''Frantic'' is the eleventh studio album by English singer

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

, released on 15 April 2002 by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

. The majority of tracks were produced by the team of

Rhett Davies Rhett Davies (born 1949 in London) is an English record producer and engineer. Davies' father was trumpet player Ray Davies (no relation to Ray Davies of The Kinks). Davies became a studio engineer at Island Records studios in the early 1970s, a ...

, Colin Good, and Ferry;

David A. Stewart David Allan Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British ...

and

Robin Trower Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band. Biography Robin Trowe ...

also co-produced several tracks.

Critical reception

Tim DiGravina of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote of the album, "Some listeners might suggest that an album this varied has an identity crisis, but with hesestandout tracks as glorious as the Dylan covers and the Eno closer, ''Frantic'' is a fascinating addition to Bryan Ferry's accomplished discography." David Medsker of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' stated that "''Frantic'' may play like a greatest hits album, with bits here recalling '' Boys and Girls'' and songs there echoing late Roxy, and it may rank in the middle to upper of the pack of his overall body of work. But it's the most cohesive album he's done in ages. Given how down and out he appeared to be, the fact that Frantic is more than half good is cause for joy."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

* Bryan Ferry – vocals (1–6, 8–13),

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

(1, 3, 5, 8, 13), keyboards (4, 10, 12, 13), arrangements (7) * Colin Good – acoustic piano (1–6, 8, 11), string arrangements (1–3, 6, 11, 13),

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

(6),

virginal The virginals (or virginal) is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Description A virginal is a smaller and simpler rectangular or polygonal form of ha ...

(7), arrangements (7), keyboards (13) * Terry Disley – keyboards (4, 10, 12) *

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

– keyboards (4, 10, 13), backing vocals (4, 12, 13), guitar (13) * Paul Taylor – keyboards (4, 10, 12), programming (10) * Ben Chapman – programming (4, 10, 13) * Reece Gilmore – programming (4, 12, 13) * James Sanger – programming (4, 13) * Eddie LeJeune –

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

(9), backing vocals (9) *

Pete Glenister Pete Glenister is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer, known for his work with Alison Moyet and Kirsty MacColl. He has also worked with a number of other artists including Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bruce Foxton, Terence Trent D'Arby, Bros, ...

– guitar (1, 2, 6, 8, 13) *

Mick Green Michael Robert Green (22 February 1944 – 11 January 2010) was an English rock and roll guitarist who played with The Pirates (with and without Johnny Kidd), Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers. Biogra ...

– guitar (1–3, 6, 8, 11) *

Chris Spedding Christopher John Spedding (born Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944) is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his st ...

– guitar (2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13),

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

(11) * David Williams – guitar (2–4, 6, 12, 13), bass (4) * Adam Lamprell – guitar (4, 10, 13) *

– guitar (4, 10, 12) * Martin Wheatley – guitar (8) * D. L. Menard – guitar (9), backing vocals (9) *

Jonny Greenwood Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician and composer. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has written numerous film scores. Along with his elder brother, th ...

– guitar (10) *

– guitar (10) * Zev Katz – bass (1–3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13) *

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

– bass (10, 12) *

Bobby Irwin Bobby Irwin (23 March 1953 – 8 May 2015) was an English drummer, record producer and songwriter. He is known for working in close collaboration with Nick Lowe as co-songwriter and drummer and as a member of Lowe's band the Cowboy Outfit, as w ...

– drums (1–3, 6, 13) * Andy Newmark – drums (4, 10, 12), percussion (8, 13) * Paul Thompson – drums (4, 8), percussion (11) *

Frank Ricotti Frank Ricotti (born 31 January 1949) is an English jazz vibraphonist and percussionist. Early life and education Ricotti was born in London, England. His father was a drummer. Bill Ashton, founder of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NY ...

– percussion (1, 2, 6–9, 11) * Otis Ferry – whip effects (2) * Rosie Wetters – cello (1–3, 6, 11, 13) * Natalia Bonner – viola (1–3, 6, 11, 13) * Lucy Theo – violin (1–3, 6, 11, 13) *

Lucy Wilkins Lucy Wilkins is an English violinist and keyboardist from Nottingham, England. She has toured with Roxy Music and performed with James Blunt and Snow Patrol. She has received critical acclaim for her violin solos while touring with Roxy Music. ...

– violin (1–3, 6, 11, 13) * Julia Thornton –

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

(7, 8) * Keith Thompson –

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

(7),

crumhorn The crumhorn is a double reed instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance period. In modern times, particularly since the 1960s, there has been a revival of interest in early music, and crumhorns are being pla ...

(7),

curtal The dulcian is a Renaissance woodwind instrument, with a double reed and a folded conical bore. Equivalent terms include en, curtal, german: Dulzian, french: douçaine, nl, dulciaan, it, dulciana, es, bajón, and pt, baixão. The predeces ...

(7), woodwind (8),

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

(11) * Ken Smith –

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

(9), backing vocals (9) * Robert Fowler – alto saxophone (11) * Sarah Brown – backing vocals (2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12) * Kelli Dayton – backing vocals (2, 10, 11) * Alice Retif – backing vocals (2, 10) * Audrey Wheeler – backing vocals (2, 4, 12) * Nicole Blumberg – backing vocals (4) * Stephen Granville – backing vocals (4, 12) * Mary Nelson – soprano vocals (7, 8, 11) * Alison Goldfrapp – backing vocals (11) *

Lucy Kaplansky Lucy Kaplansky (born February 16, 1960) is an American folk musician based in New York City. Kaplansky has a PhD in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University and plays guitar, mandolin, and piano. Life and career Kaplansky was originally f ...

– backing vocals (11) *

Patti Russo Patricia Russo (May 20, 1964) is an American singer and songwriter. She is perhaps best known as Meat Loaf's former female lead vocalist, as she toured the world with his band Neverland Express between 1993 and 2013. Since then, she has embarked ...

– backing vocals (11) * Jhelisa Anderson – backing vocals (12)

Technical

* Bryan Ferry – producer * Rhett Davies – producer (1–3, 5–8, 11, 13), additional producer (4, 9, 10, 12) * Colin Good – producer (1–3, 5–8, 11, 13), additional producer (4, 9, 10, 12) * David A. Stewart – producer (4, 12) * Robin Trower – producer (9, 10, 13) * Nick Addison – engineer * Michael Boddy – engineer * Neil Brockbank – engineer, mixing (5) * Ash Howes – engineer, mixing (10) * Richard T. Norris – engineer * Sven Taits – engineer * Mark Tucker – engineer * Dan Grech-Marguerat – assistant engineer * Kevin Harp – assistant engineer *

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

– mixing (1–4, 6–9, 11–13) *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

– mastering at Gateway Mastering (

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

)

Artwork

* Bogdan Zarkowski – design, photography * Nicholas De Ville – design * Bryan Ferry – design * Eric Boman – photography * Albert Sanchez – photography

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2002 albums Albums produced by David A. Stewart Albums produced by Rhett Davies Albums recorded at RAK Studios Bryan Ferry albums Virgin Records albums