Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
A welcome comeback after the flaccid dance-pop of 1987's insipid Love, Stray is among Roddy Frame's most assured and diverse collections of songs. Unlike previous Aztec Camera albums, there's not one unifying style to the disc, and the variety makes Stray one of Frame's better collections. From the assured rocking pop of the singles "The Crying Scene" (the closest thing Aztec Camera ever got to an American hit single) and "Good Morning Britain" (a rousing collaboration with Mick Jones of the Clash and Big Audio Dynamite) to the cool, Chet Baker-ish cocktail jazz of "Over My Head," Frame covers the waterfront, but it's the quartet of songs that constitutes the second half of the album that impress the most. These four songs, "How It Is," "The Gentle Kind," "Notting Hill Blues," and the tender acoustic closer "Song For A Friend," are a loosely connected cycle mingling folk, soul, and pop in varying proportions. Starting with a bitterly cynical denunciation of modern society, the four songs move through sadness and resignation to a hopeful, sweet closure. Shorn of the pretentiousness that mars some of Frame's earlier lyrics -- written, to be fair, while he was still in his mid-teens -- the lyrics on Stray are the first that stand up to Frame's remarkable melodic sense. The simple, low-key production by Frame and Eric Calvi also retreats from the unfortunate excesses of both Love and its misbegotten Mark Knopfler-produced predecessor, Knife. With the exception of Aztec Camera's 1983 debut High Land Hard Rain, this is Roddy Frame's best album.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr124,99/month
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd.
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd.
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd
Roddy Frame, Composer, Producer - Simon Dawson, Engineer - Aztec Camera, MainArtist - Eric Calvi, Producer, Engineer
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1990 Warner Music UK Ltd
Album review
A welcome comeback after the flaccid dance-pop of 1987's insipid Love, Stray is among Roddy Frame's most assured and diverse collections of songs. Unlike previous Aztec Camera albums, there's not one unifying style to the disc, and the variety makes Stray one of Frame's better collections. From the assured rocking pop of the singles "The Crying Scene" (the closest thing Aztec Camera ever got to an American hit single) and "Good Morning Britain" (a rousing collaboration with Mick Jones of the Clash and Big Audio Dynamite) to the cool, Chet Baker-ish cocktail jazz of "Over My Head," Frame covers the waterfront, but it's the quartet of songs that constitutes the second half of the album that impress the most. These four songs, "How It Is," "The Gentle Kind," "Notting Hill Blues," and the tender acoustic closer "Song For A Friend," are a loosely connected cycle mingling folk, soul, and pop in varying proportions. Starting with a bitterly cynical denunciation of modern society, the four songs move through sadness and resignation to a hopeful, sweet closure. Shorn of the pretentiousness that mars some of Frame's earlier lyrics -- written, to be fair, while he was still in his mid-teens -- the lyrics on Stray are the first that stand up to Frame's remarkable melodic sense. The simple, low-key production by Frame and Eric Calvi also retreats from the unfortunate excesses of both Love and its misbegotten Mark Knopfler-produced predecessor, Knife. With the exception of Aztec Camera's 1983 debut High Land Hard Rain, this is Roddy Frame's best album.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:23
- Main artists: Aztec Camera
- Composer: Roddy Frame
- Label: Rhino
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 2004 Warner Music UK. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.