Thursday, December 17, 2009

And Years Later, People Actually Thought Bryan Ferry's "Dance Away" Was a Big Deal

True fact: Whenever I'm particularly depressed and blue, there are two things that never fail to cheer me up.

The first is watching Woody Allen's Love and Death. "A puckish satire of contemporary mores" indeed.

The second is listening to the late Phil Seymour's cover of Bobby Fuller's 60s classic "Let Her Dance."




I was actually going to post the Fuller original with this for a compare and contrast, but on reflection it seemed superfluous; Phil's version manages to be both a note for note recreation of the original and yet sound even better. Funny that.

In any case, I can't think of a record that more reliably raises my spirits. Something about that perfect guitar riff and just the right three chords, I imagine. And also because the protagonist of the song sounds so almost heroically resigned to the fact of his seriously broken heart.

What can I tell you? -- I'm a romantic.

9 comments:

FD13NYC said...

Ahh the late Phil Seymour. A stellar drummer and singer. Nice work with Dwight Twilley also. Two other Seymour faves of mine, I Found A Love and Baby It's You.

I'm pretty sure going waaay back I saw him with Dwight. Could've been The Ritz or Irving Plaza.

Good choice!

Mister Pleasant said...

I had a friend who was a Napoleon fanatic and he absolutely hated Love and Death because of Mr. Bonaparte's portrayal in the movie. He just did not get it. I agree with you Steve - that movie and Sleeper are the purest comedies Woody Allen ever produced. Love the Bergman touches - I cannot hear the word "wheat" without laughing out loud.

As for Mr. Seymour, he was a homeboy from my old stomping ground in Tulsa. Those early Dwight Twilley records are a cherished part of my collection. There is a great Youtube video of Phil and Dwight and their great guitarist Bill Pitcock IV with a very young Tom Petty on bass performing Looking For The Magic. Phil was a treasure - he is sorely missed. Thanks for posting his great cover of Let Her Dance.

Dave said...

Why wasn't the BF5 version a bigger hit? I like Seymour's version. A lot. But I really miss the background vocals of the original, especially on the chorus.

Kid Charlemagne said...

Good stuff. I miss Phil.

ms. rosa said...

Spirits: raised!

Fanx!

Wendy said...

On top of everything else, that picture is incredibly cool.

Wendy said...

You know, shades of Jeff Beck on the cover of "For Your Love" ...

steve simels said...

Swear to god, I only just discovered the Bobby Fuller version figures prominently in Fantastic Mr Fox.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmYmKDsx48w

I'll be damned...

the sandwich life said...

YES....one of the MOST dependable of albums for spirit raising!!