The Stranglers
Encyclopedia
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.
Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s. Beginning life as the Guildford Stranglers on 11 September 1974 in Guildford
, Surrey
, they originally built a following within the mid-'70s pub rock
scene. While their aggressive, no-compromise attitude identified them as one of the instigators of the UK punk rock
scene that followed, their idiosyncratic approach rarely followed any single musical genre and the group went on to explore a variety of musical styles, from new wave
, art rock
and gothic rock
through to the sophisticated pop of some of their 1980s output.
They had major mainstream success with their single "Golden Brown
". Their other hits include "No More Heroes
", "Peaches", "Always the Sun
", "Skin Deep
".
The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel
's melodic bass, but also gave prominence to Dave Greenfield
's keyboards at a time when the instrument was seen as unfashionable. Their early music was also characterised by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic
lyrics of both Jean-Jacques Burnel
and Hugh Cornwell
. Over time, their output gradually grew more refined and sophisticated. Summing up their contribution to popular music, critic Dave Thompson would later write: "From bad-mannered yobs
to purveyors of supreme pop delicacies, the group was responsible for music that may have been ugly and might have been crude – but it was never, ever boring."
(real name Brian Duffy). Other original personnel were bass player/vocalist Jean Jacques Burnel, guitarist/vocalist Hugh Cornwell
and keyboardist/guitarist Hans Wärmling
, who was replaced by keyboardist Dave Greenfield
within a year. None of the band came from Guildford – Black is from Ilford
, Burnel from Notting Hill
, Cornwell from Kentish Town
and Greenfield from Brighton
, while Wärmling came from Sweden and returned there after leaving the band.
Cornwell had been a blues
musician prior to forming the band and had briefly been a bandmate of Richard Thompson, Burnel had been a classical guitarist who had performed with symphony orchestras, Jet Black was a former jazz drummer, and Dave Greenfield had played at military bases in Germany. Their early influences included pre-punk psychedelic rock
bands, such as The Doors
, and The Music Machine
.
From 1976 the Stranglers became associated with the burgeoning punk rock movement, due in part to their opening for the first British tours of American punks The Ramones and Patti Smith
. Notwithstanding this association, some of the movement's champions in the British musical press viewed the band with suspicion on account of their age and musical virtuosity and the intellectual bent of some of their lyrics. However, Burnel was quoted saying, "I thought of myself as part of punk at the time because we were inhabiting the same flora and fauna ... I would like to think The Stranglers were more punk plus and then some."
The band's early albums, Rattus Norvegicus
, No More Heroes and Black and White
were highly successful with the record-buying public and singles such as "Peaches", "Something Better Change" and "No More Heroes" became instant punk classics. Meanwhile, the band received a mixed reception from some critics because of their apparent sexist and racist innuendo. Nevertheless, Dave Thompson wrote that "the Stranglers themselves revelled in an almost Monty Python
-esque grasp of absurd
ity (and, in particular, the absurdities of modern 'men's talk')."
These albums went on to build a strong fan-following, but the group's confrontational attitude toward the press was increasingly problematic and triggered a severe backlash when Burnel, a martial arts enthusiast, punched music journalist Jon Savage
during a promotional event.
During their 1978 appearance at the University of Surrey
on the BBC TV programme Rock Goes To College
, the group walked off stage because an agreement to make tickets available to non-university students had not been honoured. In February 1978 the Stranglers began a mini-tour, playing three secret pub gigs as a thank-you to those venues and their landlords for their support during the band's rise to success. The first took place at The Duke of Lancaster in New Barnet
on Valentine's Day, with further performances at The Red Cow, Hammersmith
and The Nashville Rooms, West Kensington
in early September of the same year.
In the later half of the 1970s, The Stranglers toured Japan a couple of times, joining the alternative music scene of Tokyo, which was evolving from the punk sound of Kyoto based band 村八分 (Ostracism), whose music influence spread to Tokyo in 1971. The Stranglers were the only foreign band to take part in a landmark scene focussed around S-KEN Studio in Roppongi
, and The Loft venues in Shinjuku and Shimokitazawa
from 1977 to 1979. The scene included bands such as Friction
, and they became friends with the band, Red Lizard, who they invited back to London, where the band became known as Lizard. In 1979, while still in Japan, Burnel also became close friends with Keith, co-founder and drummer for ARB
. At the end of 1983, ARB's bassist was imprisoned, leaving the band with a problem for their forthcoming tour. Burnel took time out from The Stranglers to fly out to Japan at short notice and join ARB to cover the tour, including appearing at the 'All Japan Rock Festival' at Hibaya park, becoming the first non-Japanese to ever appear at the festival. JJ toured with ARB
for 5 weeks and played on two studio tracks, "Yellow Blood" and "Fight it Out", both of which appeared on the RCA Victor ARB
album "Yellow Blood".
) backed by a small UK tour and Cornwell recorded a collaboration album with Robert Williams
(Nosferatu). Later that year the Stranglers then released The Raven, which heralded a transition towards a more melodic and complex sound which appealed more to the album- than the singles market. The songs on The Raven are multi-layered and musically complicated, and deal with such subjects as a Viking
's lonely voyage, heroin addiction, genetic engineering, contemporary political events in Iran and Australia and extraterrestrial visitors, "The Meninblack". The Raven was not released in the U.S.; instead a compilation album The Stranglers IV
was released in 1980, containing a selection of tracks from The Raven and a mix of earlier and later non-album tracks. The Raven sold well, reaching No.4 in the UK Albums Chart
, although it is believed it could have made No.1 but for an error in the chart. The Police
hit No.1 despite their album not yet being released, leading to controversy that the Police album was mis-credited with sales of The Raven. The Raven spawned one top 20 single, "Duchess", with "Nuclear Device" reaching No.36 and the EP
"Don't Bring Harry" reaching No.41. This was followed by a non-album single, "Bear Cage", backed with "Shah Shah a Go Go" from The Raven. A 12-inch single, the band's first, containing extended mixes of both tracks was also released, but "Bear Cage" also only managed No.36 in the charts.
Following the success of The Stranglers' previous four albums they were given complete freedom for their next, The Gospel According to The Meninblack
, a concept album
exploring religion and the supposed connection between religious phenomena and extraterrestrial visitors. It was preceded by a single "Who Wants the World", which didn't appear on the album, and only just made the top 40. The Gospel According to The Meninblack was very different from their earlier work and alienated many fans. It peaked on the UK albums chart at No.8, their lowest placing to date, and in 1981 was widely considered an artistic and commercial failure. The track "Two Sunspots" had been recorded during the Black And White sessions in 1978, but was shelved until 1980 when it was rediscovered and placed on The Gospel According To The Meninblack. The "Meninblack" track from The Raven is the "Two Sunspots" soundtrack slowed down.
After a slow start, the Stranglers recovered their commercial and critical status with La Folie
(1981) which was another concept album, this time exploring the subject of love. At first La Folie charted lower than any other Stranglers studio album, and the first single taken from it, "Let Me Introduce You to the Family", only charted at No.42. However, the next single was "Golden Brown
". This evocative waltz-time ballad, with an extra beat in the fourth bar, was considered by some to have been written about heroin, although this has been consistently denied by the band. It became their biggest hit, charting at No.2 in the UK Singles Chart
. It remains a radio staple to this day. Following this success, La Folie recharted at No.11 in the UK albums chart. "Tramp
" was originally thought to be the ideal follow-up single to "Golden Brown"; however "La Folie" was chosen after Burnel convinced his bandmates of its potential. Sung in French, it received negligible airplay and charted at No.47. Shortly afterwards the Stranglers left EMI. As part of their severance deal, The Stranglers were forced to release a greatest hits collection, The Collection 1977–1982. The tracklisting for The Collection 1977–1982 included the new single "Strange Little Girl
", which had originally been recorded on a demo in '74 and rejected by EMI. It became a hit, charting at No.7 in July 1982.
was the most likely choice but Epic Records
made a last minute offer and secured the Stranglers' services. The Stranglers once again had complete artistic freedom and in 1983 released their first album for Epic, Feline
, which included the UK #9 hit "European Female". The album was another change in musical direction, this time influenced by European music. It was the first Stranglers album to feature acoustic guitars, and it was on this album that Jet Black began to use electronic drum kits. It gained much critical success but fell well short of La Folie in terms of sales and failed to produce another hit after "European Female". Nonetheless Feline broke the Stranglers in Europe and reached No.4 in the UK chart in January 1983 (their last studio album to break the UK Top 10).
1984 saw the release of Aural Sculpture
which consolidated the band's success in Europe and established them in Oceania. It included the UK No.15 hit "Skin Deep" (which also reached No.11 in Australia and No. 19 in New-Zealand, and Top 30 in the Netherlands). This was their first album to feature the three-piece horn-section which was retained in all their subsequent albums and live performances until Hugh Cornwell's departure in 1990. Aural Sculpture was only a moderate success in the UK album charts, peaking at No.14 in November 1984.
Their 1986 album, Dreamtime
, dealt with environmental concerns among other issues. Its signature track, and another radio staple for many years to come, was "Always the Sun
" (a No.15 hit in France and No.16 hit in Ireland, No.21 in Australia, No.30 in the UK, and No.42 in the Netherlands). The only Stranglers album to chart in the U.S., Dreamtime was again only a moderate hit in the UK, reaching No. 16 in November 1986.
The Stranglers' final album with Cornwell, 10
, was released in 1990. This was recorded with the intention of building on their "cult" status in America. Following the success of their cover of The Kinks
' "All Day And All Of The Night
", a UK #7 hit in 1988, The Stranglers released another '60s cover, "96 Tears
" as their first single from 10; it reached #17 in the UK. Despite this success, the follow-up single "Sweet Smell Of Success" only reached No.65. "Man of the Earth", which the band had high hopes for, was due to be the third single from the album, however Epic Records decided against it when The Stranglers failed to secure a tour in America. Since 10 was recorded with the intention of breaking America, this was a major blow.
, who had had a long-standing association with the band. He had opened for them in the 1970s as a member of The Vibrators
, filled in for Cornwell during his time in prison for drug possession in 1980, worked with Burnel and Greenfield in their side-project Purple Helmets, and been added to the Stranglers' line-up as a touring guitarist a short time before Cornwell's departure. Burnel and Ellis briefly took over vocal duties (for one television appearance on The Word
) before enlisting Paul Roberts, who sang on most songs live, even those originally sung by Burnel. This line-up recorded four albums: Stranglers In the Night
(1992), About Time
(1995), Written in Red
(1997) and Coup de Grace (1998).
, was recruited.
The Stranglers achieved something of a critical and popular renaissance in 2004 with the acclaimed Norfolk Coast album and a subsequent sell-out tour, together with their first Top-40 hit (#31 UK) in fourteen years, "Big Thing Coming".
In May 2006, Roberts left the band, and The Stranglers were now back to a four-piece line-up: Burnel, Black, Greenfield and Warne, with the lead vocals shared between Warne and Burnel. In concert, Burnel returned to singing the songs he originally recorded as lead vocalist, and Warne sang the numbers originally led by Hugh Cornwell.
Suite XVI
, the follow-up album to Norfolk Coast, was released in September 2006 (the title is a pun on "Sweet 16" and also a reference to the fact that it was the band's sixteenth studio album) and continued the band's resurgence. Although partly a return to the band's heavier punk roots, the album featured a typically idiosyncratic mixture of musical styles which included a country and western style Johnny Cash pastiche/homage "I Hate You".
In 2007 it was reported that drummer Black was suffering from atrial fibrillation
, an ailment which subsequently forced him to miss a number of shows, particularly where extended travel was required. On such occasions Ian Barnard, Black's drum technician, deputised.
On 4 November 2007, the band (with Black) played a sell-out gig at the Roundhouse in Camden
, North London, marking the thirtieth anniversary of their headline run at the same venue in 1977. The set list was the same as the 1977 concert, with the addition of a couple of more recent songs as a final encore. The event is recorded on the DVD Rattus at the Roundhouse.
In mid 2008, The Stranglers played various major festivals around Europe. Barnard again filled in for Black at several gigs while Black continued his recuperation. However, Black was back with the band for their UK tour later in the year.
In 2008, Jean-Jacques Burnel has made comments in interviews which indicate that the band could be heading into semi-retirement after the completion of their European tour in 2009.
He said: "Our drummer Jet Black is 70 now. It blows me away, the fact that he continues to play 90-minute sets. He's been unwell a couple of times and his drum tech has stood in at a few festivals, but if he was permanently out, well, I don't know what I'd do, actually. We could still record, but this is our last big tour, I think.
"I think all things have to come to an end at some point, although we'll do one more album. I would love to think it will be the most beautiful album we've done."
In 2009 the band played at the biggest open-air festival in Europe (400.000 - 500.000 rock fans every year) - Przystanek Woodstock
in Poland
from The Midlands.
A new double CD compilation album
, Decades Apart, containing a selection of tracks from the full career of the band, including at least one from each of their sixteen studio albums and two new tracks, "Retro Rockets" and "I Don't See the World Like You Do" was released in February. The download version of Decades Apart included an unreleased recording from 1978, "Wasting Time", inspired by the band's 'Rock Goes To College' experience earlier that year; this track, originally titled "Social Secs" was never released, and the music ended up being reversed and released as "Yellowcake UF6", the B-side to "Nuclear Device" in 1979.
Across the summer the band played a number of festivals, including Weyfest
and Glastonbury
and T in the Park
in the UK and Oxegen 2010
in Ireland, and concerts in Japan, Greece, Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
The band also released a new live album and DVD, recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo
in May 2010, and are recording further tracks for their next studio album, likely to be released early in 2011.
In March 2011, the band completed another UK tour. Burnel's long term friend, Wilko Johnson
, was invited to bring The Wilko Johnson band on the tour. In April, the band began touring Europe, with many gigs and major festivals lined up for the entire year.
In the late 1980s, the Stranglers regularly featured a 3-piece brass section in their live line-up.
" was covered by Violent Femmes
and used for the film Mystery Men
. It also featured on the first episode of the BBC
series Ashes to Ashes
, while "Peaches" appeared in Sexy Beast
by director Jonathan Glazer
. "Golden Brown
" featured in Guy Ritchie
's film Snatch
and was used extensively in the Australian film He Died With A Felafel In His Hand
. Tori Amos
covered "Strange Little Girl
" on her 2001 Strange Little Girls
album.
Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s. Beginning life as the Guildford Stranglers on 11 September 1974 in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, they originally built a following within the mid-'70s pub rock
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
scene. While their aggressive, no-compromise attitude identified them as one of the instigators of the UK punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene that followed, their idiosyncratic approach rarely followed any single musical genre and the group went on to explore a variety of musical styles, from new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
and gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
through to the sophisticated pop of some of their 1980s output.
They had major mainstream success with their single "Golden Brown
Golden Brown
"Golden Brown" is a song by the English rock band The Stranglers. It was released as a 7" single in December 1981 in the US and in January 1982 in the UK, on Liberty...
". Their other hits include "No More Heroes
No More Heroes (The Stranglers song)
No More Heroes is a single by The Stranglers from the same-named album No More Heroes. It is one of the Stranglers' most successful singles , peaking at #8 in the Official UK Top 40 charts...
", "Peaches", "Always the Sun
Always the Sun
"Always the Sun" is a song by The Stranglers, first released as a single in October 1986, the second single from the album Dreamtime. A remixed version was released as a single in December 1990...
", "Skin Deep
Aural Sculpture
Aural Sculpture is an album recorded by The Stranglers. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline album in 1983...
".
The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel
Jean-Jacques Burnel
J. J. Burnel , is a Franco-English musician producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist with the British rock band The Stranglers.-Life and career:...
's melodic bass, but also gave prominence to Dave Greenfield
Dave Greenfield
Dave Greenfield is the keyboard player with English rock band, The Stranglers.-Biography:He is noted for his trademark style of playing rapid arpeggios...
's keyboards at a time when the instrument was seen as unfashionable. Their early music was also characterised by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
lyrics of both Jean-Jacques Burnel
Jean-Jacques Burnel
J. J. Burnel , is a Franco-English musician producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist with the British rock band The Stranglers.-Life and career:...
and Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
. Over time, their output gradually grew more refined and sophisticated. Summing up their contribution to popular music, critic Dave Thompson would later write: "From bad-mannered yobs
Yobbo
Yobbo or yob is a slang term for an uncouth or thuggish working-class person. The word derives from a back slang reading of the word "boy" .-Britain:Dr. C. T...
to purveyors of supreme pop delicacies, the group was responsible for music that may have been ugly and might have been crude – but it was never, ever boring."
Formation and mainstream success (1974–1979)
The group was originally called The Guildford Stranglers, and operated out of The Jackpot, a Guildford off-licence run by their drummer Jet BlackJet Black
Jet Black is an English drummer and founder member of punk rock / new wave band The Stranglers.-Early years:...
(real name Brian Duffy). Other original personnel were bass player/vocalist Jean Jacques Burnel, guitarist/vocalist Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
and keyboardist/guitarist Hans Wärmling
Hans Wärmling
Hans Wärmling was a Swedish musician and songwriter, and was a founding member and keyboardist of the British rock band, The Stranglers. His most notable achievement was as co-writer of the 1982 UK Top 40 release "Strange Little Girl"...
, who was replaced by keyboardist Dave Greenfield
Dave Greenfield
Dave Greenfield is the keyboard player with English rock band, The Stranglers.-Biography:He is noted for his trademark style of playing rapid arpeggios...
within a year. None of the band came from Guildford – Black is from Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, Burnel from Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, Cornwell from Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
and Greenfield from Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, while Wärmling came from Sweden and returned there after leaving the band.
Cornwell had been a blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician prior to forming the band and had briefly been a bandmate of Richard Thompson, Burnel had been a classical guitarist who had performed with symphony orchestras, Jet Black was a former jazz drummer, and Dave Greenfield had played at military bases in Germany. Their early influences included pre-punk psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
bands, such as The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, and The Music Machine
The Music Machine
The Music Machine was an American garage rock and psychedelic band from the late 1960s, headed by singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell and based in Los Angeles. The band sound was often defined by fuzzy guitars and a Farfisa organ...
.
From 1976 the Stranglers became associated with the burgeoning punk rock movement, due in part to their opening for the first British tours of American punks The Ramones and Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
. Notwithstanding this association, some of the movement's champions in the British musical press viewed the band with suspicion on account of their age and musical virtuosity and the intellectual bent of some of their lyrics. However, Burnel was quoted saying, "I thought of myself as part of punk at the time because we were inhabiting the same flora and fauna ... I would like to think The Stranglers were more punk plus and then some."
The band's early albums, Rattus Norvegicus
Rattus Norvegicus (album)
Rattus Norvegicus is the first studio album by The Stranglers, released on 17 April 1977. The album was originally to be entitled "Dead on Arrival" but was changed at the last minute...
, No More Heroes and Black and White
Black and White (The Stranglers album)
Black and White is The Stranglers third studio album and was recorded within 18 months of their debut Rattus Norvegicus. Produced by Martin Rushent and engineered by Alan Winstanley, the album is divided into the Black side and White side, each nominally characterised by the style and mood of the...
were highly successful with the record-buying public and singles such as "Peaches", "Something Better Change" and "No More Heroes" became instant punk classics. Meanwhile, the band received a mixed reception from some critics because of their apparent sexist and racist innuendo. Nevertheless, Dave Thompson wrote that "the Stranglers themselves revelled in an almost Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
-esque grasp of absurd
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
ity (and, in particular, the absurdities of modern 'men's talk')."
These albums went on to build a strong fan-following, but the group's confrontational attitude toward the press was increasingly problematic and triggered a severe backlash when Burnel, a martial arts enthusiast, punched music journalist Jon Savage
Jon Savage
Jon Savage , real name Jonathon Sage, is a Cambridge-educated writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his award winning history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, England's Dreaming, published in 1991.-Career:...
during a promotional event.
During their 1978 appearance at the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
on the BBC TV programme Rock Goes To College
Rock goes to College
Rock Goes To College was a BBC series that ran between 1978 and 1981 on British television. A variety of up-coming rock oriented bands were showcased live from small venues and broadcast simultaneously on television and radio during a 40-50 minute live performance.It was a follow-on to the...
, the group walked off stage because an agreement to make tickets available to non-university students had not been honoured. In February 1978 the Stranglers began a mini-tour, playing three secret pub gigs as a thank-you to those venues and their landlords for their support during the band's rise to success. The first took place at The Duke of Lancaster in New Barnet
New Barnet
New Barnet is an area within the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb, close to the M25, A1 and M1.-History:...
on Valentine's Day, with further performances at The Red Cow, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
and The Nashville Rooms, West Kensington
West Kensington
- Commercial/education :Local business consists of small shops, offices and restaurants, with the Olympia Exhibition Centre nearby. Indeed, it is the mix of local shops that give the area its character....
in early September of the same year.
In the later half of the 1970s, The Stranglers toured Japan a couple of times, joining the alternative music scene of Tokyo, which was evolving from the punk sound of Kyoto based band 村八分 (Ostracism), whose music influence spread to Tokyo in 1971. The Stranglers were the only foreign band to take part in a landmark scene focussed around S-KEN Studio in Roppongi
Roppongi
is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous as home to the rich Roppongi Hills area and an active night club scene. Many foreign embassies are located in Roppongi, and the night life is popular with locals and foreigners alike...
, and The Loft venues in Shinjuku and Shimokitazawa
Shimokitazawa
is a neighborhood in Setagaya, Tokyo. It consists of the neighborhood immediately surrounding Shimo-Kitazawa Station, where the Odakyū and Keiō Inokashira Lines intersect. Also known as "Shimokita", the district is a center for stage theater and live music venues. It is home to the historic Honda...
from 1977 to 1979. The scene included bands such as Friction
Friction (band)
Friction is an influential rock band from Japan, formed in 1978. They originally began in 1971 under the name Circle Triangle Square, and are considered to be one of the pioneers of Japan's alternative rock scene.-History:...
, and they became friends with the band, Red Lizard, who they invited back to London, where the band became known as Lizard. In 1979, while still in Japan, Burnel also became close friends with Keith, co-founder and drummer for ARB
Arb (band)
ARB is a Japanese rock band formed in 1978. Its members are Ryo Ishibashi, Koya Naito, Ebi, and Keith.-Singles:* 'Norainu' * 'Wild lowteen girl' * 'Tamashii Kogashite'...
. At the end of 1983, ARB's bassist was imprisoned, leaving the band with a problem for their forthcoming tour. Burnel took time out from The Stranglers to fly out to Japan at short notice and join ARB to cover the tour, including appearing at the 'All Japan Rock Festival' at Hibaya park, becoming the first non-Japanese to ever appear at the festival. JJ toured with ARB
Arb (band)
ARB is a Japanese rock band formed in 1978. Its members are Ryo Ishibashi, Koya Naito, Ebi, and Keith.-Singles:* 'Norainu' * 'Wild lowteen girl' * 'Tamashii Kogashite'...
for 5 weeks and played on two studio tracks, "Yellow Blood" and "Fight it Out", both of which appeared on the RCA Victor ARB
Arb (band)
ARB is a Japanese rock band formed in 1978. Its members are Ryo Ishibashi, Koya Naito, Ebi, and Keith.-Singles:* 'Norainu' * 'Wild lowteen girl' * 'Tamashii Kogashite'...
album "Yellow Blood".
Second phase (1979–1982)
In 1979, one of the Stranglers' two managers advised them to break up as he felt that the band had lost direction, but this idea was dismissed and they parted company with their then current management team. Meanwhile Burnel released an experimental solo album (Euroman ComethEuroman Cometh
Euroman Cometh is the 1979 debut solo album by The Stranglers' bassist J. J. Burnel.Guest musicians were Peter Howells of The Drones , track 9 featured Brian James of The Damned , Lew Lewis and Carey Fortune of Chelsea...
) backed by a small UK tour and Cornwell recorded a collaboration album with Robert Williams
Robert Williams (drummer)
Robert Williams is a drummer and solo artist who has worked with Captain Beefheart, Hugh Cornwell, John Lydon and Zoogz Rift as well as recording solo.His albums include:*Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band:...
(Nosferatu). Later that year the Stranglers then released The Raven, which heralded a transition towards a more melodic and complex sound which appealed more to the album- than the singles market. The songs on The Raven are multi-layered and musically complicated, and deal with such subjects as a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
's lonely voyage, heroin addiction, genetic engineering, contemporary political events in Iran and Australia and extraterrestrial visitors, "The Meninblack". The Raven was not released in the U.S.; instead a compilation album The Stranglers IV
The Stranglers IV
IV is an album by The Stranglers, released in 1980 on IRS and only available in the US and Canada.The Stranglers previous album, The Raven, had not been released in the US. IV contained, on side one, a selection of tracks from The Raven...
was released in 1980, containing a selection of tracks from The Raven and a mix of earlier and later non-album tracks. The Raven sold well, reaching No.4 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, although it is believed it could have made No.1 but for an error in the chart. The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
hit No.1 despite their album not yet being released, leading to controversy that the Police album was mis-credited with sales of The Raven. The Raven spawned one top 20 single, "Duchess", with "Nuclear Device" reaching No.36 and the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
"Don't Bring Harry" reaching No.41. This was followed by a non-album single, "Bear Cage", backed with "Shah Shah a Go Go" from The Raven. A 12-inch single, the band's first, containing extended mixes of both tracks was also released, but "Bear Cage" also only managed No.36 in the charts.
Following the success of The Stranglers' previous four albums they were given complete freedom for their next, The Gospel According to The Meninblack
The Gospel According to the Meninblack
The Gospel According to The Meninblack is an esoteric concept album made by The Stranglers and released in 1981. The album deals with conspiratorial ideas surrounding alien visitations to Earth, the sinister governmental Men in Black, and the involvement of these elements in well-known biblical...
, a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
exploring religion and the supposed connection between religious phenomena and extraterrestrial visitors. It was preceded by a single "Who Wants the World", which didn't appear on the album, and only just made the top 40. The Gospel According to The Meninblack was very different from their earlier work and alienated many fans. It peaked on the UK albums chart at No.8, their lowest placing to date, and in 1981 was widely considered an artistic and commercial failure. The track "Two Sunspots" had been recorded during the Black And White sessions in 1978, but was shelved until 1980 when it was rediscovered and placed on The Gospel According To The Meninblack. The "Meninblack" track from The Raven is the "Two Sunspots" soundtrack slowed down.
After a slow start, the Stranglers recovered their commercial and critical status with La Folie
La Folie (album)
La Folie is an album by The Stranglers, recorded and released in 1981.The Stranglers had initially been the most commercially successful band of the punk/new-wave period in Britain, but by 1981, their success had waned noticeably. The La Folie album was a conscious attempt to deliver a more...
(1981) which was another concept album, this time exploring the subject of love. At first La Folie charted lower than any other Stranglers studio album, and the first single taken from it, "Let Me Introduce You to the Family", only charted at No.42. However, the next single was "Golden Brown
Golden Brown
"Golden Brown" is a song by the English rock band The Stranglers. It was released as a 7" single in December 1981 in the US and in January 1982 in the UK, on Liberty...
". This evocative waltz-time ballad, with an extra beat in the fourth bar, was considered by some to have been written about heroin, although this has been consistently denied by the band. It became their biggest hit, charting at No.2 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It remains a radio staple to this day. Following this success, La Folie recharted at No.11 in the UK albums chart. "Tramp
Tramp (Stranglers song)
"Tramp" is a song included as a track on the Stranglers sixth studio album La Folie. "Tramp" was originally thought to be the ideal followup single to the massive hit "Golden Brown". However Jean Jacques Burnel convinced fellow band members that the track "La Folie" was a much better choice. This...
" was originally thought to be the ideal follow-up single to "Golden Brown"; however "La Folie" was chosen after Burnel convinced his bandmates of its potential. Sung in French, it received negligible airplay and charted at No.47. Shortly afterwards the Stranglers left EMI. As part of their severance deal, The Stranglers were forced to release a greatest hits collection, The Collection 1977–1982. The tracklisting for The Collection 1977–1982 included the new single "Strange Little Girl
Strange Little Girl
"Strange Little Girl" by The Stranglers was released in the UK in 1982 as their last single while signed to Liberty Records . By the time of release, the band had already decided to leave the label for Epic Records, and this last single was part of the severance deal, along with the compilation...
", which had originally been recorded on a demo in '74 and rejected by EMI. It became a hit, charting at No.7 in July 1982.
New label and sound (1983–1990)
Following the Stranglers' return to commercial success, many record companies lined up to sign them. Virgin RecordsVirgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
was the most likely choice but Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
made a last minute offer and secured the Stranglers' services. The Stranglers once again had complete artistic freedom and in 1983 released their first album for Epic, Feline
Feline (album)
Feline was the seventh studio album by The Stranglers and was released in the new year of 1983 . The first edition came with a free one-sided 7" single "Aural Sculpture Manifesto"...
, which included the UK #9 hit "European Female". The album was another change in musical direction, this time influenced by European music. It was the first Stranglers album to feature acoustic guitars, and it was on this album that Jet Black began to use electronic drum kits. It gained much critical success but fell well short of La Folie in terms of sales and failed to produce another hit after "European Female". Nonetheless Feline broke the Stranglers in Europe and reached No.4 in the UK chart in January 1983 (their last studio album to break the UK Top 10).
1984 saw the release of Aural Sculpture
Aural Sculpture
Aural Sculpture is an album recorded by The Stranglers. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline album in 1983...
which consolidated the band's success in Europe and established them in Oceania. It included the UK No.15 hit "Skin Deep" (which also reached No.11 in Australia and No. 19 in New-Zealand, and Top 30 in the Netherlands). This was their first album to feature the three-piece horn-section which was retained in all their subsequent albums and live performances until Hugh Cornwell's departure in 1990. Aural Sculpture was only a moderate success in the UK album charts, peaking at No.14 in November 1984.
Their 1986 album, Dreamtime
Dreamtime (The Stranglers album)
Dreamtime is an album released by The Stranglers in 1986. The title track was inspired by a belief of the aboriginal peoples of Australia - called Dreamtime. This album appears to be a natural evolution from Aural Sculpture; it contains a mixture of upbeat and thoughtful tracks and includes the...
, dealt with environmental concerns among other issues. Its signature track, and another radio staple for many years to come, was "Always the Sun
Always the Sun
"Always the Sun" is a song by The Stranglers, first released as a single in October 1986, the second single from the album Dreamtime. A remixed version was released as a single in December 1990...
" (a No.15 hit in France and No.16 hit in Ireland, No.21 in Australia, No.30 in the UK, and No.42 in the Netherlands). The only Stranglers album to chart in the U.S., Dreamtime was again only a moderate hit in the UK, reaching No. 16 in November 1986.
The Stranglers' final album with Cornwell, 10
10 (The Stranglers album)
The tenth studio album from The Stranglers was called 10 and was the last with Hugh Cornwell. The album was released in 1990. There is a definite "big-band" sound to this album, most likely due to the production work of Roy Thomas Baker and the continued use of a horn section...
, was released in 1990. This was recorded with the intention of building on their "cult" status in America. Following the success of their cover of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' "All Day And All Of The Night
All Day and All of the Night
"All Day and All of the Night" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1964. It can be found on their debut album "Kinks". It reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart and #7 on Billboards United States chart in 1965....
", a UK #7 hit in 1988, The Stranglers released another '60s cover, "96 Tears
96 Tears
"96 Tears" is a popular song recorded by ? in 1966. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and on the RPM 100 in Canada and is ranked #210 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-History:...
" as their first single from 10; it reached #17 in the UK. Despite this success, the follow-up single "Sweet Smell Of Success" only reached No.65. "Man of the Earth", which the band had high hopes for, was due to be the third single from the album, however Epic Records decided against it when The Stranglers failed to secure a tour in America. Since 10 was recorded with the intention of breaking America, this was a major blow.
Post-Cornwell era (1990s)
In August 1990, founding member Hugh Cornwell left the band to pursue a solo career. In his autobiography, Cornwell stated that he felt the band was a spent force creatively, and cited various examples of his increasingly acrimonious relationship with his fellow band-members, particularly Burnel. The remaining members recruited John EllisJohn Ellis (guitarist)
John Ellis is an English guitarist and songwriter.-Career:He was a co-founder of the pub rock band Bazooka Joe in 1970 and a founding member of the punk rock band The Vibrators. Ellis formed The Vibrators in 1974 while still at art school studying illustration. The Vibrators released two albums...
, who had had a long-standing association with the band. He had opened for them in the 1970s as a member of The Vibrators
The Vibrators
- Early career:The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his...
, filled in for Cornwell during his time in prison for drug possession in 1980, worked with Burnel and Greenfield in their side-project Purple Helmets, and been added to the Stranglers' line-up as a touring guitarist a short time before Cornwell's departure. Burnel and Ellis briefly took over vocal duties (for one television appearance on The Word
The Word (TV series)
The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
) before enlisting Paul Roberts, who sang on most songs live, even those originally sung by Burnel. This line-up recorded four albums: Stranglers In the Night
Stranglers In the Night
Stranglers in the Night opened the recording career of the Stranglers MK II, with Paul Roberts on vocals and John Ellis on guitar. It was also the first release on the band's own record label, "Psycho", in 1992. The band returned to a purer, less "produced" sound; the horns have departed and the...
(1992), About Time
About Time (The Stranglers album)
About Time, released in 1995, is the twelfth studio album from The Stranglers and the second one from the Black, Burnel, Greenfield, Roberts and Ellis line-up....
(1995), Written in Red
Written in Red
Written in Red is the thirteenth studio album recorded by The Stranglers. It was produced by Gang of Four's Andy Gill.The media launch-party for "Written in Red" was held on 13 December 1996 at EuroDisney in Paris, and featured live performances of tracks from the effort...
(1997) and Coup de Grace (1998).
2000s resurgence and reversion to a four-piece
In 2000, Ellis left the band and a new guitarist, Baz WarneBaz Warne
Baz Warne is the current guitarist and vocalist of The Stranglers. He has played as the guitarist and frontman of numerous bands. His first recordings released were with Sunderland Punk band the Toy Dolls, whom he joined as Bassist in 1983, touring extensively and recording a couple of singles,...
, was recruited.
The Stranglers achieved something of a critical and popular renaissance in 2004 with the acclaimed Norfolk Coast album and a subsequent sell-out tour, together with their first Top-40 hit (#31 UK) in fourteen years, "Big Thing Coming".
In May 2006, Roberts left the band, and The Stranglers were now back to a four-piece line-up: Burnel, Black, Greenfield and Warne, with the lead vocals shared between Warne and Burnel. In concert, Burnel returned to singing the songs he originally recorded as lead vocalist, and Warne sang the numbers originally led by Hugh Cornwell.
Suite XVI
Suite XVI
Suite XVI is the 16th studio album by The Stranglers and sees the band return as a four piece after the departure of Paul Roberts. Lead vocals are shared between guitarist Baz Warne and bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. The album was released on 18 September 2006 and was supported by an extensive UK...
, the follow-up album to Norfolk Coast, was released in September 2006 (the title is a pun on "Sweet 16" and also a reference to the fact that it was the band's sixteenth studio album) and continued the band's resurgence. Although partly a return to the band's heavier punk roots, the album featured a typically idiosyncratic mixture of musical styles which included a country and western style Johnny Cash pastiche/homage "I Hate You".
In 2007 it was reported that drummer Black was suffering from atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia . It is a common cause of irregular heart beat, identified clinically by taking a pulse. Chaotic electrical activity in the two upper chambers of the heart result in the muscle fibrillating , instead of achieving coordinated contraction...
, an ailment which subsequently forced him to miss a number of shows, particularly where extended travel was required. On such occasions Ian Barnard, Black's drum technician, deputised.
On 4 November 2007, the band (with Black) played a sell-out gig at the Roundhouse in Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, North London, marking the thirtieth anniversary of their headline run at the same venue in 1977. The set list was the same as the 1977 concert, with the addition of a couple of more recent songs as a final encore. The event is recorded on the DVD Rattus at the Roundhouse.
In mid 2008, The Stranglers played various major festivals around Europe. Barnard again filled in for Black at several gigs while Black continued his recuperation. However, Black was back with the band for their UK tour later in the year.
In 2008, Jean-Jacques Burnel has made comments in interviews which indicate that the band could be heading into semi-retirement after the completion of their European tour in 2009.
He said: "Our drummer Jet Black is 70 now. It blows me away, the fact that he continues to play 90-minute sets. He's been unwell a couple of times and his drum tech has stood in at a few festivals, but if he was permanently out, well, I don't know what I'd do, actually. We could still record, but this is our last big tour, I think.
"I think all things have to come to an end at some point, although we'll do one more album. I would love to think it will be the most beautiful album we've done."
In 2009 the band played at the biggest open-air festival in Europe (400.000 - 500.000 rock fans every year) - Przystanek Woodstock
Przystanek Woodstock
Przystanek Woodstock is an annual free rock music festival in Poland, inspired by and named for the Woodstock Festival, that has taken place since 1995...
in Poland
Fifth decade (2010-present)
2010 for the Stranglers continued their recent resurgence, starting with an extensive UK tour, including a sold-out return to the Hammersmith Apollo in March, their first visit there since 1987. They were supported on the 16 date UK tour by Max RaptorMax Raptor
Max Raptor are a four piece punk rock band from the Midlands, UK, formed in 2006. They have toured the UK and played two dates in 2009 with Canadian Punk Rockers, Billy Talent and then toured 16 dates in 2010 with British Punk legends The Stranglers....
from The Midlands.
A new double CD compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Decades Apart, containing a selection of tracks from the full career of the band, including at least one from each of their sixteen studio albums and two new tracks, "Retro Rockets" and "I Don't See the World Like You Do" was released in February. The download version of Decades Apart included an unreleased recording from 1978, "Wasting Time", inspired by the band's 'Rock Goes To College' experience earlier that year; this track, originally titled "Social Secs" was never released, and the music ended up being reversed and released as "Yellowcake UF6", the B-side to "Nuclear Device" in 1979.
Across the summer the band played a number of festivals, including Weyfest
Weyfest
Weyfest is an annual music festival held at the Rural Life Centre in Tilford, Surrey in the United Kingdom. It usually occurs over the first weekend in September.Music is performed from the main stage, an indoor stage and a smaller outdoor stage...
and Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
in the UK and Oxegen 2010
Oxegen 2010
Oxegen 2010 was the seventh Oxegen festival to take place since 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 9 July, Saturday, 10 July and Sunday, 11 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland. Eminem, Muse and Arcade Fire headlined...
in Ireland, and concerts in Japan, Greece, Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
The band also released a new live album and DVD, recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
in May 2010, and are recording further tracks for their next studio album, likely to be released early in 2011.
In March 2011, the band completed another UK tour. Burnel's long term friend, Wilko Johnson
Wilko Johnson
Wilko Johnson is an English guitarist and songwriter, particularly associated with the UK rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s.-Career:...
, was invited to bring The Wilko Johnson band on the tour. In April, the band began touring Europe, with many gigs and major festivals lined up for the entire year.
Band line-up
- Jet BlackJet BlackJet Black is an English drummer and founder member of punk rock / new wave band The Stranglers.-Early years:...
(born Brian John Duffy): Drums (1974–present) - Jean-Jacques BurnelJean-Jacques BurnelJ. J. Burnel , is a Franco-English musician producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist with the British rock band The Stranglers.-Life and career:...
: Bass guitar, lead vocals (1974–present) - Dave GreenfieldDave GreenfieldDave Greenfield is the keyboard player with English rock band, The Stranglers.-Biography:He is noted for his trademark style of playing rapid arpeggios...
: Keyboards, vocals (1975–present) - Baz WarneBaz WarneBaz Warne is the current guitarist and vocalist of The Stranglers. He has played as the guitarist and frontman of numerous bands. His first recordings released were with Sunderland Punk band the Toy Dolls, whom he joined as Bassist in 1983, touring extensively and recording a couple of singles,...
: Guitar, lead vocals (2000–present)
Former members
- Hugh CornwellHugh CornwellHugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
: Guitars, lead vocals (1974–1990) - Paul Roberts: Lead vocals (1990–2006)
- John EllisJohn Ellis (guitarist)John Ellis is an English guitarist and songwriter.-Career:He was a co-founder of the pub rock band Bazooka Joe in 1970 and a founding member of the punk rock band The Vibrators. Ellis formed The Vibrators in 1974 while still at art school studying illustration. The Vibrators released two albums...
: Guitar, backing vocals (1990–2000) - Hans WärmlingHans WärmlingHans Wärmling was a Swedish musician and songwriter, and was a founding member and keyboardist of the British rock band, The Stranglers. His most notable achievement was as co-writer of the 1982 UK Top 40 release "Strange Little Girl"...
: Guitar, keyboards, vocals (1974–1975)
In the late 1980s, the Stranglers regularly featured a 3-piece brass section in their live line-up.
Discography
- Rattus NorvegicusRattus Norvegicus (album)Rattus Norvegicus is the first studio album by The Stranglers, released on 17 April 1977. The album was originally to be entitled "Dead on Arrival" but was changed at the last minute...
(1977) - No More Heroes (1977)
- Black and WhiteBlack and White (The Stranglers album)Black and White is The Stranglers third studio album and was recorded within 18 months of their debut Rattus Norvegicus. Produced by Martin Rushent and engineered by Alan Winstanley, the album is divided into the Black side and White side, each nominally characterised by the style and mood of the...
(1978) - The Raven (1979)
- The Gospel According to The MeninblackThe Gospel According to the MeninblackThe Gospel According to The Meninblack is an esoteric concept album made by The Stranglers and released in 1981. The album deals with conspiratorial ideas surrounding alien visitations to Earth, the sinister governmental Men in Black, and the involvement of these elements in well-known biblical...
(1981) - La FolieLa Folie (album)La Folie is an album by The Stranglers, recorded and released in 1981.The Stranglers had initially been the most commercially successful band of the punk/new-wave period in Britain, but by 1981, their success had waned noticeably. The La Folie album was a conscious attempt to deliver a more...
(1981) - FelineFeline (album)Feline was the seventh studio album by The Stranglers and was released in the new year of 1983 . The first edition came with a free one-sided 7" single "Aural Sculpture Manifesto"...
(1983) - Aural SculptureAural SculptureAural Sculpture is an album recorded by The Stranglers. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline album in 1983...
(1984) - DreamtimeDreamtime (The Stranglers album)Dreamtime is an album released by The Stranglers in 1986. The title track was inspired by a belief of the aboriginal peoples of Australia - called Dreamtime. This album appears to be a natural evolution from Aural Sculpture; it contains a mixture of upbeat and thoughtful tracks and includes the...
(1986) - 1010 (The Stranglers album)The tenth studio album from The Stranglers was called 10 and was the last with Hugh Cornwell. The album was released in 1990. There is a definite "big-band" sound to this album, most likely due to the production work of Roy Thomas Baker and the continued use of a horn section...
(1990) - Stranglers In the NightStranglers In the NightStranglers in the Night opened the recording career of the Stranglers MK II, with Paul Roberts on vocals and John Ellis on guitar. It was also the first release on the band's own record label, "Psycho", in 1992. The band returned to a purer, less "produced" sound; the horns have departed and the...
(1992) - About TimeAbout Time (The Stranglers album)About Time, released in 1995, is the twelfth studio album from The Stranglers and the second one from the Black, Burnel, Greenfield, Roberts and Ellis line-up....
(1995) - Written in RedWritten in RedWritten in Red is the thirteenth studio album recorded by The Stranglers. It was produced by Gang of Four's Andy Gill.The media launch-party for "Written in Red" was held on 13 December 1996 at EuroDisney in Paris, and featured live performances of tracks from the effort...
(1997) - Coup de Grace (1998)
- Norfolk Coast (2004)
- Suite XVISuite XVISuite XVI is the 16th studio album by The Stranglers and sees the band return as a four piece after the departure of Paul Roberts. Lead vocals are shared between guitarist Baz Warne and bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. The album was released on 18 September 2006 and was supported by an extensive UK...
(2006)
Selected song legacy
"No More HeroesNo More Heroes (The Stranglers song)
No More Heroes is a single by The Stranglers from the same-named album No More Heroes. It is one of the Stranglers' most successful singles , peaking at #8 in the Official UK Top 40 charts...
" was covered by Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
and used for the film Mystery Men
Mystery Men
Mystery Men is a 1999 comedy film based on a Dark Horse comic book series feature in Flaming Carrot Comics by Bob Burden, directed by TV commercial director Kinka Usher. It stars William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, and Hank Azaria as a trio of lesser superheroes with fairly unimpressive superpowers who...
. It also featured on the first episode of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
, while "Peaches" appeared in Sexy Beast
Sexy Beast
Sexy Beast is a 2000 British-Spanish crime drama film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, and Ian McShane. Produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was Glazer's debut feature film, who had previously been a music video director for videos such as Rabbit in Your Headlights for...
by director Jonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer is an English director of films, commercials and music videos.-Biography:After studying theatre design at Nottingham Trent University, Glazer started out directing theatre and making film and television trailers, including award-winning work for the BBC...
. "Golden Brown
Golden Brown
"Golden Brown" is a song by the English rock band The Stranglers. It was released as a 7" single in December 1981 in the US and in January 1982 in the UK, on Liberty...
" featured in Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
's film Snatch
Snatch (film)
Snatch is a 2000 crime film written and directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast. Set in the London criminal underworld, the film contains two intertwined plots: one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter named Turkish ...
and was used extensively in the Australian film He Died With A Felafel In His Hand
He Died With A Felafel In His Hand
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand is a novel by John Birmingham, first published in 1994 by The Yellow Press . The story consists of a collection of colourful anecdotes about living in share houses in Brisbane and other cities in Australia with variously dubious housemates. The title refers to a...
. Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
covered "Strange Little Girl
Strange Little Girl
"Strange Little Girl" by The Stranglers was released in the UK in 1982 as their last single while signed to Liberty Records . By the time of release, the band had already decided to leave the label for Epic Records, and this last single was part of the severance deal, along with the compilation...
" on her 2001 Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls is a concept album released by singer-songwriter Tori Amos in 2001. The album's 12 tracks are covers of songs written and originally performed by men, reinterpreted by Amos from a female's point of view. Amos created female personae for each track and was photographed as...
album.
External links
- Stranglers Information Service
- Worldwide Discography
- Strangled live: Stranglers live reviews from around the world
- Stranglers history in JJ Burnel & Hugh Cornwell interviews
- Stranglers huge success in 1977: the making of the first 2 albums
- Podcast Interview with Hugh Cornwell
- Videocast 2007 SXSW Interview with Hugh Cornwell
- UK Stranglers Tribute Band