Review: Roxy Music – Stranded (1973)

Stranded is Roxy Music’s third studio album and the first one the band made without Brian Eno.

With Bryan Ferry’s passive-aggressive ousting of Eno from the band, Roxy Music’s fate was firmly in his hands. However, Ferry understood that the other band members did not fully accept his dictatorial tendencies, and wind instrumentalist Andy Mackay in particular was very upset about his friend Eno’s departure. Ferry, being a smart man, understood that he had to give his bandmates some leeway (at least on the surface), and in the end, Stranded can even be considered a more democratic album than the two previous ones, as guitarist Phil Manzarena and Mackay both received songwriting credits on a Roxy Music album for the first time. With Eno out of the picture, the band’s instrumental soloists also took on a greater role in the construction of the arrangements.

The young Eddie Jobson, brought in to replace Brian Eno (who was recruited from Curved Air), was given considerable space alongside the two veterans. Jobson, a virtuoso on both keyboards and violin, was a very different musician from Eno, who focused mainly on manipulating the parts played by the other band members on the synthesizer rather than on actual playing. This role of ”sound processing” was later divided between Manzarena, Mackay, and Jobson, who was also at home with the latest synthesizers. Jobson brought a whole new kind of power to Roxy Music on the instrumental side, and the rest of the band seems to have been inspired by this and plays much more skillfully than before.

The new, more powerful instrumentation is also explained by the band’s new bassist. The traditionally windy bassist position was taken by the skilled Johnny Gustafson, who had previously played in the prog band Quatermass. Gustafson proved to be an exceptionally durable bassist, as he also played on the band’s next two albums.

The album kicks off explosively with ”Street Life,” which continues the series of Roxy Music-style rock songs such as ”Do The Strand.” ”Street Life” stands out from a dozen other rock songs with its rich and multi-layered arrangement. And, of course, Ferry’s unique singing style. ”Street Life” is a successful counterpart to ”Do The Strand” from the previous album, even if it’s not quite as interesting a song.

The mood calms dramatically in the next song, “Just Like You,” in which Ferry sings in a fateful-sounding, slightly falsetto voice, accompanied by Jobson’s piano tinkling in the background. Manzanera plays a stylish but overly short guitar solo. The melody of the song is absolutely irresistible and Ferry’s vocal performance is stunning! Whereas Ferry’s singing on the two previous albums was still a little shaky and cautious at times, on Stranded he really blossoms and uses his voice with breathtaking courage and conviction.

In the third track, “Amazonia,” a slightly funky song composed by Manzanera and Ferry, Gustafson’s rubber-band-like bass comes to the fore. With its experimental soundscape, ”Amazonia” is probably the Stranded song that most closely resembles the style of For Your Pleasure, but in my opinion, it is not one of the best songs on the album.

The fourth song, ”Psalm,” is something else entirely. It is a very strange song, and it is difficult to say whether it is seriously religious or whether Ferry is tongue-in-cheek when singing a gospel-like hymn about Jesus and paradise. Whether Ferry is serious or not, his devoted singing is once again wonderful to hear. ”Psalm” begins quietly with Ferry singing and Jobson’s organ creaking in the background, gradually growing louder and louder. At the end, Mackay finally lets loose on the soprano saxophone and plays a wonderfully sparkling solo. At eight minutes long, ”Psalm” is Roxy Music’s second longest song. According to Ferry, it is also the first song he ever wrote, even though it premiered years later.

After the poignant ”Psalm,” the mood lightens up with the poppy ”Serenade.” It’s a decent song, but it’s a bit mundane. In many pop bands’ catalogs, ”Serenade” would be a highlight, but among Stranded’s great songs, it doesn’t make much of an impression. Especially when ”Serenade” is immediately followed by what is perhaps Roxy Music’s finest song, ”Song For Europe.”

Ferry and Mackay’s ”Song For Europe” is the absolute highlight of Stranded. This grandiose, dramatic song about loss is filled with bittersweet melancholy and excessive melancholy. The song is brimming with drama that borders on pathos, but ultimately stays deliciously on the right side of the line. Ferry’s vocals, mixed to the surface, are majestic to hear. One of the finest vocal performances in rock music.

”Though the world 
Is my oyster
It’s only a shell
Full of memories”

The melody of ”Song For Europe” is truly ingenious. Instrumentally, the song is effectively supported by Jobson’s piano, which works perfectly in the song, and Mackay’s saxophone, which sounds alternately melancholic and demanding. At the climax of the song, Ferry effectively switches to singing in French, bringing to mind Édith Piaf, chansons, and the street cafés of Paris.

”Jamais, jamais, jamais, jamais, JAMAIS!”

You either love or hate the melodrama of ”Song For Europe.” For me, it works perfectly. A wonderful, wonderful song.

One would think that it would be difficult to rise to the level of a masterpiece like ”Song For Europe,” but the next song, ”Mother Of Pearl,” is actually almost as magnificent. ”Mother Of Pearl” is a two-part song that starts off with raucous rock but calms down after a couple of minutes into a hypnotic cool-down, carried elegantly by Gustafson’s bass and Ferry’s vocals, with the rest of the band embellishing the sound with various little details. The quick visit from the castanets is just one example. At the end, the music seems to fade away from under Ferry, leaving him to repeat the verse ”Oh Mother of Pearl, I wouldn’t trade you for another girl.” Finally, the piano that started the song returns briefly. A very stylish ending to a very stylish song.

The album concludes atmospherically with the minimalist semi-acoustic coda “Sunset,” in which guest musician Chris Laurencen’s bowed double bass adds a melancholic touch.

With Stranded, Roxy Music achieved a perfect balance between experimentation and weirdness on the one hand, and accessible, catchy pop music on the other. Ferry’s goal of composing more conventional songs that were still cleverly arranged and had a unique edge paid off handsomely. Stranded is Roxy Music’s best album and an almost perfect art rock record.

Best tracks: ”Just Like You”, ”Psalm”, ”Song For Europe”, ”Mother Of Pearl”

Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI

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Tracks:

Side A

1. Street Life – 3.27 (Bryan Ferry)
2. Just Like You – 3.34 (Ferry)
3. Amazona – 4.12 (Phil Manzanera/Ferry)
4. Psalm – 8.04 (Ferry)

Side B

1. Serenade – 2.55 (Ferry)
2. A Song for Europe – 4.44 (Andrew Mackay/Ferry)
3. Mother of Pearl – 6.53 (Ferry)
4. Sunset – 6.00 (Ferry)

Musicians:

Bryan Ferry: vocals, piano, electric piano, harmonica Eddie Jobson: keyboards, electric violin Andy Mackay: oboe, saxophone Phil Manzanera: electric guitar Paul Thompson: drums John Gustafson: bass

Producer: Chris Thomas

Label: Island

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