The Stranglers -The Raven[1979]
Type.................: Music
Platform.............: Windows
Audio Format.........: MP3
Format version.....: Version 1
Format profile........: Layer 3
Bit rate.................: 320 Kbps
Bit rate mode.........: Constant
Sampling rate .....:44.1 KHz
Channels.............: 2 Stereo
Writing library.....: LAME3.82
Tags.....................: Yes
Year....................: 1979
covers................: Front, Inlay & CD
Posted by............: Soulman on 16/04/11
included: Scans | NFO | MediaInfo.txt
Track List
------------
01. Longships (1:13)
02. The Raven (5:16)
03. Dead Loss Angeles (2:26)
04. Ice (3:28)
05. Baroque Bordello (3:52)
06. Nuclear Device (3:35)
07. Shah Shah a Go Go (4:53)
08. Don't Bring Harry (4:11)
09. Duchess (2:33)
10. Meninblack (4:50)
11. Genetix (5:19)
12. Bear Cage (2:50)
Discription
-------------------
The first STRANGLERS album I bought rather than borrowed. But where to start? Right at the beginning, I suppose.
(DEEP BREATH) I first saw them in 1980 at Leeds University during The Raven tour. Halfway through the set there was a power cut, so when they eventually returned to the stage, the band (like us) were Seriously Pissed Off and what should have been the remaining thirty minutes were thrashed out in less than twenty. I don't even think there was an encore, although that may be down to the don't-give-a-damn punk ethic of the times. But still I loved the gig and still I love the album. And here's why:
Following on from BLACK AND WHITE, 1979's THE RAVEN was like a breath of fresh air to my ears. The sound is more thoughtful and the instruments easier to differentiate and place, with a production designed to emphasise the gaps, so to speak, yet being far from spartan as a whole. And even though the theme of the album (Viking/Nordic symbolism) peters out after only two tracks, there's still a cohesion that insists you play these songs in order.
It's roughly 50/50 in the writing and performance stakes on THE RAVEN and at this point neither HUGH CORNWELL nor JEAN JACQUES BURNEL are significantly dominant or more accomplished than each other as songsmiths. But it doesn't matter anyway, because each song compliments the next and so on. Highlights include the title track, DEAD LOSS ANGELES, DON'T BRING HARRY (with a beautiful guitar solo), MENINBLACK and GENETIX (DAVE GREENFIELD providing his usual ought-to-belong-on-some-kind-of-creepy-register vocals). Even the bonus tracks are a delight, especially BEAR CAGE, a dinky little number with a typically flat (again, of the time) Cornwell delivery. Marvellous stuff.
And another point worth mentioning: after all these years, there's still nothing to compare in sound or texture to THE RAVEN (if you're in any doubt about that, just listen to the extraordinary SHAH SHAH A GO GO). Timeless? Maybe not. But unique? In spades.
So, a few reasons why the album is worth owning. You'll no doubt discover the rest for yourself.
Oh, and finally: In 1979 I was lucky enough to buy one of the first 10,000 copies of THE RAVEN featuring a 3D hologram stuck over the standard LP cover. So, what do I go and do? Needing some cash, I sell it to a schoolfriend for £[...], having played it to death and figuring that I'll buy another copy before too long. Of course, the utter stupidity of that decision only hits home a few weeks later when I'm in the Bradford branch of Boots the Chemist, face as long as a fallpipe, about to pay £[...] for the non-limited edition. Then, as I prepare to hand over the cash, another assistant walks up and asks if I'd I prefer a 3D copy, SHE THINKS THERE'S ONE LEFT IN THE BACK SOMEWHERE(!!!)
Confirmation in my book that there is indeed a God.
Enjoy!!!
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