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Not as accessable as their earlier works and was so experimental it kind of got overlooked. Has held up well with age and was well ahead of its time. I like it fine especially when I'm in an altered state!
I saw them at the Birmingham Odeon back in the mid 80s. Security allowed us on stage near the end of the show and I bumped into him while he was playing. I’m pretty tall and he had to look up at me. Luckily though he didn’t react. His look was pretty fearsome though
I've always loved The Gospel According To The Meninblack, then as now. It's an album that's unfairly misunderstood, perhaps because the Stranglers have partly changed their sound on this one, yet this 'technological' facade is just an illusion, as the overall sound isn't all that synthetic and altered, as you can hear the guitar very clearly and the sound on the drums isn't doctored on every track. If there is a change, it comes from the mix, which puts Burnel's bass much further back than usual (with the exception of "Just Like Nothing On Earth", in which the four-string is brought to the fore). For me, The Gospel According To The Meninblack is one of the Stranglers' must-haves, right up there with Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes, Black And White, The Raven and La folie. It's from Feline onwards that things start to go wrong, but that's another story!😉
I'm not keen on the lp ( & a non-believer in the Alien Visitations concept ) ...but genuinely surprised 'Thrown Away ' didn't do much better in the charts ....
In Aberdeen, on the Feline tour in the 80s, some punter made the mistake of getting onstage and dancing beside Burnel during No More Heroes. I remember the bass coming off, a violent commotion moving to offstage, and no more dancing punter. Nobody else clambered onstage after that...
Saw him wade out into various big crowds - leapt off the stage, elbowed through the crush, which parted like the Red Sea, and proceeded to sort a spitting heckler out, no problem.
I did see a bit of 'Stranglers retribution' once , after some gobbing by an ill informed audience member the' fan ' was hauled onstage where JJ & Hugh gave him a spanking , followed by an attempt to insert a banana .... the ex ? fan wasn't happy after the event & looked like he would square up ...but decided trying to get off the stage with what dignity was left being the best choice.
@@Rockstardust69 Well you would have to pay several hundred £s for a spanking & banana dessert in some clubs nowadays ! But seriously the spitting was one of the less enjoyable aspects around the punk scene.... Regarding the JJ/ Paul Simonon stand off - I think this may have been at the Ramones 2nd UK gig (5- July '76) as the previous evening the Clash made their 'official debut' supporting the Pistols in Sheffield . & I can't think of any dates they were on the same bill . (Though Joe Strummer did know Hugh quite well from his days playing pubs with 101ers ) Most of the 2 groups (& Sid Vicious) went to Ramones 2nd night & spent much of the day hanging around the venue ( there are photos of Paul & others with the Ramones outside the venue) - the Stranglers connection being they were the support band at the Roundhouse gigs .
10 дней назад
Remember him saying that he’d hit his shins with a wine bottle.
It's like marmite this album. You either hate it or love it. Personally, I think it's a work of genius, years ahead of it's time. The X-Files covered all the subject matter later and was lauded the world over. Just brilliant. It hangs together. Not perfect but not far off.
I'd agree with the journo's criticism of 'No More Heroes' - an lp rush released by UA with unreleased leftovers from the first lp & largely sold due to a couple of top rate 7"s .
Really enjoyed this, the Stranglers made three absolute classic albums. Rattus Norvegicus, Black and White, and The Raven. The rest are great albums. The band should be in the Rock and roll hall of fame, they are amazing.
when i was learning the drums....one album i used to play along to (just for basic timing etc) was rattus...fast forward a few decades and a bass player i worked with (folk background) said "oh no,not that shitty sound") i said nah mate,thats how a bass should sound angry and f**k you.i play bass now and my sound is just like jj's,i just love the attack and attitude of his sound...at 58 i can still say f**k you,thanks jj and the stranglers.
Alot of people don't like the Men in black Album, but l think it was the 5th one of the early best albums by the Stranglers after that l went off the Stranglers
I was at the Red Cow when JJ laid into Jon Savage. I was playing there with a band called The Soft Boys. (At the time we were on the same label as Elvis and Nick Lowe) We were setting up and Nick Lowe was about to buy a few of us a pint when it all kicked off. After things settled down we never did get that pint, slthough the gig wad a cracker.
Hallow to our Men... One of the best opening riffs ive heard but totally destroyed by the rest of the track 😂 Rattus is still my favourite album Raven is a close second.
Yeah ' the Raven ' seems to be liked by all ( even Sounds music mag gave it 5 stars !) & though it doesn't have many stand out individual songs they all seem to fit together & make it real listening experience.
When I bought the album in 1980 I didn't really know what to think, other than this was something that needed listening to over and over. The pre-digital production is unbelievable. I recall a critic at the time without a hint of irony bemoaning the fact that Dave's playing on Second Coming was out of tune! They had no idea how hard that was to do - yet alone replicate live. What a band. 8:24
When I bought the album in 1980 I didn't really know what to think, other than this was something that needed listening to over and over. The pre-digital production is unbelievable. I recall a critic at the time without a hint of irony bemoaning the fact that Dave's playing on Second Coming was out of tune! They had no idea how hard that was to do - yet alone replicate live. What a band.
I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a masterpiece. But it's good to very good weird and interesting pop and it should have been hailed as so when it was released. Instead, it was savaged by critics. Morons... I personally love it.
Hey Brother, I like your style, research and your honest opinion, you're a fan, I agree that swirl sway motion of Robbie's playing, and I agree, Jimmy is Jimmy and Robbie is Robbie..onya mate Kev Sydney Australia
