (Reprise, 26083-2/4) and Germany (EG/Polydor, 813 654).
- Re-issued on compact disc on March 20, 1988 in Japan (EG, 32VD-1077).
- Re-released on remastered compact disc on March 28, 2000 in the US (Virgin, 47600).
- Re-released with Let’s Stick Together on 2-for-1 compact disc on March 21, 2003 in the UK and the Netherlands (Virgin, 581730).
- Re-issued on remastered compact disc in 2013 in Japan (Virgin, VJCP-68813).
