Customer Reviews
Watershed - By: Tom the Bomb, 02 Nov 2008 
The third Roxy Music album & also a watershed. This album marks the beginning of the movement towards mainstream commercialism. That is not to say that this album is bad. Far from it. This album contains some of Ferry's best songwriting & his voice is stronger too. The band sound more mature along with the production that compliments these great songs. 'Street life' still sounds like an out-take from the previous album, 'For your pleasure', with its distorted intro & Manzenara's blistering guitar. For me though , 'mother of Pearl' is the highlight of the album & marks Ferry's maturity as a songwriter. Another little gem on this album is 'Sunset' - Ferry's slow homage to the sun - wonderfully sad & thought provoking.
With Eno gone & Eddie Jobson taking his place (and adding his violin) the band moved on with this album. Although the previous two albums are my favourite, this comes third on my list! Great stuff!
Beauty and the beastly - By: John Pownall, 08 Jun 2007 
The peaks of this third album soar higher than anything before or since from Roxy: Mother of Pearl,Song for Europe, Sunset, Just for You. But there is no getting away from the weaknesses, & this is the first Roxy album which showed the feet of clay which would stomp so ploddingly on later albums like Manifesto.
It is a crossroads album; Eno had left, & Ferry was now the tuxedo-wearing crooner of "Another Time, Another place".
The beautiful lyrics & perfect playing remained; but the humour & the fun had gone from Roxy. From now on, songs like "Psalm" would re-appear on each album which Ferry produced;as if he had to tackle serious themes to be taken as a serious artist.
The creative tension which existed between the two Bry/ians on the first albums had been removed, but with it had also gone the spark of brilliance. It is as if Eno gave something special to every songwriter he worked with, & Ferry was the firstin a long line.
The album is worth having, for the four great tracks; but be prepared to skip through "Amazona", "Street Life" (a poorer verison of the classic "Do the Strand"), Psalm & (perhaps) "Serenade", to get to the gems.
After this, Roxy were strictly a singles band, & Ferry became the Rudolf Valentino of seventies rock; easy on the eye, but little worth listening to.
There's nothing much like this - By: Coseley Jay, 27 Apr 2007 Roxy's self-titled first album, although containing some of their strongest songs, is too poorly producedin parts to be considered their classic. ''For Your Pleasure', the follow up, tends to claim this accolade but for me 'Stranded' is the epitome of Roxy Music.
Coming as it did, smack bangin the middle of their glorious early/mid period, it contains songs that could easily belong on any of those records. Included is all the wierdness, exotica, brooding beauty & surprise that you would associate with the band across those first five albums. That's not to say the album is at all diffuse, various would best describe it, with every song sounding very 'Roxy-like' without ever really sounding like the last.
If 'Stranded' is Roxy Music's finest album, then,in 'Mother-of Pearl', it contains their finest song. From it's strange & original uptempo opening to it's delightfully sad/joyous main section this song just screams Roxy Music & never more so thanin it's flowing, opaque lyric. I've never heard anything quite like this & that is part of Roxy's brilliance & appeal: they are not really Rock N' Roll at all but at the same time they aren't anything else.
Roxy, for me at least, are one of those few bands you may be lucky enough to hearin your life, whose music, for a time, obssesses you. There's something you love & admire about some bands without quite putting your finger on what it is. You feel really thankful that this band existed & whether you were there or not (In Roxy's case I'm only 32 & first listened to themin my early twenties) you can still feel excited by the fact that they happened; that they did what they did.
A truly underrated band & one of Britain's best kept musical secrets (everyone's heard of Roxy Music but who still plays this stuff?). Start here!
Mother of a Pearl - By: zippop, 27 Mar 2007 This re-mastered CD is phenomenal & easily the best purchase I have ever made (I jest yeah not) & I amin possession of hundreds of CDs, across a broad spectrum of music. The copy I now possess is the 5th copy having worn out 3 LPs (remember those quaint 12" entities) & 2 CDs. Not mentionedin the other reviews of this CD (I apologise if I missed them) are the rhythm section - Johnny Gustafson on bass & the Great Paul Thompson on drums what a combination they are awesome throughout (even better live - those were the days). Eddie Jobson is also amazing & even though I love FYP, for me you can keep Eno & give me Eddie's incredible virtuoso performances any day. Great songs, song writing skills & lyrics & a powerhouse display by all musicians involved & the ending Sunset - is a joy to the ear. I cannot recommend this CD enough, a truly inspirational & extraordinary CD.
Roxy at the top of their game - By: Magic Rat, 27 Mar 2007 Having shed their "art school cult band" status with two ground-breaking albums & a couple of hit singles to boot, it was thought that the departure of Brian Eno marked the beginning of the end for Roxy Music. Not so. The main foursome of Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera & Thompson remained & electric violinist Eddie Jobson was broughtin & the loss of the erstwhile tape loop doodler was not as great as many had opined. The sound contained far less "messing about wih strange sounds" such asin the fade out of "For Your Pleasure" and, although we were still treated to some wonderful extended cuts, the weirdness was cut down just a little bit. Neither for better or worse. Just a bit different. The first two albums were so unique they could not possibly be recycled over & over. Something had to change. "Stranded" is an eight track album comprised of eight classics that were ahead of their timein late 1973 & are perfectly timeless today.
"Street Life" is a magnificent lead-off track & a big hit single at the time, equal almost to Virginia Plain as the quintessential perfect three minute Roxy single. When you're fourteen years old, as I was upon this release, & you hear a single like this, it blows you away.
"Just Like You" is one of those falsetto-ish Ferry ballads he delivered so well with almost Shakespearean sonnet-esque lyrics; while "Amazona" is a Manzanera showcase, full of buzzing guitar & backed by Ferry's leering voice & mysterious words. "Psalm" is quasi-religious dirge enlivened by a Welsh Male Voice choir at the end, but has that insistent "In Every Dream Home" tone to the delivery of the verses, one after the other, all thoughtful & intoxicating. "Serenade" is classic Roxy rockin the style of "Street Life" & "Song For Europe" is an evocative masterpiece for anyone who has travelledin Europe. Images of France, Italy & Spain abound, with Ferry singing, at times,in both French & Spanish (incomprehensibly!). Mother Of Pearl" is a magnificent tour de force - a kind of two-parter, moving from breathtakingly fast to slow & mantra-esque, entwined with Andy Mackay's trademark saxophone. "Sunset" closes off the whole affairin a laid back, piano-driven fashion, keyboards twinkling as light upon gentle watersin the dark as Ferry croons us off into the distance.
Personally, I don't think it ever got any better for Roxy. This is their coup de grace.
