Blab Music
Bryan Ferrys 1976 Lets Stick Together Album Marks a Transitional Moment in His Career
When Roxy Music called a temporary break in 1976, Bryan Ferry turned the pause into a solo statement with his third album, Let’s Stick Together. Released on 12 June 1976, the record assembled a patchwork of previously issued singles, B‑sides, an EP and a handful of new tracks, all wrapped around the title single—a cover of Wilbert Harrison’s 1962 rhythm‑and‑blues classic that would become Ferry’s highest‑charting solo hit, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
Ferry had been juggling a solo career while still fronting Roxy Music. His first two solo releases—These Foolish Things (1973) and Another Time, Another Place (1974)—were self‑contained projects recorded in a single stretch. Let’s Stick Together, by contrast, was a mosaic of work recorded over several years. Five of its eleven tracks were fresh takes on songs Ferry had first recorded with Roxy Music, including four from the band’s 1972 debut album and the track “Casanova” from 1974’s Country Life. The remaining tracks are covers of songs by The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, Jimmy Reed, and the standard “You Go to My Head.”
The album’s track list is: 1. “Let’s Stick Together” (Wilbert Harrison) – 2:59 2. “Casanova” (Bryan Ferry) – 2:46 3. “Sea Breezes” (Bryan Ferry) – 6:11 4. “Shame, Shame, Shame” (Jimmy Reed) – 3:16 5. “2HB” (Bryan Ferry) – 3:14 6. “The Price of Love” (Don and Phil Everly) – 3:27 7. “Chance Meeting” (Bryan Ferry) – 3:15 8. “It’s Only Love” (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:49 9. “You Go to My Head” (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 2:42 10. “Re‑Make/Re‑Model” (Bryan Ferry) – 2:43
Production was handled by Ferry and Chris Thomas, with engineering by Steve Nye and John Punter. The sessions drew on Ferry’s Roxy Music circle—drummer Paul Thompson, synthesiser/violinist Eddie Jobson, guitarist Phil Manzanera on “Re‑Make/Re‑Model,” and bassist David O’List on “Chance Meeting”—and a broader studio ensemble that included bassists John Porter and John Gustafson, guitarists Chris Spedding and Neil Hubbard, and saxophonists Mel Collins and Chris Mercer.
Commercially, the album fared best outside the UK. It topped the charts in Australia and the Netherlands, and finished 1976 as the ninth‑best‑selling album in Australia. In the UK it peaked at No. 19 on the Albums Chart, while in the United States it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 160. The title single, released in June 1976 with “Sea Breezes” as the B‑side, entered the UK Singles Chart in July and remained for ten weeks.
Let’s Stick Together captures a pivotal moment in Ferry’s career. By re‑interpreting Roxy Music material with smoother, jazz‑ and R&B‑tinged arrangements and pairing those with standards and pop covers, the record illustrates his shift from band frontman to independent solo artist. The hybrid nature of the album—combining new recordings, older B‑sides, and an EP—offers a snapshot of Ferry’s work during the brief Roxy Music hiatus and foreshadows the mainstream pop sensibilities that would define later solo releases such as Boys and Girls (1985) and Taxi (1993). As of 2026, the album remains a reference point for scholars charting the evolution of Ferry’s musical identity.
Ferry had been juggling a solo career while still fronting Roxy Music. His first two solo releases—These Foolish Things (1973) and Another Time, Another Place (1974)—were self‑contained projects recorded in a single stretch. Let’s Stick Together, by contrast, was a mosaic of work recorded over several years. Five of its eleven tracks were fresh takes on songs Ferry had first recorded with Roxy Music, including four from the band’s 1972 debut album and the track “Casanova” from 1974’s Country Life. The remaining tracks are covers of songs by The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, Jimmy Reed, and the standard “You Go to My Head.”
The album’s track list is: 1. “Let’s Stick Together” (Wilbert Harrison) – 2:59 2. “Casanova” (Bryan Ferry) – 2:46 3. “Sea Breezes” (Bryan Ferry) – 6:11 4. “Shame, Shame, Shame” (Jimmy Reed) – 3:16 5. “2HB” (Bryan Ferry) – 3:14 6. “The Price of Love” (Don and Phil Everly) – 3:27 7. “Chance Meeting” (Bryan Ferry) – 3:15 8. “It’s Only Love” (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:49 9. “You Go to My Head” (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 2:42 10. “Re‑Make/Re‑Model” (Bryan Ferry) – 2:43
Production was handled by Ferry and Chris Thomas, with engineering by Steve Nye and John Punter. The sessions drew on Ferry’s Roxy Music circle—drummer Paul Thompson, synthesiser/violinist Eddie Jobson, guitarist Phil Manzanera on “Re‑Make/Re‑Model,” and bassist David O’List on “Chance Meeting”—and a broader studio ensemble that included bassists John Porter and John Gustafson, guitarists Chris Spedding and Neil Hubbard, and saxophonists Mel Collins and Chris Mercer.
Commercially, the album fared best outside the UK. It topped the charts in Australia and the Netherlands, and finished 1976 as the ninth‑best‑selling album in Australia. In the UK it peaked at No. 19 on the Albums Chart, while in the United States it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 160. The title single, released in June 1976 with “Sea Breezes” as the B‑side, entered the UK Singles Chart in July and remained for ten weeks.
Let’s Stick Together captures a pivotal moment in Ferry’s career. By re‑interpreting Roxy Music material with smoother, jazz‑ and R&B‑tinged arrangements and pairing those with standards and pop covers, the record illustrates his shift from band frontman to independent solo artist. The hybrid nature of the album—combining new recordings, older B‑sides, and an EP—offers a snapshot of Ferry’s work during the brief Roxy Music hiatus and foreshadows the mainstream pop sensibilities that would define later solo releases such as Boys and Girls (1985) and Taxi (1993). As of 2026, the album remains a reference point for scholars charting the evolution of Ferry’s musical identity.
