There is no one on this planet that can take a hoary old classic, blow the dust off it and make it completely his own, quite the way Bryan Ferry can. I never grow weary of listening to this album. Apart from the fact that this man has a sinfully wicked voice, he also has this wondrous ability to interpret lyrics that have been recorded ad nauseum, and create something fresh and eclectic (I listen to his version of "Don't Ever Change" at least once a day!)He has had many great albums, but this is the one that I would grab if my house caught fire.

Bryan Ferry's debut solo album sets the tone for his cover albums since: inventive, campy, and completely out of left field. It also has the virtue of being his best solo effort for most of the seventies, until The Bride Stripped Bare. An amazing talent and a true rock treasure.

These Foolish Things being Ferry's 1973 release and his debute solo effort and contains cover versions of songs by the likes of Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Elvis Presley. His rendition of Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is astounding as is his version of "These Foolish Things". Ferry looks quite stylish on the cover and his vocal skills are right on the mark. 5/5.

"These Foolish Things" represents the more "pop" side of Bryan Ferry, and, if you read the liner closely enuf, you'll see that, it all but name, it is a Roxy Music album/cd, with all the "Stranded"/"Country Life"/"Siren" musicians featured (which means, thank goodness, none of "Eno's" foolishness). So "Trudi" didn't like "Hard Rain...?" Sorry, darlin', that is the absolute very best "Dylan Cover" I'VE ever heard. And Ferry's rendition of Leslie Gore's "It's My Party" is an absolute hoot, too. Really, the only drawback is Ferry's way-over-the-top "dramatic" rendition of the Stones "Sympathy For The Devil," but - hey - this is a collection of one man's favorite pop songs, and he does pull it off EVER-So-Well! Say it again: FIVE STARS!

I'm a huge Roxy/Ferry fan and own almost everything available so I was really looking forward to this cd. What a total stinkbomb. I find it hard to believe it was released the same year as Roxy's debut album. Imagine Bryan Ferry with a wedding band singing atrocious versions of cover songs. There is not one song on this album that is even close to being as good as the original. I can't believe the glowing reviews. This is by far, the worst steaming pile of poo Bryan Ferry has ever released. You have been warned.