Bryan Ferry: Mamouna Deluxe Reissue – UK – 3xCD [2023]
Disc 1 – “Mamouna”
- Don’t Want to Know 4.07
- N.Y.C. 4.10
- Your Painted Smile 3.14
- Mamouna 5.11
- The Only Face 4.40
- The 39 Steps 5.01
- Which Way to Turn 5.44
- Wildcat Days 4.34
- Gemini Moon 3.47
- Chain Reaction 5.07
Disc 2 – “Horoscope”
- Where Do We Go from Here
- The Only Face
- Desdemona
- S&M
- Loop De Li
- Gemini Moon
- Raga
- Mother of Pearl
Disc 3 – “Mamouna Demos”
- Mamouna (Instrumental Edit ’89/’94)
- Your Painted Smile (Instrumental – First Draft ’89)
- Your Painted Smile (With Guide Vocals) [later Version ’89]
- Your Painted Smile (Piano and Vocals ’93)
- NYC/Desdemona (Instrumental ’91)
- Robot (Instrumental) [first Draft ’89]
- The Only Face (Instrumental) [first Draft ’89]
- The Only Face (Piano and Vocal ’93)
- Loop De Li (Instrumental) [first Draft ’89]
- Horoscope Strings (Instrumental ’90)
In a break from all of the numerous 40th anniversary reissues, here’s a reissue that walks to the beat of a different drummer. This was certainly a bolt from “out of the blue” last night! Roxy Music fan scuttlebutt revealed that this summer the 30th anniversary expanded edition of Bryan Ferry’s 1994 opus, “Mamouna,” was heading our way on August 25th of this year; technically its 29th birthday.
The road leading to “Mamouna” was wrought with difficulty for the long stretch of six years that spanned the gaps between The Maestro’s “Bête Noire” of 1987 and his next album, 1993’s all-covers, “Taxi.” The tales of the recording and re-recording with luminaries such as David A. Stewart of Eurythmics are already legendary. The niggling doubt and penchant for overwork that Ferry is often prey to assumed cataclysmic proportions during this period that saw him mired in a creative logjam and a period of writer’s block. How he removed himself from it is interesting.
Ferry had been working on “Horoscope” with Johnson Somerset [!] and things were mired down. Somerset was a fan of Trower [which makes complete sense, if you know Somerset’s vibe] and recommended him to Ferry as a creative foil. Ferry got along with Trower and sensed that he needed to distance himself from “Horoscope” and quickly make the all-covers album, “Taxi,” which was released in 1993 with co-production by Trower. That must have worked, because within a year the now titled “Mamouna” album had been pulled from the swamp and finished with yet more Trower involvement. The “Mamouna” tour even featured Trower as lead guitarist.
Over the years, other tracks from the “Horoscope” sessions filtered out in various forms as songs on albums such as “Frantic” or “Olympia.” There was a new version of my favorite Roxy Music song, “Mother of Pearl” on the European “One Way Love” single of 2002 so I’m wondering if the version at the end of “Horoscope” is an alternate recording to that one. And now we have what are presumably the original takes …that is, if Ferry hasn’t succumbed to touching the multi-tracks one more time. The “Roxy Music” ultrabox of 2018 marked the first time that Ferry set free snapshots of the work in progress and now we’ll have a handle on the “Mamouna/Horoscope” sessions, so this will be one to get.
The “Mamouna” album was a cornerstone for me at a time of great change in my life. Getting a follow-up to “Taxi” in the space of a year was just jaw-dropping, and the caliber of the luscious melancholy on display in “Mamouna” was heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Johnson Somerset was extremely wise in getting Robin Trower involved as his deeply cinematic guitar playing fit into the Ferry wheelhouse like a hand in glove. “Mamouna” was also the time where after 20 years of fandom, I finally saw Bryan Ferry on that tour. I had been wondering if that would ever happen. I went to the Atlanta show with my friend Sandra and a guy on the floor sold us his two backstage passes which absolutely got us into the aftershow. We got to meet The Maestro and share a few words. I was packing my “Don’t Stop The Dance” US 7″ sleeve for autographs and Mr. Ferry kindly obliged. Then, by the time that we saw the next two legs of the “Mamouna US Tour” which came to Florida, I had met my Roxy Music loving, wife-to-be and we saw great shows in Tampa and Orlando [?!!] as the start of a beautiful relationship.
And now the expanded version is coming to the silver discs as well as the licorice pizzas. The 2xLP edition will only have the contents of the first two discs, so caveat emptor. As of last night the UK HMV website had the pre-order pages for these up and running but today they have been mysteriously pulled. Making me wonder if HMV jumped the gun on announcing it. Bryanferry.com had not a word on it, so that August release date may be pliant. I did get a look at the HMV page for the CD edition [naturally] and the set was priced well at £22.95 with free shipping in the UK. The huge downside, however, was that there was no shipping for love or money to anywhere else but the UK, so we hope that when this reissue manifests more securely, that fans the world over may partake of its wonders. Because every [dream] home needs the achingly bittersweet heartache of “Mamouna.”
-30-
![Want List: Visage DLX RM […finally!]](https://i0.wp.com/postpunkmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/visage-dlxrmuscda.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Post-Punk Monk 
Mamouna is my favorite Bryan Ferry album, so this will definitely be one for me to splurge on.
LikeLike
Big Mark – It is a good ‘un! I was just thinking today after posting this…what are my favorite Ferry solo LPs? There are no poor ones, but few differentiate themselves from the pack to my ear the way at least 4 Roxy Music albums were world changing. I listened to “Mamouna” a lot back in the day and I feel it held up very well, but it’s been years since I revisited it. Unlike the T-shirts, which get regular wear to this day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like you, I reveled in the one-two punch of Taxi and Mamouna after such a long gap. I’ve revisited both in recent years and they hold up very nicely.
LikeLike
Very excited about this, have always thought this was a massively underrated album. My first Ferry gig as well!
LikeLike
Believe it or not, Bryan Ferry solo albums are a huge black hole in my collections. This ought to put a portion of that grievous oversight to rights when some international operation can ship it outside the bounds of Brexitville.
LikeLike
Chasinvictoria – What Ferry needs to do is a nice, tidy box of solo albums. Just like the “Complete Roxy Music” with all of the loose tracks [and there are many] collected on bonus discs! Did you know that the Roxy box was reissued a few years after the first pressing but was now sold out on Bryanferry.com?
LikeLike
This is great news Monk. Although it didn’t spawn big hit singles it’s such a satisfying listen. The arrangements are so lush and the songs are real growers. It was also great to see Eno working with Ferry again for the first time since the Roxy Music days.
LikeLike
Andy B – Yes, we never thought that Eno and Ferry would reconcile, and “Wildcat Days,” was a pleasant, but inconclusive track. Fortunately, the “Frantic” album with the magnificent “I Thought” hit the brilliance of such notions square on the head! It’s my go-to Ferry track post 1985.
LikeLike
Very excited to hear the “Horoscope” sessions!
LikeLike
Todd Lewis – Well, to hear them how they were originally recorded…we hope! Like I’ve said, the material eventually sees usage in the Ferry waste-not-want-not ethos! It took until 1985, but many of the sessions recorded for the double album conception of 1978’s “The Bride Stripped Bare” eventually saw release; even if only B-sides. The “Horoscope” saga has been playing out for far longer.
LikeLike
My Roxy X-degrees of separation came last year when I shared my own Spanish adaptation of ‘Ilusión’ demo I’d uploaded to YouTube honoring the 40th anniversary of the single, ‘Avalon’ — which I feel is the most beautiful ballad in the English language. Well, lo and behold, my local San Francisco Bay Area press gave me an artist spotlight write-up I think because it coincided with the band (Roxy Music) heading our way on their 50th tour. I shared the article with Bryan/Roxy’s management in the UK and pitched the idea of me doing it on stage with them as a ‘gift’ (yes, I’m a pro singer), but management said, “they just don’t do that” [have impromptu guests]. But, they liked my demo and even heard back from Phil Manzanera on it! If interested, go here to hear and/or read:
Ilusión (Avalon) Song: https://youtu.be/CjZOAgdAdg4
Bay Area News Group article: https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/06/20/bay-area-artist-delivers-exquisite-version-of-roxy-music-classic/
René
SAG-AFTRA / BMI
LikeLike
René – Welcome to the comments! Pretty cool! I always thought Miguel Bosé was the Spanish singer closest to the Ferry style, so I can see “Avalon” translating quite effectively. But yeah, I can’t imagine what you suggested ever happening! When I saw Roxy Music in Atlanta in 2001, only Yannick Etienne, herself, shared the stage with Ferry! It was good to get feedback from Manzanera, though.
LikeLike
Thanks, PPM! It was a shot-in-the-dark for sure, but it’s opened a little door and have kept in contact with both Phil and their management since.
LikeLike
René – That can’t hurt. Good luck with your endeavors!
LikeLike
Want. Badly.
I am gravitating in my latterdaymusic purchases toward reasonably priced SDEs and this is that
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tim – I’ve got to love reasonably priced SDEs! They still happen, thankfully. The only upside to the vinyl bubble is that the “mandatory LP” is now usually a separate premium item and no longer something that drives pricing unnecessarily skyward.
LikeLike
My collection in the last few years has swelled with them. As I define them it’s like the PSB deluxe sets (bns disks and books), the Saint Etienne album by album with bonus disks and books, the Everything but the Girl stuff, again bonus disk and a hardstock book housing instead of a jewel box. Snagged the Haircut 100 which is quite nice and for me the spendy stuff has been the Ultravox and Prince stuff I have been buying. Splurged on the Superdeluxeedition site Tears For Fears The Hurting blu ray, it’s a test to see if I can rip it into something useable aside from BR listening.
Absolutely agree on the don’t need vinyl part of it and it is nice to see them distancing themselves from frou frou like posters, t-shirts, buttons.
LikeLike
But you know what’s not frou frou? The actual concert shirt from that tour, never worn & in mint condition. I’ll be doing a lot of decluttering & should have it up on eBay by the time this album’s released.
LikeLike
uofsc93 – I’m here to tell you that the right t-shirt can bring three figures. At least when I thinned out the herd twenty years ago! I may have to do that again!
LikeLike
I never sell my shirts (my ‘88 Bete Noire tour one will be on my corpse when they bury me) this one though, is too nice to not be given over to a true fan of this period.
LikeLike
The updated version of “Mother of Pearl” is like a nectar of the Gods, like a smoother take floating amongst the clouds… Both versions are by far my favorite Roxy Music songs followed by “Still Falls the Rain”… (Thank you for this informative and most fantastic site!) -AD Lexington, Kentucky
LikeLike
Anne – Welcome to the comments! We’re still waiting for the official word on the “Mamouna” DLX RM as it seems more and more like one of those careless vendor reveals that are so hard to govern in the modern era. It’s also nice to hear the love for the Jeckyll + Hyde inspired “Still Falls The Rain!” A strange one indeed in the Roxy canon.
LikeLike
Just came across this today. Really enjoying it. Hope you manged to get a copy!
LikeLike
The Punk Panther – Welcome to the comments! Great handle you’ve got there. I haven’t ordered one yet, but I mustn’t delay too long in these days of short print runs!
LikeLike