One of punk's sacred texts,
I'm Stranded was knocked off in one session by a band of Brisbane Australian lads who loved early rock & roll, '60s garage, and playing real fast and loud.
The Saints didn't beat
the Ramones to the punch, didn't garner the worldwide publicity of
the Sex Pistols, and had none of the political fever of
the Clash; in fact, they never really played the punk game, which might have made them the most punk of all. This album is built around the chainsaw guitars of
Ed Kuepper, the thundering rhythm section of drummer
Ivor Hay and bassist
Kym Bradshaw, and the hoarsely powerful vocals of
Chris Bailey. They whipped up a tornado of sound on the record's fast-paced numbers and dialed down the noise to a tightly coiled hum on the few songs that had some classic rock-derived dynamics. The intense and electrically charged feel of the music and singing is matched up perfectly with
Bailey and
Kuepper's songs, which are like sugar cookies dipped in gasoline, or maybe gasoline speckled with sugar. Either way, they both wallop like the dickens while also having a bubblegum snap to them. ¿I'm Stranded¿ is the band's statement of purpose: it's three-and-a-half minutes of post-teenage angst wrapped in barbed wire that floors the listener right away while also setting the scene for the bruised and battered songs that follow. The band switch between pedal-to-the-metal rockers like "Erotic Neurotic" and "No Time" that are all rage and fire, with ballads that have a surprising amount of sensitivity even as the guitars crackle with energy. "Messing with the Kid" lopes gently along in a stroll with
Bailey lamenting his gloomy station in life and
Kuepper ending the song with some majestic guitar runs, while "Story of Love" has the lovelorn drama of classic Brill Building pop dressed in torn sleeves and running mascara. These two beautiful songs work wonders in balancing the rest of the album's loud-fast punch, as does the silly rocker "Kissin' Cousins" and the romping cover of fellow Australian band
the Missing Links' "Wild About You." It adds up to a record that's revolutionary and familiar. The band messes with well-established rock formulas only to rebuild them in more exciting fashion. They obviously weren't the only band doing this kind of necessary demolition work in the mid-'70s, but a strong case could be made that thanks to this record -- and its follow-up
Eternally Yours -- nobody did it as well as
the Saints.
I'm Stranded isn't only essential punk history, it's one of the best rock & roll albums period. ~ Tim Sendra
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