Collection 1977-1982, The - Stranglers (The) > Reviews > Grabs You by the Throat and Doesn't Let Go!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	All the band's best known songs .
Disadvantages:	One poor track and lack of inlay content .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It seems I'm on a bit of a nostalgia trip where music is concerned right now. I'm in the midst of a personal punk revival, The Sex Pistols and Ramones being regular turns on the old CD player at the moment. With the ascendancy of bands such as the Futureheads and Maximo Park, where punk and new wave influences abound, the genres have begun to be of great interest to me again.

The Stranglers have made it onto my current playlist because perhaps of all the bands making waves in the late 70s/early 80s, their songs seem to inflitrate my memory more than any others. I don't remember their albums being played at home, and certainly don't remember ever seeing a performance by them, so I think it is a great legacy that their music seems to have left a lasting impression on me despite my probably only having heard the songs a few times on the radio during my early childhood. However, in listening to this early 'best of' collection, I have come to realise that the reason many of The Stranglers songs are so familiar is because they have been used so extensively in various advertising campaigns over the years. In fact I think I have heard 'Waltzin' Black' played on three or four programmes this week alone. If you think you're not familiar with the work of this band, you're probably mistaken, as many of the tracks on this album I knew well, but made no association with them being performed by this band.

A brief bit of history then. The Stranglers were formed in Guildford in 1974, although were originally a four piece known as Johnny Sox. At this time the band was made up of Hugh Cornwell (guitar and vocals), J J Burnel (bass and vocals), Jet Black (drums) and Hans Warmling (guitar). It was during this period that the band changed its name to The Stranglers reportedly due to the media coverage being given to the notorious 'Boston Strangler' serial killer. The band felt the name suited their 'menacing' sound. Shortly after, Hans Warmling left the group after becoming increasingly frustrated that no record deal was forthcoming. The band were joined by keyboard player and vocalist Dave Greenfield and they would remain with this line up for some 15 years until 1990 when Hugh Cornwell decided to quit. It was undoubtably in the arrival of Dave Greenfield and the keyboard addition that the band's unique sound began to develop and it wasn't long before they signed a recording contract with United Artisits. The bands future history is chequered, but since this collection of tracks only chronicles their work to 1982, I will not dwell on what was to come.

At 14 tracks long, this album covers the period of the Stranglers career for which they are probably best known. I do not intend to comment on every track on this album, but shall pick out the highlights. Indeed, almost every track on this album is, in my opinion, a winner - there are no particularly weak tracks included, which is testimony to quality of the material this band produced. Although never as critically acclaimed as their music might suggest they should have been, The Stranglers' music is perhaps better appreciated today than it was back in the 80s for the benefit of hindsight: they really should have been a much bigger band then than they were.

The album opens with the group's first single from 1977 (the year of my birth incidentally!) '(Get a) Grip (On Yourself) which is perhaps the most punk inspired track on the album. The whirling keyboard and horn section however, lifts this song into quite a different genre. It is in some ways reminiscent of '60s rock (probably due to the keyboard sound), but the horns are more identifiable with the ska and reggae bands that emerged in the early/mid eighties. Which doesn't sound so incongruous when compared to The Stranglers second single and track of this album, 'Peaches' (I would imagine most people know this song from a famous car advert a few years ago). It's a song about bottoms essentially, but apparently the orginal version contained reference to a much more intimate part of the female anatomy and was 'cleaned' up before release as the band knew the song would never receive radio air play! However, the track was still omitted from Radio One playlists, but managed to reach number 8 in the official chart.

Of course the track this band are probably most famous for is the fabulous 'Golden Brown'. The band should have perhaps been more concerned about this track receiving airplay, since it is so notoriously about heroin use. Somehow this rather obvious allusion went unnoticed by the controllers of the major radio and tv stations and the track reached number 2 in the chart. Comparing the music chart for the week ending 20th February 1982 (courtesy of the website www.yearsofgold.org.uk and its 'Remember When' section) you find 'Golden Brown' sandwiched between The Jam's 'A Town Called Malice' and Soft Cell's 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye' . Now, these tunes seem much more 'recent' to me, and 'Golden Brown' sticks out as being a much more 'mature' track. I don't associate it with the same era as these other tunes, and I think maybe this is because of the 'timelessness' of this track. I think it is a song that could be released as new today and it would still ride high in the charts for its unique, haunting quality. As great a tune as 'A Town Called Malice' is, I cannot imagine how it could keep a song of such magnitude as 'Golden Brown' from the top spot. And that is exactly what I mean by the benefit of hindsight - perhaps the Stranglers weren't really as appreciated even at their peak as they are today.

What these songs illustrate is the diversity of sounds in The Stranglers music. It is difficult to imagine how a song like 'Peaches' comes from the same band as 'Golden Brown'. And then there are tracks such as 'Waltzin Black' - perhaps one of the most haunting and bizarre pieces of music I've ever heard. I remember being played this song by my sister when I was quite young and being terrified yet intrigued by it all at once. It continues now to conjure up images of the haunted house and the ghost train ride at the fun fair because of the eery, laughing, ghost-like voices that dominate the latter part of this track and the tinkering musicbox sound. It is an experimental piece of music, but shows unbounded creativity as well as the shift in musical direction the band were moving circa 1980/81.

Other classics on this album are the power-charged 'Hangin Around' with it's famous bass intro, 'No More Heroes' in which JJ Burnel's vocals in a couple of places start to sound a little 'Johnny Rottenesque' taking the band right back to their punk routes, and the sublime 'Duchess (a cross between Blur's 'Jubilee' and Manic Street Preachers 'If You Tolerate This' if ever I heard one!! There are so many elements of so many other songs to be heard in this track, that it must have been influence for at least one of Blur's, the Manic's or Doves' tunes).

This collection also includes the group's cover of the Bacharach and David/Dionne Warwick classic, 'Walk on By'. This is an interesting version of such a popular and well-known song, and The Stranglers manage to totally re-invent it in their own unique way. The vocals add a sort of teenage angst that makes it a credible male take on a heartbreak song. The arrangement is experimental and verging on rock opera in its conclusion, which is lengthy and perhaps a little over the top, but again shows the band's diversity and musicianship.

This collection also includes the delectable 'Strange Little Girl', a track which shows the mellowing of the band as they head into the 80's. The keyboards again lend that menacing/haunting sound that is now so associated with the band, and it fits perfectly with the dark tone of the lyrics. This track is both moving and disappointing all at once however, as I am always left with the feeling that it wasn't as fully developed as it could have been. In fact the tune ends quite abruptly and spoils what should have otherwise been a modern classic.

The one low-point of this album is unfortunately the closing track, 'La Folie', a song narrated (as it cannot be described as singing!) entirely in French. It's also apparently about cannibalism! The track comes from the same era as 'Golden Brown' and 'Strange Little Girl' when the band were certainly trying out new sounds, but in places this track is just painful and probably the low-point of their career (it reached only number 42 in the UK chart and considering it was the follow up to 'Golden Brown', their biggest hit, perhaps 'La Folie' or a 'foolish' release indeed on their part!). It might have been better replaced on this album with another of their single releases, or omitted entirely.

One note on the album's inlay content. Basically this is none-existant, which for a 'best of' album is unusual, since there is nearly always a history and comment included. I think when this album was re-mastered and released on CD, a foreword by a band or record company associate might have been a useful addition.

In essence this is probably an essential purchase for anyone with as much as a passing interest in the music of The Stranglers. If you weren't so taken with them at the time, or think that you are not aware of much of their music, take a listen to this and you'll probably be suprised by how good the tracks now sound and how many you know.

The album runs at just over 55mins and is currently available for £4.99 from www.101cd.com.

Should you be interested in finding out more about the Stranglers, try visiting the band's official website 'The Rat's Lair' at www.stranglers.net for full band history, news, discographies and links to other sites of interest.

Thanks for reading.