[kj] OT: Stranglers

[Geoffrey ODonoghue]

I've had my say re The Stranglers before on this forum - and this latest development will allow me to have it again ;)
   
  Everybody seems to lament the loss of Hugh Cornwell to The Stranglers whilst forgetting that, towards the end of his tenure in the group, they were rapidly 'losing it' big time - see Hugh's last Stranglers studio recording '10' - I personally can listen to only two tracks off this (Sweet Smell of Success and Never To Look Back).
   
  I'm not going to lay the sole blame for this decline at Hugh's feet (there are a number of songwriters in the band) but if you have a look at his solo stuff it's not like it consists of Rattus II or No More Heroes II.
   
  When The Stranglers MKII showed up I was in the mood to give them a go on the grounds that it couldn't possibly be any worse than the direction they were heading with Hugh. And it wasn't. It also wasn't brilliant. Paul Robert's voice was never a problem for me and I heard (and found out first hand last year) that he was a great performer and really put everything into the band. The studio recordings were patchy - a lot of OK songs with just a few stand-outs (Time to Die, Golden Boy, Still Life, Valley of the Birds, Miss You [from Written in Red], God is Good) - and I gather that all was not sweetness and light in the band, leading to the replacement of John Ellis with Baz Warne. That change of guitarist seems to have been an important move as the band have well and truly rediscovered their muse on Norfolk Coast. This CD is pretty much quality from start to finish - a great melding of the classical Stranglers sound with their recent songwriting style.
   
  I am really looking forward to hearing the new CD (titled Suite XVI - geddit?) with JJ and Baz sharing vocals.
   
  Geoff
   
  PS - I predict that Hugh will never re-unite with the band. He has well and truly burned his bridges. 
  
Mike Cooper <mike at coopersurf.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
  here and here - thought Norfolk Coast is a cracking album and I hadn't 
bought any since Hugh left. Heard a few from it and purchased. Look 
forward to the new one now.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alex Smith" 
To: ; "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)" 
; 
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Stranglers


>
> Wow! Cheers, Rob!
>
> I hated Paul Robert pretty squarely until I heard NOFOLK COAST, which was 
> quite excellent (though he remained the weakest link in the chain).
>
> I can't imagine he'd ever do it, I do so wish Hugh would come back.
>
> Ale xin NYC
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: Rob's Arse 
>>Sent: Jun 7, 2006 12:19 PM
>>To: gathering at misera.net
>>Subject: [kj] OT: Stranglers
>>
>>I know there are a few Stranglers fans here.
>>You may not know that Paul Roberts has left the band and that the 
>>guitarist Baz Warne has taken over vocals. They played in Weston Supermare 
>>recently and I found a clip on the net. He sounds amazingly like Hugh 
>>Cornwell and plays very much like him too. VEry encouraging.
>>
>>The new album is out September and they say it sounds great but they 
>>would!!)
>>
>>Personally, I am relieved. Though not a terrible singer by any means, I 
>>felt that his voice was overdone in places and it marred a few tracks.
>>
>>http://www.strangled.co.uk/news.htm
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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