I don't know guys- I feel Roxy Music's songwriting isn't that great this time around. You have "Psalm" which musically doesn't offer a whole lot to me. Just a slow build up and nice lyrics that repeat more or less the same vocal melody for eight minutes. Occasionally some instrumental chops are thrown in the background, but they aren't enough to interest me, I'm afraid. I guess the lead singer wanted to showcase his skills on this track. THAT he did, but not to my liking personally.
In fact the entire album sounds like a passable warm up until Country Life is made. That's a better album as far as songwriting and experimental ideas working correctly goes. Still, Stranded has a few nice moments, mostly from the shorter songs. I DO love "Mother of Pearl". You simply cannot forget a chorus like that! In fact one time I was humming the chorus while vacuuming my entire downstairs (living room, kitchen and den- the three most important rooms in my house). Also "Amazona" rules a LOT.
Just know the first two Roxy Music albums, along with Country Life, are a LOT better than Stranded.
December 13, 2008Stranded finds Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry's song writing in peak form. From start to finish this sumptuous album doesn't let up on the musical juices that shower Ferry's striking imagery and wide range of social, psychological commentary with so many colours.
Each song is complete in itself which makes the sum of its parts, the album in its entirety, one of the best in rock music. Of course the previous two Roxy Music albums with Eno undoubtedly need to be in everyone's collection but there is something special about Stranded that makes it stand out; a seamless symphonic fusion delivered with street savvy glamour and grit, Eno admitted this was his personal favourite.
Released in 1973 when radio music never sounded so good (until Punk and New Wave came along) with T.Rex, Roxy Music and Led Zeppelin, this blockbuster, with its fabulous HDCD remastering, hasn't dated at all!
October 5, 2008 |  | Once Upon A Time............ |  |
Once Upon A Time............
A Brit boy and an American girl fell in love......
It ended.....
Brit boy sent American girl a casette. It was played over and over again until it was worn to bits.......
American girl looked for years and finally found the cd here........
A Song For Europe........
A song to remember...........
:-}
July 5, 2007| | | Excellent-10 Stars for "A Song For Europe | |
Roxy Music is one of the most underappreciated groups in history. Most of their albums are superb, and their first four are among the greatest albums in rock. While not quite as raw as the first album, or as deliciously odd and sexy as For Your Pleasure, Stranded is still quite experimental is still Roxy reaching into new territories and improving those already explored. Their best album is, in my opinion, Country Life, which distills all of the great elements of their previous work into a potent brew, but there is also something exhiliriating about the artistic growth on Stranded. Several reviewers have gone in depth on individual songs, and each one is special and well-worth a listen, but one song on this album truly stands out (which is hard to do on such an excellent work)as (in my opinion) Roxy's greatest track and one of the truly monumental tracks ever recorded... drum roll ... please: "Song For Europe" is the song to which I refer, it defies words. Few songs have ever impacted me as it has, nor have received such heavy play over a long span of time. I have thousands of cds, thus hundreds of thousands of songs, it means something when a song is among my 10 favorites and "Song For Europe" is among them. It's the crowning masterpiece of a brilliant band, much as "Shine A Light" (for me) is for the Stones. Every track is worth the price of the album, but "A Song For Europe" is worth it and then some.
February 28, 2007| | | Higher Than The Milky Way | |
From the opening dissonant synthesizer riff, Phil Manzanera's alternately 'walking' and shrieking guitar lines slithering through it and Bryan Ferry's excited crooning in "Street Life" to the gorgeous poetry and subtle piano/violin interplay at the end of "Sunset", this is my favorite Roxy Music album. The wild "Street Life" is followed by "Just Like You", a luscious ballad with astoundingly dreamy/surrealistic lyrics Ferry mostly sings in a sweet falsetto. Then out of left field (way,way out!) comes the Ferry/Manzanera-composed "Amazona"- partly funky, partly spacey, totally unique. I love Phil's treated guitar solo on this one. The marching rhythm of "Psalm" features a strange lyrical analogy of trying on different clothes with seeking religious faith. "Serenade" features some wonderful oboe and sax work by Andy Mackay. Next is the towering "A Song For Europe", an ode to the Olde Country that veers from the majestic to the subtle and back again. The astonishingly original "Mother of Pearl" starts off like a schizophrenic rocker ("Have you a future? Yes,yes,yes, nooo!"), transforms into a semi-ballad after a little over a minute and slowly starts rocking again after a bit. "Mother" segues right into the final track, "Sunset", a song so beautiful, so melancholy yet serene that I cried the first few times I listened to it. Again, here Bryan's lyrics are unparalleled in their subtlety and wit. ("Sunburst fingers you raise, one last sigh of farewell".) Glorious!
Before continuing, I have to tell you that I worship at the alter of Brian Eno. He's probably the biggest influence on my own songwriting. But is he missed on "Stranded"? My answer is a resounding 'no'. The replacement of Brian with Eddie Jobson was a good move. I think the band sounds more cohesive on "Stranded" than their first two albums with Eno. However, I want to clarify that I do love those first two albums as well. In a band that includes such an unusual instrument (in rock music anyway) as the oboe, the electric violin was a brilliant addition to their sound. Eddie's synth playing is very nice, adding just the right touches without being quite as in-your-face as Eno's sometimes was. As a matter of fact, I've read that this is actually Eno's favorite Roxy Music album so there you have it. Pick up this art rock stunner immediately!
August 24, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(43 reviews)