Stranded (1973)

"Amazona" More of the same, only better, better and better. The sound remains cerebral and weird, but the band is well acquainted with itself by this time, knows when to charge forward in unison, when and how to hold back and open up spaces, and who gets to jump in to fill them. This may work most for guitarist Phil Manzanera—or, frankly, us, with his fully mature and artfully deployed playing—but head songwriter and singer Bryan Ferry, no shrinking violet, naturally takes his share of the spotlight too, and Mackay's reeds continue to lend the sound unsettling tearing and ripping textures. At least one song here is arguably too long ("Psalm," at 8:05) but the good moments are plentiful, coming straight out of the kind of hard-won confidence that only a working band can earn for itself. "Street Life" sets the hard rocking tone, a self-conscious vamp but one that gets the job done. "Amazona" floats in like a butterfly, unfolds like a flower, soars like a blimp. "A Song for Europe" might be the definitive statement of purpose; it sounds like it, all impassioned, but I can't make out the French. The manifold layers of "Mother of Pearl" are ultimately a gift for your head, relentlessly lapping a permanent place there. Say welcome and give in. It only gets better. And, oh yeah, that's Bryan Ferry's girlfriend at the time on the cover, Marilyn Cole.