Stand Up And Be Counted (Expanded Edition)

Album review

After parting ways with Transatlantic Records and signing on with Pye subsidiary Dawn in 1975, English heavy prog veterans Stray briefly expanded from a quartet to a five-piece with the addition of rhythm guitarist Pete Dyer -- a move which had been intended to allow vocalist Steve Gadd the chance to focus on his frontman duties, but wound up driving the already disgruntled singer out of the band for good, instead. Into the breach stepped the already present Dyer, who proceeded to share vocals with lead guitarist and longtime band architect Del Bromham on the band's sixth long player -- and Pye debut -- Stand Up and Be Counted. Ironically, the album was composed predominantly of tracks originally slated for Bromham's first solo record, but when faced with Gadd's departure, he decided to re-purpose them for what proved to be a typically eclectic, if slightly chaotic-sounding LP. Starting with the symphonic title track, which contrasted strings of evocative beauty with surprisingly lifeless female voices in the chorus -- and devolving quickly into simplistic, largely acoustic, easy listening-type radio fodder such as "Waiting for the Big Break," "Down, Down, Down," and the unfathomable drudge of "Woolie." In other words, with the arguable exception of the brooding chords used in "For the People" and momentary guitar crunch launching "As Long as You Feel Good," this is not the Stray album recommended for hard rock and metal fans (try their 1970 debut or 1971 follow-up Suicide, instead). Nor, likewise, progressive-minded listeners, who will chafe at the aforementioned compositional simplicity and positively wince at the clearly over-taxed Bromham's intolerably sappy lyric writing on forgettable pop numbers like "Precious Love" and "Everyday of My Life." Stray would thankfully rediscover some of their edgy swagger on the following year's Houdini (perhaps because of recent tours supporting Kiss in the U.S. and Rush in the U.K.), but the end of the road was nevertheless within sight for the beleaguered group.

© Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo