Album Club, February 2018: The Stranglers - 'Black and White'

[Album Club]

The Album Club choice for February comes courtesy of Ian (Ian7633) with The Stranglers' 'Black and White'. As always please listen to the album in its entirety before you comment and/or vote.

The Stranglers - 'Black and White'


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71enOEp1W8L._SL1426_.jpg


The album I've chosen for this months Album Club is Black and White by The Stranglers. It was released in 1978 hot on the heels of No More Heroes, a very tough act to follow. Initial impressions were not great, being compared to the previous album which was harder and had a much more rough feeling to it. However as the years passed Black and White was judged on it's own merits and was the first indications of the bands move away from their early punk sound to a more melodic feel, it still has plenty of grunt but the crashing bass of Jean Jaques Burnell and Dave Greenfields overpowering keyboards were toned down allowing Hugh Cornwall's guitar skills more to the fore.
The album that came after Black and White, The Raven (which I queued for hours for outside HMV just to get the 3D sleeve version), was very different, proving Black and White was a real stepping stone for the band.

The first track, Tank, has the familiar fast pace of older songs and the second track, Nice and sleazy, has a properly grimy feel to it. Outside Tokyo is totally different, almost whimsical. Sweden is a very musical track and on the later remastered version of the album the extra tracks include Sverige, Sweden sung in Swedish. Also in the extras is a rather different version of Walk on by, well worth a listen.

I hope you like this album, it's one of my favourites.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5PfI1x0Rub41UUeLEksUCU

[User211]

Guitar/keyboard on the 7 inch freebie giveaway white vinyl Walk On By is excellent.

Wonder if that's worth anything these days.

The album stops at Enough Time and digital editions therefore seem wrong.

[Ian7633]

Just in case the Spotify link isn't working properly try this one https://open.spotify.com/album/5PfI1x0Rub41UUeLEksUCU?si=G9RkDo7UTGGOONM1cvBc1w

[HackneyRF]

Great choice Ian. Black and White has been a go to album for me for as long as I can remember. This and The Raven represent The Stranglers twin creative peaks in my humble opinion. John Robb writes an interesting article that suggests Black and White paved the way for Post Punk to emerge. He might have a point!

http://louderthanwar.com/the-stranglers-black-and-white-was-the-first-post-punk-album/

Anyway, I'll give it a 10. One of my favourites. Thanks for the suggestion.

Cheers

Loz

[Johnny nocash]

22637

Top choice, gave me chance to show off my marble pressing. It's gonna get slapped on the deck now.
I think Greenfields keyboard is great throughout the album. Love nearly all the tracks but particularly 'Toiler on the sea'

[Johnny nocash]

Guitar/keyboard on the 7 inch freebie giveaway white vinyl Walk On By is excellent.

Wonder if that's worth anything these days.

The album stops at Enough Time and digital editions therefore seem wrong.

Agreed Justin.
Oh & let me know how much cos I've got that too! Just showing off again��

[Sand Dancin Donkey Walker]

Great choice there Ian, another reminder from my past that has not been played in a long time.
Enjoyed the history lesson in going through their other stuff.
I'll give them a 9/10

[User211]

Dave Greenfield's morse code keyboard on Enough Time spells out "Mother Earth We Are Fucked". Probably very true:D

I only gave it a 7, which is a bit mean, but it has a few duff tracks. The keyboard/synth on Sleazy gets 11/10 - what a fantastic sound played at 11.

I think their best album was Rattus, and that like the Clash, they were never able to beat their first effort.

[User211]

OK I've changed my mind. It is an 8.5 to 9.

Unrealistically harsh in the earlier post I felt ridden with guilt, hence this post:D

[Ian7633]

22637

Top choice, gave me chance to show off my marble pressing. It's gonna get slapped on the deck now.
I think Greenfields keyboard is great throughout the album. Love nearly all the tracks but particularly 'Toiler on the sea'

Never seen the marble pressing, I bet it's mega rare.

[Ian7633]

Dave Greenfield's morse code keyboard on Enough Time spells out "Mother Earth We Are Fucked". Probably very true:D

I only gave it a 7, which is a bit mean, but it has a few duff tracks. The keyboard/synth on Sleazy gets 11/10 - what a fantastic sound played at 11.

I think their best album was Rattus, and that like the Clash, they were never able to beat their first effort.

Love the Morse fact, I'm glad the BBC didn't suss that out or they would never have played any of it.
Rattus and No more heroes are really hard acts to follow, I think I wore out my first Heroes. I really like The Raven too, again one or two duffers but a great listen all the same and I've still got my 3D sleeve first press, although it's rather beyond playing now, surfaces like Olympic skating rinks :doh:

[Jimbo]

I would say about 8/10. Not their best. Raven and then the MIB stuff accelerated them to higher level. I saw this band so many times but really only thought they were at their best with Hugh at the helm.

[Ian7633]

I would say about 8/10. Not their best. Raven and then the MIB stuff accelerated them to higher level. I saw this band so many times but really only thought they were at their best with Hugh at the helm.

Agree that the Hugh era was the best. Another interesting listen is the Hugh Cornwall/Robert Williams album Nosferatu, way ahead of it's time IMHO.

[Pete The Cat]

Catching up here.

I've known the album since the cassette was on heavy rotation at school. Although I have the record and CD I've probably only listened to it a handful of times since, though. Having had a recent listen it still feels very transitional. To their credit they were trying to move on from punk and the consistently aggressive edge of the first two (excellent) albums, eg Outside Tokyo has a delicacy that the lads in the common room used to fast forward past. However it doesn't have a coherent identity so IMHO it's a blend of decent and meh. Nice & Sleazy still sounds gorgeously dirty though.

Since it wasn't on the original release I won't count the cover of Walk On By but it's quite fabulous and probably as good an indication as any of where they'd head in the medium term.

Good choice for an Album Club in prompting me to revisit it. 6/10 this time.

Pete

[Vinyl turner]

Well, too late to the show again !

I happened to be trawling through the posts and this album stood out. I wasn't a huge Stranglers fan but kinda liked them but had never bought a record of theirs.

All your comments caught my attention so I thought it would be worth a listen as I like to try new material.
I tracked down a copy at a local shop and gave both sides a spin.

I immediately liked it and obviously need some in-depth listening now to appreciate it more.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention and it will lead to a few more of their albums being bought.

PS - my best impulse buy (for a band I'd never heard previously) was Pat Metheney's ' American Garage' - I was in the 6th form and called in to HMV on my way way home. Heard one track and bought the album. For every success I often have many 'flops' but played that album to death :smoking: