Bête Noire is the seventh solo studio album by the English singer Bryan Ferry, released on 2 November 1987 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and by Reprise Records in the United States. It was a commercial and critical success, peaking at No. 9 in the UK and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
The first single, "The Right Stuff"—a collaboration with Johnny Marr adapted from the Smiths' instrumental B-side "Money Changes Everything"—was the album's only top-40 entry in the UK, peaking at No. 37. The second single, "Kiss and Tell", narrowly missed the UK top 40 (peaking at No. 41), but made the US top 40 (becoming Ferry's only solo single to chart in the US Top 40). The song also appeared in the drama film, Bright Lights, Big City (1988), starring Michael J. Fox. The third and final single, "Limbo", peaked at No. 86 in the UK.STUART LENIG -The Twisted Tale of Glam Rock – Page 88 2010 "The music was very programmatic, with images of southern sambas in "Limbo," seaside tales in "Windswept," and hidden ..."Digital Audio and Compact disc Review – Volume 4, Issues 7–12 – Page 87 1988 "Bryan Ferry: Bete Noire ... "Limbo" kicks off this danceable recording in a Caribbean groove, "Keyboard – Volume 14 -1988 Page 106 "In Bryan Ferry's "Limbo," from Bete Noire, there are saxophone section parts that sound like they're from a 78 record, and in the beginning there are weird sounds like bird calls and swamp animals ..." The promotional video for the single "Kiss and Tell" features the models Denice D. Lewis (who is also featured on the single's cover photograph), Christine Keeler and Mandy Smith.
Background After the success of his previous studio album, Boys and Girls (1985), Ferry continued in the sophisti-pop style that he had pioneered since Avalon with Roxy Music, and in an attempt to give his music a more danceable sound, he joined forces with Patrick Leonard who was notable for using drum machines and sequenced synth bass in his products, and having worked with Madonna. Leonard went on to co-write five of the album's songs. Guesting on the album would be Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour, session musicians Guy Pratt, Marcus Miller, David Williams, Abraham Laboriel, as well as Roxy Music's former touring musicians, guitarist Neil Hubbard and drummer Andy Newmark.
Fans, and critics have often speculated that the song "Kiss and Tell", was Ferry's response to Jerry Hall's tell-all book about their relationship published a couple of years earlier.
Lawsuits with E.G. Records Prior to the release of the album, Ferry claimed that his recording agreement with the label E.G. ended in March 1987 and that he was in a position to sell his new album to any company. E.G. said that he was in breach of a 15-year contract which gave them exclusive rights to market the album in Canada and the United States. The action was heard at the High Court of Justice in London, and in a preliminary hearing, the parties agreed that if the album were to be released before the main hearing, Ferry was to pay a third of the royalties into a joint account with E.G. – which they would receive if they were to win the case. E.G. later won the case and they marketed the album in Canada and the United States.
The album was released in the United States by Reprise Records, and debuted on the Billboard chart November 21, 1987, spending 31 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 63.
1988–89 tour Ferry toured Australia, Japan, United States, Canada, and Europe to promote the album. The Edge from U2 joined Ferry on stage at the Dublin show to perform the Irish folk song, "Carrickfergus" (which Ferry had previously recorded in 1978 for The Bride Stripped Bare) and Johnny Marr joined the backing band for "The Right Stuff" at the Manchester show. Roxy Music saxophonist and oboist Andy MacKay also joined the backing band for a few songs at the London Palladium and Wembley Arena dates.
Several of the songs from the Glasgow show were included on several Bryan Ferry CD singles between 1993 and 1995.
Line-up Bryan Ferry – lead vocals Clifford Carter – keyboards Neil Hubbard – guitars Jeff Thall – guitars Chester Kamen – guitars (1989 dates only) Luico Hopper – bass Andy Newmark – drums Steve Scales – percussion Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals Ednah Holt – backing vocals Yanick Étienne – backing vocals Andy Mackay – saxophones (guest at the London dates)
Tour dates 2 August 1988 – Poughkeepsie, New York, US 3 August 1988 – New Haven, Connecticut, US 5 August 1988 – Philadelphia, US 6 August 1988 – Boston, US 7 August 1988 – Woodbridge, California, US 9 August 1988 – Radio City Music Hall, New York, US 10 August 1988 – Radio City Music Hall, New York, US 11 August 1988 – Radio City Music Hall, New York, US 13 August 1988 – Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, US 14 August 1988 – Atlanta, Georgia, US 15 August 1988 – Washington, D.C., US 17 August 1988 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada 18 August 1988 – Montreal, Canada 20 August 1988 – Quebec City, Canada 21 August 1988 – Ottawa, Canada 23 August 1988 – Cleveland, US 24 August 1988 – Detroit, US 26 August 1988 – Milwaukee, US 27 August 1988 – Chicago, US 28 August 1988 – Chicago, US 30 August 1988 – Minneapolis, US 31 August 1988 – Winnipeg, Canada 2 September 1988 – Calgary, Canada 3 September 1988 – Edmonton, Canada 5 September 1988 – Vancouver, Canada 6 September 1988 – Seattle, US 8 September 1988 – Sacramento, US 9 September 1988 – Berkeley, US 10 September 1988 – Santa Barbara, US 12 September 1988 – Denver, US 13 September 1988 – Phoenix, US 16 September 1988 – San Diego, US 18 September 1988 – Los Angeles, US 19 September 1988 – Los Angeles, US 11 October 1988 – Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 12 October 1988 – NHK Hall, Tokyo, Japan 13 October 1988 – Nagoya City Hall, Nagoya, Japan 15 October 1988 – Cultural Hall Shikoku, Japan 17 October 1988 – Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 18 October 1988 – Department of Education Hall Osaka, Japan 20 October 1988 – Department of Education Hall Osaka, Japan 21 October 1988 – Kawasaki Cultural Hall, Yokohama, Japan 25 October 1988 – USA Super Top Tent Auckland, New Zealand 29 October 1988 – World Expo 88, Brisbane, Australia 31 October 1988 – Entertainment Centre Sydney, Australia 1 November 1988 – Entertainment Centre Sydney, Australia 4 November 1988 – National Tennis Centre, Melbourne, Australia 7 November 1988 – Festival Theatre Adelaide, Australia 8 November 1988 – Festival Theatre Adelaide, Australia 11 November 1988 – Entertainment Centre Perth, Australia 17 November 1988 – Sporthalle Hamburg, Germany 19 November 1988 – Isstadion Stockholm, Sweden 22 November 1988 – Paris, France 23 November 1988 – Ahoy Rotterdam, Holland 27 November 1988 – ICC Berlin, Germany 28 November 1988 – Phillipshalle Düsseldorf, Germany 2 December 1988 – Palasport Firenze, Italy 4 December 1988 – Palaeur Rome, Italy 6 December 1988 – Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany 7 December 1988 – Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany 8 December 1988 – Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium 10 December 1988 – SECC, Glasgow, Scotland 11 December 1988 – G-MEX Centre, Manchester, England 13 December 1988 – Royal Dublin Showground, Ireland 15 December 1988 – London Palladium, England 16 December 1988 – London Palladium, England 13 January 1989 – National Exhibition Centre, Solihull, England 14 January 1989 – National Exhibition Centre, Solihull, England 16 January 1989 – Wembley Arena, London, England 17 January 1989 – Wembley Arena, London, England 19 January 1989 – Wembley Arena, London, England 20 January 1989 – Wembley Arena, London, England
Video release
The Bête Noire Tour movie was released 10 November 2008 by the EMI Productions studio. The DVD features a pair of solo performances by Bryan Ferry, the first performance previously released as New Town, was filmed during his 1988–89 Bête Noire European Tour. The bonus show is the previously unavailable Virgin Germany 20th Birthday concert in Munich in 2002.
Critical reception
Reviewing retrospectively for AllMusic, critic Ned Raggett wrote of the album, "Bête Noire sparkles as the highlight of Ferry's post-Roxy solo career, adding enough energy to make it more than Boys and Girls part two. Here, his trademark well-polished heartache strikes a fine balance between mysterious moodiness and dancefloor energy, and Leonard adds more than a few tricks that keep the pep up." The critic Robert Christgau wrote of the album, "As with Mick Jagger, of all people, the signal that self-imitation has sunk into self-parody is enunciatory ennui—vocal mannerisms that were once ur-posh are now just complacent." Billboard wrote of the album, "Former Roxy Music maestro's much-awaited follow-up to "Boys And Girls" harbingers well for his new association with Reprise. Like past Ferry solo efforts, this displays the singer/writer's usual suaveness; tunes hinge on his familiar theme of l'amour moderne on the rocks. Tracks are uniformly solid, although "Kiss & Tell" and "Seven Deadly Sins" stand out."
Anthony DeCurtis reviewed the album for Rolling Stone and wrote "Bête Noire is another step in Ferry's retreat from distinct songs into atmosphere and feel. The strategy can sometimes work wonderfully, as Ferry proved on the transcendent album Avalon from Roxy Music. But as his voice sinks more deeply into the murky layers of his music, as his lyrics are reduced to a Morse code of refined despair and his subjects recede into the mist, Ferry seems increasingly like Narcissus, enraptured by his own reflection in the pond - and the bottomless depth below."Quoted in Buckley, David. The Thrill of It All: The Story of Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music. 2004. pg 382 Mark Coleman reviewing for the Rolling Stone Album Guide stated "Bête Noire could use one solid melody. As hushed and haunted as ever, Ferry's deeply evocative voice nevertheless gets lost amid the grandiose and antiseptic musical trappings of the digital recording era. Bête Noire is depressingly tasteful and restrained—state-of-the-art rock wallpaper."DeCurtis, Anthony. "Bryan Ferry". Rolling Stone Album Guide. 1992. pp. 243-244 Ira Robbins of the Trouser Press commented "The similarly restrained Bête Noire confirms Ferry's commitment to innocuous sophistication. That wonderful voice is his sole asset: what he's singing is all but irrelevant. But this record's stronger melodic development and a wider variety of danceable tempos than on Boys and Girls are palpable signs of life; the involvement of ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as a player and the co-writer of one near-exciting song ("The Right Stuff") is another positive touch. In the end, given one's diminished expectations,"Limbo," "Kiss and Tell" and "Day for Night" are coolly inviting and likable enough.
Track listing
Personnel The names of the musicians who performed on the album are mentioned in the liner notes, their instruments and the exact songs on which they play are not. The following list tentatively mentions the instruments the same musicians have played on other Ferry records.
Musicians
Bryan Ferry – lead vocals, keyboards, acoustic piano Patrick Leonard – keyboards, synthesizers David Gilmour – guitars Neil Hubbard – guitars Dann Huff – guitars Chester Kamen – guitars Johnny Marr – guitars Bill Ruppert – guitars David Williams – guitars Abraham Laboriel – bass Marcus Miller – bass Guy Pratt – bass Vinnie Colaiuta – drums Andy Newmark – drums John Robinson – drums Rhett Davies – drum machines Paulinho da Costa – percussion Jimmy Maelen – percussion Courtney Pine – saxophones Dan Wilensky – saxophones Mario Abramovich – violin José Libertella – bandoneon Luis Stazo – bandoneon Tawatha Agee – backing vocals Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals Yanick Étienne – backing vocals Siedah Garrett – backing vocals Paul Johnson – backing vocals Albert Sanchez – backing vocals Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals
Technical