“Song to the Siren” seems to be one of those songs where every cover is good. 2009 saw ex-Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist John Frusciante build the Tim Buckley song to psychedelic grandeur. Then in June the Wailing Wall pulled it all back, using banjo and accordion to tell the Odysseus legend. Now Bryan Ferry comes along with his version. You might expect it to be layered and intricate (it is), but you probably wouldn’t expect David Gilmour and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood to play guitar on it (they do).
Stereogum premiered the track yesterday. It also features Ferry’s Roxy Music cohorts Brian Eno, Andy Mackay, and Phil Mananera. Like much of Ferry/Roxy Music’s work, it’s densely produced without losing the emotional core. The track appears on Ferry’s Olympia, out October 26th. Check it out below.
Stream: [audio: News1010/15SongtotheSiren.mp3]
Credits (via Stereogum):
Voice/Piano/Keyboards: Bryan Ferry
Guitars: Oliver Thompson, Phil Manzanera, David Gilmour, Nile Rodgers, Jonny Greenwood
Bass: Marcus Miller
Drums: Andy Newmark, Tara Ferry, Emily Dolan Davies
Percussion: Frank Ricotti
Synthesizers: Brian Eno, Colin Good
Electronics: John Monkman
Oboe: Andrew Mackay
Cello: Anthony Pleeth
Violins: Perry Montague-Mason, Emlyn Singleton
Viola: Vicci Wardman
Chorus: Seweuse Abwa, Hannah Khemoh, Aleysha Gordon
Voice: Tallulah Harlech
Additional Engineering: Sven Taits, Ash Howes
Check out more Bryan Ferry at his website.
