Bryan Ferry is promoting his new solo box set and has shared memories of the challenging live debut of his hit single “Slave To Love,” released in 1985. In an interview with the Guardian, he recounted the performance’s difficulties during the iconic Live Aid concert: “The drummer broke his snare-drum skin, the bass was in a different tuning, David Gilmour’s guitar wasn’t working properly, and someone had to tape another mic to mine because it wasn’t audible.”
The recording process for “Slave To Love” was also far from simple. Ferry began tracking the song in his home studio before moving to the White House studio in London, and eventually recording at Bette Midler’s house in New York. Producer Rhett Davies explained, “She’d had trouble sleeping and had built a soundproof room, so we set a studio up in there. It was one of the most difficult tracks to finish, and it went through a lot of changes.”
Davies noted that Ferry spent considerable time perfecting the lyrics, which led to the vocals being recorded last. “Bryan was still working on the lyrics, so the vocals came last, and it was the last track we finished for the album.”
Mixing engineer Bob Clearmountain was involved in numerous sessions, recalling, “He mixed it so many times in so many studios. I remember falling asleep in Air Studios while mixing it even more. It was finally finished at three in the afternoon, and when we heard the completed song, there was just elation.”
The track features contributions from four guitarists, with Ferry stating, “Neil Hubbard had the most wonderfully soulful tone, and we recorded him early on to build the song around him. The guitar solo in the middle is actually three interweaving guitarists: Gilmour, Keith Scott, and Hubbard.”
The sessions for the accompanying album, Boys And Girls, boasted a star-studded lineup. Alongside Gilmour and Hubbard, Mark Knopfler and Nile Rodgers provided guitar work, while Andy Newmark played drums and David Sanborn guest-starred on saxophone. The album’s polished production and meticulous detail represent a continuation of the late-period Roxy sound.
“Slave To Love” remains Ferry’s most successful solo single, and it was his final Top Ten hit, reaching the charts in May 1985.
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