Olympia (Bryan Ferry album)

The album features some songs previously recorded by Ferry in collaborations with other artists. "You Can Dance", a version of which appeared as "U Can Dance" on DJ Hell's 2009 album Teufelswerk, is the record's first single. A version of "Shameless" previously appeared as a collaboration with Groove Armada on their album Black Light earlier in 2010. The album also features covers of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" and Traffic's "No Face, No Name, No Number." The album came out in three versions: a standard edition with 10 songs, the "Deluxe Edition" containing two additional tracks and a DVD featuring "The Making of Olympia" documentary and a promo video for the song "You Can Dance", and the "Collector's Edition" with the 12 tracks and DVD from the Deluxe Edition as well as a second CD containing remixes and a 40-page hardback book.

In 2011 the single "Alphaville" was sent to a number of radio stations and appeared on BBC Radio 2's playlist and 106.9FM WHCR's

The album art features the fashion model Kate Moss and refers to the Édouard Manet 1863 painting of the same name.[11]

Reviewing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote of the album "Such command of mood is a tell-tale sign of a quiet perfectionist, but Olympia doesn't feel fussy; it's unruffled and casually elegant, its pleasing familiarity reflecting the persistence of an old master honing his craft."[12] And reviewing for Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan wrote of the album "Ferry could do a record with the Star Wars cantina band and it would come out pretty much the same: a bunch of lush, languorous Euro-glam ballads about love's labour's lost, all of them slathered in a sexy-vampire croon that makes lines about being 'faithfully entwined in a shameless world' seem like some deep shit."[13]

• Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards, acoustic piano (1-9, 11, 12)
• Colin Good – keyboards (2), synthesizers (6)
• Brian Eno – synthesizers (2, 4, 6, 8)
• Babydaddy – keyboards (3), guitars (3), bass (3)
• Steve Nieve – acoustic piano (10)
• Robin "Radar" Rimbaud – electronics (1, 10)
• Chris Mullings – electronics (2, 3)
• John Monkman – electronics (4-9, 11, 12)
• Nile Rodgers – guitars (1, 5, 10)
• Oliver Thompson – guitars (1, 5, 10)
• David Williams – guitars (1, 5, 10)
• Neil Hubbard – guitars (2, 12)
• David A. Stewart – guitars (2)
• David Gilmour – guitars (4, 6)
• Jonny Greenwood – guitars (6)
• Phil Manzanera – guitars (6, 8, 9, 11)
• Chris Spedding – guitars (7, 8, 11)
• Merlin Ferry – guitars (9)
• Flea – bass (1, 7, 11), bass solo (3)
• Gary "Mani" Mounfield – bass (1, 8)
• Marcus Miller – bass (2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12)
• Guy Pratt – bass (11)
• Andy Cato – bass (5)
• Tara Ferry – drums (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11)
• Andy Newmark – drums (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11)
• Emily Dolan Davies – drums (2, 6, 7, 9)
• Steve Ferrone – drums (12)
• Frank Ricotti – percussion
• Anthony Pleeth – cello (2, 4, 6, 7)
• Vicci Wardman – viola (2, 4, 6, 7)
• Perry Montague-Mason – 1st violin (2, 4, 6, 7)
• Emlyn Singleton – 2nd violin (2, 4, 6, 7)
• Andy Mackay – oboe (3, 6, 11)
• Alice Retif – chorus vocals (1, 2)
• Katie Turner – chorus vocals (1)
• Ruby Turner – chorus vocals (2, 3, 11)
• Me'sha Bryan – chorus vocals (3, 11)
• Thomas Fetherstonhaugh – treble vocals (3)
• Sewuese Abwa – chorus vocals (4, 6-10, 12)
• Aleysha Gordon – chorus vocals (4, 6-10, 12)
• Hannah Khemoh – chorus vocals (4, 6-10, 12)
• Shar White – chorus vocals (5, 11)
• Tallulah Harlech – voice (6, 9)
• Jhelisa Anderson – chorus vocals (11)

• Bryan Ferry – producer, art direction
• Rhett Davies – producer
• Johnson Somerset – producer
• David A. Stewart – additional producer (2)
• Babydaddy – additional producer (3)
• Jake Shears – additional producer (3)
• Groove Armada – additional producers (5)
• Phil Manzanera – additional producer (8)
• John Monkman – additional producer (8), additional engineer
• Robin Trower – additional producer (11, 12)
• Simon Willey – engineer
• Ash Howes – additional engineer
• Jamie Johnson – additional engineer
• Tim Roe – additional engineer
• Sven Taits – additional engineer
• Chris Mullings – additional recording
• Bob Clearmountain – mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Isaac Ferry – artwork production, management
• Gideon Ponte – set design
• Chris Peyton – layout
• Jono Patrick – digital artwork
• Adam Whitehead – photography
• Anton Corbijn – portrait of Bryan Ferry
• Richard Williams – liner notes
• Kate Moss – cover model
• John Galliano – couture
• Alistair Norbury – management

Studios

• Recorded at Studio One (Olympia, London, UK); 4th Street Recording (Santa Monica, California, USA).
• Mixed at MixThis! (Los Angeles, California, USA) and Sofa Sound (London, England).
• Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine, USA).