(I'm) Stranded

(I'm) Stranded
Studio album by The Saints
Released	21 February 1977
Recorded	June, December 1976 Window Studios, Brisbane
Genre	Punk rock
Length	34:33
Label	EMI (Australia) Harvest (original UK release) Sire (original US release) Captain Oi! (1999 UK CD release) 4 Men with Beards (2003 US LP reissue)
Producer	Mark Moffatt, Rod Coe
The Saints chronology
(I'm) Stranded (1977) Eternally Yours (1978)
Singles from (I'm) Stranded
"(I'm) Stranded" Released: September 1976 "Erotic Neurotic" Released: May 1977

(I'm) Stranded is the debut album by Australian punk rock group The Saints which was released by EMI on 21 February 1977. Their debut single, "(I'm) Stranded", was issued ahead of the album in September 1976, which Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared was the "Single of this and every week". "Erotic Neurotic" was the second single, which was released in May 1977 and the group relocated to the United Kingdom. In June, bass guitarist Alasdair "Algy" Ward replaced Bradshaw and the group issued a single, "This Perfect Day" in July, which peaked in the Top 40 on the UK Singles Chart.

In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary and named "(I'm) Stranded" in its Top 30 Australian songs of all time. In 2007, 'I'm Stranded' was one of the first 20 songs added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry. Their debut album was listed at No. 20 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums, in October 2010.

Background

(I'm) Stranded is the debut album by The Saints which had formed in Brisbane in 1974 with original members Chris Bailey (singer-songwriter, later guitarist), Ed Kuepper (guitarist-songwriter), and Ivor Hay (drummer).^[1][2] In 1975, Kym Bradshaw joined on bass guitar.^[1] Contemporaneous with Ramones, the group were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzz saw" guitar that characterised early punk rock. Kuepper explained that they played faster and faster as they were nervous in front of audiences.^[3] According to Australian rock historian, Ian McFarlane, they had developed their "own distinctive sound as defined by Kuepper's frenetic, whirlwind guitar style and Bailey's arrogant snarl".^[1]

In June 1976, The Saints recorded two tracks, "(I'm) Stranded" and "No Time" with Mark Moffatt producing.^[2][4] Unable to find any interested label, they formed Fatal Records and independently released their debut single in September.^[4] Their self-owned Eternal Promotions sent discs to radio stations and magazines both in Australia – with little local interest – and United Kingdom.^[1] In the UK, a small label, Power Exchange, issued the single.^[4] Sounds magazine's reviewer Jonh Ingham declared it, "Single of this and every week".^[5][6] EMI head office in London contacted the Sydney branch and directed that they be signed to a three-album contract.^[6] Over two days in December, the group recorded their first LP album, (I'm) Stranded (21 February 1977), with Rod Coe producing.^[1][2] It included a cover version of The Missing Links' track "Wild About You".^[7] They supported AC/DC in late December 1976 and, early in 1977, relocated to Sydney.^[1]

EMI re-issued the single, "(I'm) Stranded" in February and it reached the Kent Music Report Top 100 Singles Chart.^[8] In May, the band released their second single, "Erotic Neurotic" and then moved to UK, where they differed with their label over how they should be marketed.^[1][3] EMI planned to promote them as a typical punk band, complete with ripped clothes and spiky hair – The Saints insisted on maintaining a more downbeat image.^[1][9]

In June, bass guitarist Alasdair "Algy" Ward replaced Bradshaw.^[1] Their next single "This Perfect Day" (July) peaked at No. 34 in the UK but further improvement was frustrated by EMI's failure to press enough copies to satisfy demand.^[5][10] The song later appeared on their 1978 album, Eternally Yours. In September 1977, The Saints released One Two Three Four as a 7" EP which contained two covers and two re-recorded versions of tracks from their debut album. It was originally issued in the UK as both a single disc EP and a double 7" with a gate-fold sleeve.

In 2007, (I'm) Stranded was reissued as a CD with bonus tracks including the EP One Two Three Four and the single version of "This Perfect Day".

Reception

Professional reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Robert Christgau	B+[12]
MustHear	positive[13]

In his review of (I'm) Stranded, Jack Rabid of AllMusic declared that "[T]he Saints sparked the Far East punk rock movement with a blasting, blistering, scorching sound no one had heard before". Although eight of the tracks showed a "heavy, buzzing racket ... borders on unintelligible, they're so cheaply recorded".^[11] McFarlane described it as "full of rough, exhilarating rock'n'roll noise, and it remains one of the greatest debut albums of the era".^[1] Consumer Guide's Robert Christgau, "intermittent hooks, droning feedback, shouted vocals, and oldie about incest, this album from Australia achieves the great mean of punk style".^[12] John Ballon of MustHear writes the album is "a devastating listen, loaded with the same irresistible power ... [and] has all the intense purity of a band hell bent on making a racket, regardless of its commercial viability".^[13]

Accolades

In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary and named "(I'm) Stranded" in its Top 30 Australian songs of all time.^[14] In 2007, "I'm Stranded" was one of the first 20 songs stored on the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry.^[15] Their debut album was listed at No. 20 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums in October 2010.^[16]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper except where shown^{[nb 1]}. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"(I'm) Stranded"	3:33
2.	"One Way Street"	2:56
3.	"Wild About You" (Andy James)	2:36
4.	"Messin' with the Kid"	5:55
5.	"Erotic Neurotic"	4:07
6.	"No Time"	2:48
7.	"Kissin' Cousins" (Fred Wise, Randy Starr)	2:00
8.	"Story of Love" (Kuepper)	3:12
9.	"Demolition Girl" (Kuepper)	1:42
10.	"Nights in Venice" (Kuepper)	5:41
Total length:		34:33

1997 CD release bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
11.	"Lipstick on Your Collar" (George Goehring, Edna Lewis)	2:37
12.	"River Deep – Mountain High" (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich)	3:55
Total length:		41:04

2007 CD release bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
11.	"Untitled" (out-take)	2:56
12.	"This Perfect Day" (single version)	2:12
13.	"Lies"	2:05
14.	"Do the Robot" (Kuepper)	2:44
15.	"Lipstick on Your Collar" (Goehring, Lewis)	2:35
16.	"One Way Street"	2:52
17.	"Demolition Girl" (Kuepper)	1:59
18.	"River Deep – Mountain High" (Spector, Barry, Greenwich)	3:53
Total length:		55:51

Personnel

The Saints members[nb 2] Chris Bailey – vocals Kym Bradshaw – bass guitar (tracks 1–10, 11–13 on 2007 release) Ivor Hay – drums Ed Kuepper – guitar Alasdair "Algy" Ward – bass guitar (tracks 11–12 on 1997 release, 14–18 on 2007 release)

Additional musicians The Flat Top Four – backing vocals (track 7) Production Rod Coe – producer (except tracks 1, 6 or bonus tracks) Mark Moffatt – producer (only tracks 1, 6) Bailey, Kuepper – producer (only bonus tracks)

Notes

1. • Song writing credits for Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper adapted from American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).^[17][18]
   • "Wild About You" was written by Andy N J Anderson (aka Andy James) for his 1960s band, The Missing Links.^[7][19]
   • "Kissin' Cousins" was written by Fred Wise and Randy Starr and performed by Elvis Presley for the 1964 film Kissin' Cousins.^[20]
   • "Lipstick on Your Collar" was written by Edna Lewis and George Goehring, and was issued as a single in 1959 by Connie Francis.^[21]
   • "River Deep – Mountain High" was written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and was issued as a single in 1966 by Ike & Tina Turner.^[22]
2. Credits according to album notes:
   • 1977 Australian version.^[23]
   • 1997 CD version.^[24]
   • 2007 CD version.^[25]

References

General

• McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
• Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara; Paul McHenry (2002) [1987]. The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Noble Park, Vic: Five Mile Press. ISBN 1-86503-891-1.^[26]

Specific

1. McFarlane, 'The Saints' entry. Archived from the original on 9 October 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
2. Holmgren, Magnus. "The Saints". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
3. Cockington, James (August 2001). "Sunshine Sounds". Long Way to the Top. Sydney, NSW: ABC Books (Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)). pp. 210–217. ISBN 0-7333-0750-7.
4. Nimmervoll, Ed. "The Saints". Howlspace. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
5. Stafford, Andrew (2006). Pig City: from The Saints to Savage Garden (2d rev. ed.). Brisbane: University of Queensland Press. pp. 57–76. ISBN 0-7022-3561-X.
6. Jenkins, Jeff; Meldrum, Ian (2007). Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing. pp. 252–253. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1.
7. McFarlane, 'The Missing Links' entry. Archived from the original on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
9. "The Saints". J Files Page. Triple J (Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)). 30 November 2000. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
10. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 480. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
11. Rabid, Jack. "The Saints – (I'm) Stranded". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
12. Christgau, Robert (31 October 1977). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (New York). Retrieved 29 April 2013.
13. Ballon, John (27 December 2008). "The Saints – (I'm) Stranded". MustHear. John Ballon. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
14. Kruger, Debbie (2 May 2001). "The Songs That Resonate Through the Years". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 19 April 2011.
15. "About the Registry". Sounds of Australia. National Film and Sound Archive. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
16. O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. pp. 78–79, 124–125. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
17. "Works written by: Christopher James Mannix Bailey". ACE Title Search. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 23 April 2011.
18. "Works written by: Edmund Kuepper". ACE Title Search. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 23 April 2011.
19. ""Wild About You" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 23 April 2011.
20. ""Kissin' Cousins" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 23 April 2011.
21. ""Lipstick on Your Collar" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 23 April 2011.
22. ""River Deep – Mountain High" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 23 April 2011.
23. (I'm) Stranded (LP). The Saints. Australia: EMI. 1977. EMC 2570.
24. (I'm) Stranded (CD). The Saints. United States: Triple X Entertainment. 1997. 51243-2.
25. (I'm) Stranded (CD). The Saints. Australia: EMI. 2007. 00371.
26. "Who's who of Australian rock / compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. As from September 2010, [on-line] version appears to have an Internal Service Error.

External links

• (I'm) Stranded at MusicBrainz (list of releases).
• (I'm) Stranded All Lyrics