STRANDED

Eno has left the building, and the band played on. Roxy's second album from 1973 suffers from a slight lack of direction, but they aren't totally lost. Certainly, one can see the band heading towards a more mainstream direction, with Bryan Ferry having become the band's sole captain. The album lacks the experimental nature of the first two albums, which is inevitable given the lack of Eno the Synth Wizard. Still, it is quite an enjoyable album from a band whose worst efforts are often of higher standard than other bands' best.

The album begins with "Street Life"- one of the band's fun rock/pop moments. As I recall, the song gets some exposure on "best of" compilations and radio airplay. Ferry's vocals are at the fore, as is Manza's guitar. But as I said, it's one of the albums poppier moments. It is enjoyable nonetheless.

"Just Like You" is a pleasant enough song, but it is in fact one of Roxy's first 'generic' love songs - evidence of the dominance Ferry would now play. It is still a great slice of 70s rock with some nice piano and vocals.

Ahhh "Amazona". This is a great song, co-written by Manzanera. As you may imagine, his guitars play a large part in the song, and I thank him very much for it! This is probably the album's artier or proggier moments. Great guitar effects combine with some frantic drumming make it a necessary listen for those lamenting a lost Eno and wondering whether or not the band still had it in them.

"Psalm" is apparently the first song Ferry ever wrote. It's 8 minutes long, and I feel like I'm swimming in organ. But not any organ, it's awash with the whole evangelist/new age church style organ, if you know what I mean. But strangely, it suits it and isn't completely tasteless. If one gives it a chance, it becomes quite a beautiful song and certainly well worth a listen.

"Serenade" must be one of Roxy's shortest songs, but I still find it an engaging listen, with some great guitar effects in the middle and a generally fun beat to it. Ferry's vocals are also in top form, mirroring the great work he laid down in Roxy's first 2 albums. This song is a nice break between the 2 pseudo-epics, "Psalm" and...

"A Song for Europe", which is a beautifully slow piano driven number, which resembles "Bitter Sweet" from the next album. Ferry's vocals are somewhat subdued, and his piano compliments this nicely. One extra bonus point scored by this song is the fact that I believe his vocals have improved somewhat, when compared with some songs on the debut. This song could have certainly fit on "Four Your Pleasure" very nicely thank you. "I remember all those moments...."

"Mother of Pearl" is another song on the album which retains the art rock spirit from the last two albums. It's...odd. Strange vocals, with a different beat and strong instrumental parts contributed to by all. The band is playing quite tightly, and it really shows. Ferry's vocals slowly come to the fore and the song ends with some nice vocal chanting "oh Mother of Pearl, I would not change you for another girl".

Lastly, we have "Sunset", which is a pleasant enough end to a somewhat uneven album. This song really brings out Bryan's piano, and is a wholly enjoyable listen. However, it isn't all that engaging or exciting - which may some up many parts of the album.

To conclude, this is certainly a good album from Roxy, but it marks a change as Eno left the band - a shift from experimental towards mainstream. Still, it is worth listening to and has some great flashes which echo the band's previous 2 albums. I would recommend it to those who enjoy those 2 albums, but are willing to hear the band simplified slightly.