Brian Ferry, Send in the clowns: don't bother, they're here

Brian Ferry covers on his new album Avonmore Stephen Sondheidms Send in the clowns. But his version above all else illustrates the sigh that follows 'Isn't it rich? Isn't it queer?" follows: 'Losing my timing this late in my career.'

It seems so easy. You don't have to write a good song yourself, but you record one from someone else. Sometimes you surpass the original, more often not.

Brian Ferry is a king of the cover. Because although, for example, his interpretation of Let's stick together does not possess the rawness of Wilbert Harrison, his version has an irresistible drive, not least because Ferry sings around the beat with genius timing.

As the album title predicts, it sounds Avonmore and Ferry's version of Send in the clowns especially as a modernised version of Roxy Musics biggest hit Avalon, but the programmed rhythm is hopelessly dated, the trumpet at the end is deadly dull and although the song suggests dynamism, it comes mainly from canned violins that are supposed to provide something of a climax.

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None of this has to be a problem. Neither is the fact that Ferry Sondheim's notes are compressed, it is after all a cover. But when you Send in the clowns sings like a monotonous drone, without anywhere trying to bring the lyrics to life, even if only by inserting a quarter beat rest somewhere, well...

Send in the clowns?
Don't bother, they're here

How to do it? Now, pretty much:

But of course, we remain fans of Ferry. For that he does know all about timing, we hear here