| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Frog in the Sand |
Posted - 06/17/2004 : 07:51:17
The Stranglers were one of my favorite bands back in the early 80s. I remember I then used to spend hours and hours listening to 'London Lady', 'Go Buddy Go', 'Hanging Around', 'Walk On By', 'Golden Brown', 'Strange Little Girl' or 'La Folie'. Then 'Feline' came out and... well, unlike most of the fans, I was a bit disappointed by this album. It sounded overproduced, too clean, too commercial to my ears. 'Aural Sculpture' and 'Dreamtime' were even more disappointing despite of their enjoyable melodies. When the leader / singer Hugh Cornwell left the band in 1990, I thought he was right and I decided to 'leave' them too.
Since then, I've never - say, almost never - heard of the Stranglers again. Until recently I actually thought they had split up. However, a couple of weeks ago I got a free copy of 'Norfolk Coast', their new album - their first one since 1998 -, produced by Mark Wallis (Go-Betweens, Travis). And guess what, it's good, unexpectedly good. Probably not the best album of '04, but a great album though - inventive, generous, really inspired. A nice way to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary and the drummer's 65th birthday!
Any other (ex-)Stranglers fans here ?
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Frog in the Sand |
Posted - 06/18/2004 : 09:52:50
Sure their music has always been better than their look...
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| BLT |
Posted - 06/18/2004 : 08:35:22
Here's something funny I bought from Stranglers Information Service circa 1981:
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| Frog in the Sand |
Posted - 06/18/2004 : 07:20:09
JJ Burnel is a nice guy. I remember I sent him an enthusiastic letter 20 years ago, just to tell him how much I enjoyed his music. I didn't really expect a reply but he actually responded personally, thanking me for my interest and support. (I think his French origins helped him to understand my English, which was really awful at the time.) His mail included autographs of all the band members - a favor I didn't even dare to ask for!
That said, I saw them play twice in the 80s and I must say I wasn't really impressed by their live performances....
I think my favorite Stranglers song is their cover of 'Walk On By'. I'd even say it's the best 6 minute-rock-song I've ever heard... The synth and guitar solos especially are fascinating.
For those who are interested, here's a recent review I found at http://www.stranglers.net/norfolkcoast.html -- I fully agree with its author:
OK, I'm biased. For years I idolised the Stranglers not believing their assertion there were No More Heroes. The "Men-In-Black" were always mine. For me, their unique sound pulsating with aural aggression and ambience, was second to none and live, they were simply driven, never failing to spark a riot - on one famous occasion in Nice, quite literally!
Then I saw them at Maine Road (supporting Simple Minds of all people) with a new line-up following the departure of lead singer and guitarist Hugh Cornwell. They were bloody awful; they looked jaded, sounded laboured and resembled a band, well past their sell-by-date. That was it for me, Stranglers RIP.
A couple of years ago, my interest was rekindled, following an interview I did with the Strang's karate-kicking bass player Jean Jacques Burnel (JJ). Out of curiosity, I went to see them live for old time's sake at Manchester University. All tension and energy seemingly restored, punctuated with some humourous stage antics, they appeared reborn.
Norfolk Coast continues the resurrection. It recaptures all that was great and good about the Strangs' potent chemistry of yester-decade and draws on their musical diversity. On the album's neck-hair lifting title track, JJ's juggernaut bass is back with a vengeance, as is Dave Greenfield's dizzily gyrating keyboards and the 'man-wall' Jet Black's alligator-snapping drums. There are shades of Iggy Pop in Paul Robert's towering lyrics, particularly evident in the growling chorus of the single, Big Thing Coming. This thunderous track sails upward on some vintage Greenfield keyboards lashed onward with Baz Warne's sinewy guitar. Long Black Veil is a classic Stranglers Goth-fest dipped in uneasy melancholy and rallying with a sing-a-long Spaghetti Western chorus. There are songs of real craft and wit here too. Sanfte Kuss (sic), for example, is a suave skiffle-polka affair marrying meandering Spanish guitar with lilting Eastern violin, while Into The Fire is a tongue-in-cheek romping celebration of the band's supposed reputation for wanton lechery, featuring the immortal line: "I need a woman like a stag needs a hat rack" - whatever that means. The album's uplifting close in All Mine finishes Norfolk Coast as it started - in spectacular style marking a phenomenal return to form for one of rock's most enduring and outspoken outfits. Hear it: the Men-In-Black are firmly back.
Ben Carlish, Feb. 04
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| BLT |
Posted - 06/17/2004 : 11:54:15
quote:
Originally posted by Carl
Did'nt they have a song called 'Men In Black', many years before FB?
On The Raven there was a song called 'Meninblack'. Then there was the album The Gospel According to the Meninblack, which contained a song called 'Waiting for the Meninblack'.
--edit--
Oh, and a B-side about the Pope called 'Man in White'. |
| bedrock_barney |
Posted - 06/17/2004 : 11:45:26
Top band. Some of their early albums are outstanding. A bit too smooth and poppy in the mid 80's though. Haven't heard the latest album.
Saw them live in about 1987 but the gig was not the greatest I've seen. It was at the Royal Centre in Nottingham which is a crappy venue. They seemed to be going through the motions at the time.
 "I've rejoined the Cult of Ming / Star of favourite childhood movie of 1980" |
| Carl |
Posted - 06/17/2004 : 11:41:02
'Golden Brown' is one of my fave songs ever. I wanna see the video again-it'd make me feel all warm and nostalgic! 'Strange Little Girl' is another cool song(Tori Amos covers that, by the way). And 'Peaches', which is used to good effect in the movie movie 'Sexy Beast'. I guess I only know there most famous stuff, like 'Always The Sun' and the aforementioned songs. Did'nt they have a song called 'Men In Black', many years before FB? |
| BLT |
Posted - 06/17/2004 : 11:25:05
I basically disowned them after Hugh left, though I've never stopped listening to the old albums. The first six LPs and all those great singles changed my life when I was a teen. A friend dragged me to see the post-Hugh lineup around '94 and I was horrified. Still I'll check out the new album on your recommendation.
My brush with the Stranglers... in '86 I went to the UK and was a part of the group who took a coach down to Nice to race bathtubs near the harbor at Cagnes-sur-Mer. What a blast that was! I wasn't actually in the boat but I helped paint it, and my photo appeared in Strangled magazine. I also got to meet JJ. |
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