I need to emphasize Ferry's voice because, for all the brilliantly off-kilter musicianship of the rest of the band (Manzanera's guitarwork catches me more than once on this disc - the soaring interlude to "Amazona," for instance - it's both studied and uncontrolled at the same time), Bryan remains the voice and vision of Roxy Music. A crooner's instrument capable of attaining trills unheard since Tiny Tim frolicked on the soundstages of Laugh-In but also adept at plain melodic balladeering, Ferry was an unlikely lead for a rock band in the early seventies. And the persona he evoked, that of a world-weary roué perpetually unlucky in love and also too smart to know (as Peggy Lee would also realize) that "party time wasting" was not all there is, was not in sync with the way we in America, at least, wanted to see in our rockstars. (Like David Bowie, Roxy Music would have to wait for the disco era - where the beat could camouflage the lyrical irony - before really hitting big in the U.S.)

As a singer, Ferry is not as adept on Stranded as he would later get - at times you can hear him camping things up where later he'd be more subtle - but he's still phenomenal. Listen to him on "Sunset," the album's gloomy finale (in a way, it's his rewriting of "Seasons in The Sun" - the Jacques Brel version, not the sappy Rod McKuen Americanized translation), sounding elegantly reflective and rueful as he inhabits one man's reflections of a wasted life, and it's clear that the man belongs to the tradition of great actor vocalists. (Whether that's rock 'n' roll probably depends on whether you believe Lou Reed's "Heroin" is fully autobiographical or not.) To my ears it just cements the message of Stranded's cover: that this is not music for little boys - not even grown-up little boys.

In sum: a splendorous record, sad and thoughtful, propulsive when it needs to be and tranquilly melodic (c.f. "Just Like You," which I'd love to hear a singer like Annie Lennox wrap her tonsils around) other times. It's the album that hooked me into Roxy Music - and later into Ferry's solo stuff - and for that I'm still thankful. . .