Stranglers Thread

[KingLouieLouie76]

I must begin another one here....

Please..Hugh..come back just for one gig, especially before we lose "Jet Black"!

[KingLouieLouie76]

I'm the only Stranglers fan on here? I know a couple of us have discussed them before...please let's show them more love..especially for Hugh as well!

[AdvertBreak]

No no, I like them! Great body of work. No More Heroes and Aural Sculpture are masterpieces.

[KingLouieLouie76]

No no, I like them! Great body of work. No More Heroes and Aural Sculpture are masterpieces.

I just love how their sound evolved, especially from "The Gospel According to the Meninblack" to "La folie". They just had such an expansive sound about them, but I must admit that I cannot get into anything since post-Hugh. I also must check out more of Hugh's solo efforts. Just unfortunate that they cannot reconcile their differences and do some reunion concert.

[Mallard No. 22]

Always liked them. I had most of their late 70s-early 80s albums and several singles, though I don't seem to have them now. More recently I bought their greatest hits on download.

They were as good as anybody else in 1977. They even sustained a pop/rock chart career until the end of the 80s. For whatever reason they never quite seem to have the kudos that The Jam, The Buzzcocks, The Clash or The Pistols have.

I don't know why, they were energetic and Hugh & Jean Jacques were no less prominent than e.g. Weller-Foxton or Shelley-Diggle. Albeit none of them were frontmen to the extent of John Lydon.

[KingLouieLouie76]

It just seems their inability to really break it here in the States doomed them and caused Hugh to depart. They never had their "Song 2" sorta speak that caused them to become more accessible. But true, they could have ultimately sold themselves out, but then again covering an obscure 60s song "96 Tears" with a rather humiliating video would not enable them to achieve those favorable results.

I just again love how they evolved more creatively...I think the Clash had a more simplistic style to begin with which allowed them to breakthrough here, but obviously there were several complex layers to the Strangers which makes their sound stand up better today than back then!

[Mallard No. 22]

Lack of USA success will have had a bearing. Unfortunately the later 80s was not a good time for new songs by New Wave-type acts.

The Stranglers were ending their chart run by covering old 60s hits, of which '96 Tears' was one.

[KingLouieLouie76]

Lack of USA success will have had a bearing. Unfortunately the later 80s was not a good time for new songs by New Wave-type acts.

The Stranglers were ending their chart run by covering old 60s hits, of which '96 Tears' was one.

Yeah, 1988 is when they did their very remarkable "All Day and All of the Night" cover! I'm stunned that "Golden Brown" did not break the charts here in the States whatsoever. "Always the Sun" should have as well, but the musical landscape was so watered down here...they were too ahead of their time to be appreciated here back then and quite honestly too sophisticated. I guess they didn't suit one genre here because that's how our radio stations are based here. Too format driven......

[Mallard No. 22]

They became more sophisticated over the years. Although they remained on the border straddling pop and rock.

They also retained leanings towards New Wave. In the mid 80s good songs like 'Skin Deep' and 'Always The Sun' sounded a bit anachronistic with their drum machine & synthesizer sounds.

[KingLouieLouie76]

They became more sophisticated over the years. Although they remained on the border straddling pop and rock.

They also retained leanings towards New Wave. In the mid 80s good songs like 'Skin Deep' and 'Always The Sun' sounded a bit anachronistic with their drum machine & synthesizer sounds.

I tend to agree with you, however, to me their music sounds better now than it did back then. They certainly at least to me were always ahead of their time and that is why they are being embraced now more than ever (not saying their post-Hugh related work either). But it seems newer legion of fans are discovering their earlier material.

[Mallard No. 22]

Those singles like 'Skin Deep', 'Always The Sun', 'Nice In Nice' and 'Big In America' would have fitted in better with the Britpop of the 90s.

[KingLouieLouie76]

Those singles like 'Skin Deep', 'Always The Sun', 'Nice In Nice' and 'Big In America' would have fitted in better with the Britpop of the 90s.

I agree and it's unfortunate that Hugh wasn't around when maybe there could have been some of a resurgence. I know some may like them w/Baz Warne, but now it's still not the Stranglers w/Jet Black's absence either.

[KingLouieLouie76]

I apologize to "bump-up" this older thread, but I've been listening to them a lot recently, mainly they mid-late 80s work. Just unfortunate they didn't generate the attention and acclaim they truly deserved. Looks like Hugh will never return, but I'm not completely losing hope either!

[Mallard No. 22]

Louie - I've been enjoying the Stranglers link you posted on this thread:

Anyways, this has been stuck in my head lately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpxWxXIpeEg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KingLouieLouie76]

Louie - I've been enjoying the Stranglers link you posted on this thread:

Anyways, this has been stuck in my head lately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpxWxXIpeEg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's awesome!...Glad you enjoy it!... In fact.. it even sounded better live! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzrciavctzQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Also, another gem off of 1984's "Aural Sculpture" is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGXzYshhhIU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;