Roxy Music Stranded CD

Roxy Music: John Gustafson (bass instrument); Eddie Jobson, Andy Mackay , Paul Thompson , Phil Manzanera, Bryan Ferry.
Personnel: Bryan Ferry (vocals, piano, keyboards); London Welsh Male Choir (vocals); Phil Manzanera (guitar); Eddie Jobson (violin, keyboards, synthesizer); Andrew T. Mackay , Andy Mackay (oboe, saxophone); Paul Thompson (drums, timbales, timpani).
Additional personnel: Chris Lawrence (bass instrument); The London Welsh Male Choir (background vocals).
Audio Remasterer: Bob Ludwig.
Recording information: Air Studios, London, England (09/1973).
Photographer: Karl Stoecker.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Eddie Jobson; Christian Wainwright; London Welsh Male Choir.
Without Brian Eno, Roxy Music immediately became less experimental, yet it remained adventurous, as Stranded illustrates. Under the direction of Bryan Ferry, Roxy moved toward relatively straightforward territory, adding greater layers of piano and heavy guitars. Even without the washes of Eno's synthesizers, Roxy's music remains unsettling on occasion, yet in this new incarnation, they favor more measured material, whether it's the reflective "A Song for Europe" or the shifting textures of "Psalm." Even the rockers, such as the surging "Street Life" and the segmented "Mother of Pearl," are distinguished by subtle songwriting that emphasizes both Ferry's tortured glamour and Roxy's increasingly impressive grasp of sonic detail. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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..."