For me, it's the last great Bryan Ferry album. And I suspect that the album was recorded in different locations, as well as with various producers, and with lots of guitarists. Perhaps all the musicians were not in the same room. Still, "Frantic" is a remarkable album with some of the great (non)classic Ferry songs. He covers two Dylan songs here, which seems to be an obsession with him for some odd reason. I don't fully understand Ferry's take on Dylan's work, but I suspect that the framework of the songwriter's music is a huge canvas for Ferry to reflect and find endlessly textures within the veteran songwriter. His version of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is the absolute best.
The other interesting aspect of Ferry is that he consistently surrounds himself with strong individualistic musicians, who add their specific sound into the mix. One finds someone like Mick Green who is a remarkable guitarist who worked with the legendary Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, mixing it up with Chris Speeding. And Eno makes appearances here and there on "Frantic" as well.
The album is a sampler of the Ferry aesthetic, but a very well thought out and planned release. All the strengths are here, and none of the weakness. I don't think the album sold and did that well, but I highly recommend that Ferry / Roxy fans check out this album. There are a lot of jewels within its tracks.
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