Having a great (although somewhat acquired) admiration for Bryan Ferry alma mater Roxy Music's swansong Avalon, I have come listening with a high expectation of greatness listening to 1979's Manifesto. And I am not disappointed at all. I first heard this album years and years ago and was initially unimpressed, but like Avalon (and indeed, many albums) I've quickly grown to love this record. Sure, "Angel Eyes" sounds a million times better on his Ultimate Collection compilation album, but the more noteworthy songs on this album aren't the ones everybody knows about anyway, as is the case with many great albums. "Dance Away" is a quintessential song about heartbreak that every Ferry fan...hell, every classic hits radio fan should surely know about. But enough about those two songs, great as they are. There's even greater numbers to be savored here, notably the opening title track "Manifesto." "Ain't That So" is enough to make me move - not frantically, however, but "Trash" certainly floats my boat. "Spin Me Round" is certainly a good enough way to end the album. All up, I can say with certainty that I'll be firing this album up on the odd occasion. An unsurprisingly good album in which such certainty is perhaps only surpassed by the odds that somewhere, someone in the world is, or has, more than likely jacked off to the Country Life album cover. Shudder at that thought. Smile at the former. A-
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