Bête Noire (album)

Bête Noire
Studio album by Bryan Ferry
Released 2 November 1987
Genre Pop rock
Length 43:18
Label Virgin Records
Producer Bryan Ferry, Chester Kamen and Patrick Leonard
Bryan Ferry chronology
Boys and Girls
(1985)
Bête Noire
(1987)
Taxi
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic link
Robert Christgau (C+) Jan. 26, 1988
Rolling Stone link

Bête Noire is an album by British singer Bryan Ferry, released on Virgin Records in November 1987. The album peaked at no.9 in the UK and was certified Gold by the BPI.

The track "The Right Stuff" (co-written by Johnny Marr and adapted from The Smiths' instrumental B-side "Money Changes Everything") was the album's only top 40 hit in the UK, peaking at no.37. A second single, "Kiss and Tell", narrowly missed the UK top 40, but made the US top 40 and also appears in the film Bright Lights, Big City. A third single, "Limbo", peaked at no.86 in the UK.

Track listing

  1. "Limbo" (5:00) (Ferry, Patrick Leonard)
  2. "Kiss and Tell" (4:57) (Ferry)
  3. "New Town" (4:50) (Ferry)
  4. "Day For Night" (5:35) (Ferry, Leonard)
  5. "Zamba" (3:00) (Ferry, Leonard)
  6. "The Right Stuff" (4:25) (Ferry, Johnny Marr)
  7. "Seven Deadly Sins" (5:10) (Ferry, Chester Kamen, Guy Pratt)
  8. "The Name of the Game" (5:28) (Ferry, Leonard)
  9. "Bête Noire" (4:53) (Ferry, Leonard)

Charts

Album

Year Chart Peak
Position
1987 UK Album Charts 9
1985 Billboard 200 63

Singles

Year Single Chart Peak
Position
1987 "The Right Stuff" UK Singles Chart 37
1988 "Kiss and Tell" UK Singles Chart 41
1988 "Kiss and Tell" US Billboard 100 31
1988 "Limbo" UK Singles Chart 86

Personnel

Produced by Patrick Leonard and Bryan Ferry, except for "Kiss and Tell", "New Town", "The Right Stuff" and "Seven Deadly Sins", produced by Patrick Leonard, Chester Kamen and Bryan Ferry. Engineered by Steve Jackson, Kevin Killen and Ian Eales.