I’m having a Stranglers binge tonight.
The Raven was a great album but not quite up there with Black and White which remains a constant theme in my life.
The first two albums had a mixture of absolutely brilliant tracks with a bit too much filler. I might be wrong, I might be right.
Your thoughts?
I have gone memories of The Stranglers. I used the B Side of Peaches as the theme for my one and only radio show in Loughborough. “Boogie now, Dave!” Loved the first two albums and saw them live pre-strippers. I think No More Heroes is best but the opener, as was often the case with them, is questionable
On “Black and White”, I have to deduct the band one point for being nasty and unkind about Sweden.
But but but…it’s one of my favourites of theirs…
I can confirm that whilst the clouds are indeed interesting in Sweden, it is, contrary to The Stranglers’ contention, not the only country where that is the case.
I had it on cassette as a teenager and for years I always assumed Hugh Cornwell had his head missing or it was some kind of statue.
a similar thing also came up somewhere recently concerning Swoon by Prefab Sprout – I’d always assumed for almost 40 years that it was sheep or cow’s skull on the front cover and never understood why. It isn’t btw
Black and White is I think their best. Each album has high points, but don’t always satisfy.
Live (X Cert) and The Singles Collection are must listens.
Recommended: 2021s Dark Matters
Rattus Norwegischs for me – perfect debut and their only 100% consistent album.
Rattus is the one, then basically daguerreotyped for No More Heroes. Then it was a wee gap to exotica like La Folie. Great band and still are, even if irrevocably less without Cornwell. Who is mostly pointless without them.
One of the very few rock bands where the standout player for me was the bassist.
That’s different to my perception. I always thought Dave Greenfield was their special one. If you think of their songs, there’s always a distinctive keyboard line lifting the song up.
Yes, DG (RIP) could really play some very complex lines. Whenever the Stranglers were described as part of the late punk scene, I wanted to say “Punk? Really? Have you heard Dave’s keyboard-playing?”
I have the first four albums and a compilation or two. This thread has made me want to hear them all again.
Punk by virtue of being there at the time an having the attitude. Probably cl9ser to Pub Rock than Punk (or at least what Punk is shorthand to).
How many Punk bands would release a 13/8 waltz time single?
And Hugh Cornwell was a hugely underrated guitarist.
I agree with you BC – only saw them live once and his keyboards were what drove them.
Rattus and Greatest hits for me
DG’s keyboards on Rattus closing epic Down In The Sewer are just great.
But the bass of JJB in the same song is even better, especially in the third and closing part, 6.28 onward….
JJ Burnell was definitely influential to me in terms of sound, technique and attitude but DG also had a distinctive sound. Love the sound of the earlier albums especially and as @rigid-digit says the last album Dark Matters was excellent. Ravenesque i reck
As mentioned in the Greatest Hits thread, “waltzinblack” is one of my all time favourite tracks.
As such I do have a soft spot for the “Gospel According to….” album, and whilst it does still stand up today, I don’t think of it as their out and out classic album.
It’s probably the “Collection 1977 – 1982” album that I play most.
@chrisf
Waltzinblack is going to be played at my funeral, when my coffin is brought in
It’s a good choice, but pipped for me by Ennio Morricone’s “Ecstasy Of Gold” played by Yo-Yo Ma
Looking forward to it.
Followed by KLF, Last Train to Transcentral.
Great band, the best of the bunch for me. The best album though is Live Xcerts and the best song Nice ‘n’ Sleazy. The Raven- apart from the title track – I struggle to remember any of it, and agree with Mosley about Rattus.
Stranglers are a band really I liked in the 1980s but a best of singles from the 1970s is enough for me.
They really were top notch at around this time – hitting their stride and at the top of their game. I thought this TOTP appearance was the epitome of cool at the time.