STRANDED

The woman with the red dress on captures another hot moment for Roxy Music's third album Stranded. Although this one is a little toned down in sonic terms there are plenty of great songs here. "Mother of Pearl" and "Street Life" are the two most upbeat songs on the album and both are excellent and easily could have found a place on the first two albums. The classic here though is "A Song for Europe" which is one of my top five Roxy songs from their catalogue...a heartfelt tribute to the bands mother continent evoking dark cabaret overtones with Mackays sax in the background sounding like some smoky after hours nightclub in Germany; if this song doesn't hit you emotionally then time for a pulse check. Roxy Music has something for everyone here as they delve into gospel with "Psalm", and the up tempo "Amazona" which features excellent bass and guitar interplay. In many ways the most layed back of the first five classics put out by the band Stranded is a testament to the musical diversity of the band and Eddie Jobson shows to be an excellent replacement for Brian Eno. The album ends with the somber yet enchanting "Sunset". Seldom if ever would you hear anything like this from a modern prog/art rock band and if there is anyone out there taking these kind of chances with a similiar style feel free to email me with the info...and if you are interested in Roxy Music this might not be the best album to start with but definitely is one worth owning.