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Bryan Ferry / “Live In Lyon” deluxe edition blu-ray + CD review

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Eagle Rock released Bryan Ferry Live In Lyon last month – an audio/visual celebration of a 2011 concert from his Olympia tour.

The deluxe edition blu-ray and CD comes packaged as a rather beautiful book. The 200mm x 145mm hardback volume comes complete with textured cover and inset glossy photo of Mr Ferry, with the two discs residing within the inner front and rear covers. The 76 pages are elegantly designed, and devote generous space to the musicians, backing singers – and even the dancers – who joined Ferry on the stage in Lyon, with personal profiles on each. The rest of the book take us through Ferry’s 14 solo albums, from These Foolish Things in 1973 to The Jazz Age from last year. Photography is crisp and clear, and the words (largely by Hal Norman) provide a good retrospective overview of the last 30 years of solo output.

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Beautifully designed book pack

The concert itself offers a well balanced set list of classics and newer material. Similarly balanced are the musicians on stage with Ferry stalwarts – Drummer Andy Newark and Guitarist Neil Hubbard – joined by young blood in the form of Oliver Thompson on guitar (23 years old, when the gig was filmed) and the talented and glamorous multi-instrumentalist Jorja Chalmers (Sax and keyboards). In total, eight musicians on stage, although you do have to question why two drummers are needed, with Newmark demoted to ‘support’ drummer while Ferry’s son Tara takes centre stage.

With the audio on 5.1 mode, a truncated I Put A Spell On You kicks things off and leads into Slave To Love. Ferry’s vocals perhaps a bit high in the mix but the musicians on stage do a superb job of recreating the 1985 classic. Don’t Stop The Dance from the same record follows immediately, with barely a pause from breath – Ferry is well supported by the backing singers on this track and it sounds smooth and very well mixed.

Two Dylan numbers (Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues and Make You Feel My Love) bookend the first Roxy Music tune, with Ferry sitting down at the keyboard for If There Is Something. Three tracks in a row from Olympia, the album Bryan Ferry was promoting on this tour, demonstrate the strength of the new material, with the two songs co-written with ex-Eurythmic Dave Stewart – You Can Dance and Alphaville – sounding superb in the live setting.

The second half of the concert is packed with crowd pleasing tracks including Avalon, Sign Of The Times, Love Is The Drug, Let’s Stick Together and Jealous Guy. Although the rain starts to come down, it’s clear that the audience – in the stunning location of the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Lyon – are having the time of their life.

All in all this is a superb concert performance with great audio and video on this blu-ray presentation. It’s well worth the extra money and purchasing this deluxe edition. Not only do you get most of the concert on CD (see omissions below) but the hardback book adds so much to the pleasure of owning this item.

A decent bonus feature in the form of The Making Of Olympia is included, with some great behind-the-scenes footage with the likes of Niles Rogers in the studio.

Bluray+CD deluxe book edition

Standalone Blu-ray

discs
Discs contained within the hard covers
back
Superb 76-page book

Track Listing:

  • 1) I Put A Spell On You
  • 2) Slave To Love
  • 3) Don’t Stop The Dance
  • 4) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
  • 5) If There Is Something
  • 6) Make You Feel My Love
  • 7) You Can Dance
  • 8) Alphaville
  • 9) Reason Or Rhyme
  • 10) Oh Yeah!
  • 11) Like A Hurricane
  • 12) Tara*
  • 13) Bitter-Sweet
  • 14) Avalon*
  • 15) My Only Love*
  • 16) What Goes On
  • 17) Sign Of The Times
  • 18) Love Is The Drug
  • 19) All Along The Watchtower
  • 20) Let’s Stick Together
  • 21) Hold On I’m Coming
  • 22) Jealous Guy

* = tracks not on CD.

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