Let's Stick Together

Let's Stick Together is a 1976 album by Bryan Ferry. His third solo release, it was his first following the disbandment of Roxy Music earlier in the year. Unlike Ferry’s two previous solo recordings, Let’s Stick Together was not a dedicated album project, instead being made up of material released as singles, B-sides and an EP. With a highly-popular title track, it had a generally favourable critical reception, but only just made the UK Top 20.

Five of the tracks on the album were remakes of Bryan Ferry songs previously recorded with Roxy Music. "Re-Make/Re-Model", "2HB", "Chance Meeting" and "Sea Breezes" were from the band's eponymously-titled debut album (1972), while "Casanova" was taken from Country Life (1974). In most cases the re-recordings were smoother and more oriented to jazz and R&B than the original Roxy Music versions.

The other six tracks on the album were covers by different artists. The sax-driven "Let's Stick Together" originally by Wilbert Harrison, is widely regarded as Ferry's signature tune, and a classic dancefloor-filler. It was remixed in 1988 for the compilation The Ultimate Collection. Other up-tempo numbers were The Everly Brothers' "The Price of Love" and Jimmy Reed's "Shame, Shame, Shame" (which includes a counter-vocal by the backing singers which quotes Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get A Witness"). The remaining covers, which included The Beatles' "It's Only Love", were performed in a mellow cabaret style.

"2HB" (a tribute to Humphrey Bogart) had been released as the B-side of Ferry's single "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" in September 1973. "Chance Meeting" was the B-side of "The 'In' Crowd" in May 1974. "You Go to My Head" b/w "Re-Make/Re-Model" had been released as a single in June 1975, making #33 in the UK charts. "Let’s Stick Together" b/w "Sea Breezes" was released in June 1976, making #4. The Extended Play EP, featuring "The Price of Love" and "Shame, Shame, Shame" b/w "Heart on My Sleeve" and "It’s Only Love", was released in August 1976, making #7. "Casanova", the only recording that had not been released in some other form prior to the album, was eventually issued as the B-side of Ferry’s cover of Lou Reed’s "What Goes On" in May 1978. The song "Let's Stick Together" was re-released in 1988 as "Let's Stick Together '88", making #12.

Various Roxy Music members were involved in the recordings, including Paul Thompson on drums, Eddie Jobson on violin and synthesizer, John Gustafson and John Porter on bass, and Phil Manzanera on guitar. Although Ferry’s then-fiancee Jerry Hall made an eye-catching appearance in tiger skin costume - complete with tail - on the title track's video clip, the song's famous yelps were performed by an unnamed member of the backing chorus (In an interview on UK BBC2 Graham Norton Show 16 October 2010 Jerry Hall claimed she performed the "yelps and hollers").