Stranded [Slipcase]

Performer: Roxy Music
Distributor: Caroline Distribution

Notes: Roxy Music began to reign in its unsettling, quirky art rock on STRANDED, the band's third album. Without keyboardist/idea man Brain Eno in the band any longer, vocalist Bryan Ferry assumed full control of Roxy Music's musical direction, moving toward a less overtly experimental, yet still progressive and eccentric style. Ferry still sings in a camp-styled croon, part Noel Coward, part Lou Reed, yet his songwriting is sharper and more nuanced here, as the enigmatic "Psalm" and the multi-part "Mother of Pearl" convey. STRANDED introduced violinist Eddie Jobson, whose contributions slotted in perfectly alongside reed player Andy Mackay and guitarist Phil Manzanera. A sense of cohesion permeates the set, group members contribute lyrically, but there was no denying that this incarnation of the band represents Ferry's vision. Melodically strong, the album provides an ideal structure for Ferry's quirky intonation, resulting in a heady mix of experimentation and commercial acumen.

Q (9/99, pp.122-3) - 3 stars (out of 5) - "...more conventional, less progressive, and some, like 'Mother Of Pearl', seem extended for the sake of it..."

Like Bowie, Roxy Music delivered art-rock with a heavy dose of irony, a scarce commodity in the mid-'70s. Bryan Ferry's lounge-lizard persona meshed with Brian Eno's pioneering electronics and Phil Manzanera's highly textured guitar work to create a decadent but humorous sound that influenced many '80s new wave bands on both sides of the Atlantic, from the Cars to Duran Duran.

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