Stranded

Stranded was released in 1973 by Island, and by Atco in the US. It reached number one in the UK and number 186 in the US. It was the first Roxy Music album on which Ferry was not the only songwriter: Mackay wrote A Song for Europe with Ferry, and Manzanera co-wrote Amazona. It was also the first album with Eddie Jobson, who replaced Eno on synthesizers and added electric violin. The single Street Life reached number 9 in the UK. John Gustafson played bass, the London Welsh Male Voice Choir sang on Psalm, and Chris Thomas played an uncredited bass part on Street Life.

The gatefold cover shows the Playboy model Marilyn Cole, photographed by Karl Stoecker and styled by Antony Price. Cole later recalled being sat on a big log, told she was stranded in a jungle and had her hair sprayed gold.

Paul Gambaccini wrote in Rolling Stone in 1974 that Americans could no longer ignore the band. Eno later described it as one of his personal favorite Roxy albums, even though he had left. Pitchfork's Tom Ewing wrote that by Stranded Ferry had found his voice without yet settling into a lounge-lizard comfort zone, and that Street Life and Mother of Pearl are among the most exciting music the band made. Morrissey covered Amazona on his 2026 album Make-Up Is a Lie.