Customer Reviews

Aural Sculpture

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Guess I date myself when I say I'd listen to this CD all the time way back when.

The Strangler's poppier future was coming nicely into play with the release of Feline and was pretty much cemented into place with Aural Sculpture. Early Stranglers purists will scream sellout, I'd call it evolution. If the Stranglers were trying to capitalize on the 80s sound, they did it masterfully.

Wonderful pop tunes lurk all over. "Ice Queen" has a gloriously repetitive warbling that stays with you. Things don't skip a beat with the silky smooth "Skin Deep" and catchy "Let Me Down Easy", "No Mercy" and "Under the Name of Spain". Each and every track is a gem really in its own right, Hugh Cornwell's calm vocals add sparkle. A favorite CD of mine for those laid back moods.

Love them or hate them for their direction change and seemingly endless collection of greatest hits CDs, it's impossible to discount the charms of Aural Sculpture.

There are those who strongly prefer the Stranglers' early stuff and do not like Aural Sculpture or Dreamtime. Please include me amongst those who do not like the early stuff [which dominates "The Very Best of" CD] and much prefer this album and Dreamtime.

As an early fan of the Stranglers after Meninblack and Feline you have to admit if nothing else they keep it interesting and fresh. Actually this album is far superior to the rather bland and uneven "Dreamtime". Plenty of great cuts here. "Skin Deep" and "No Mercy" are perfectly crafted pop songs. "Let me down easy" a song about when your time is up is very comforting and a great ballad. Probably my favorite is "Laughing" a beatuiful ballad that really can touch you. Elsewhere there are plenty of revved up horn spiced pop gems so I think all in all the Stranglers did a very good job on this one

Not a bad song in the entire album. This is a perfect pop rock album.

Stanglers started out as one of the best punk bands ever, then explored various styles, with this album as being one of the best, most polished professional pieces in their discography. Why they never rose to the top of the US charts I'll never know. They rightly have a large international following just about everywhere else.

If you like the mature sounds of the Damned, the Police, Killing Joke, etc., then you will either like this album or you are insane.

This last great album by the Stranglers is a MASTERPIECE! "Aural Sculpture" is an apt title. Anyone in a review who says something like 'I like this or that track' simply has not listened to it enough or is hung up on the aggressive "punk style" of their earlier work. Let me stress something here for those of you thinking of buying this... EVERY SONG ON THIS CD IS FREAKING GREAT. It doesn't hit you the first few times you listen because it's more complex and sophisticated than most. Even the band thought it was one of their best... "Oh the bliss, oh the pleasure caressing your ears. How can you have survived until this historic moment?".

It's hard to believe that noone has reviewed this album until now. It's a *great* record! Interesting songs and awesome sound. The album title really says it: these songs are like aural sculptures. Play the record and stroll through the sculpture garden. Not really like any other Stranglers album, either!

I have to start off this one by apologizing. I am sorry, after Hugh Cornwell vacated the premises , as far as I am concerned, The Stranglers were finished with the exception of Stranglers in the Night. The tunes were not the same, you can feel and hear the difference in the music. Now,down to brass tacks(TAX) whichever you prefer. I own a TON of their vinyl too. We can not leave this band out. Again,like XTC, all their singles,all their ep's, all their lp's and whatever free singles and 12 inch players that came free with lp's. Most of their singles and ep's with picture sleeves. By the way, I may as well tell you that I have well over three thousand vinyls counting ep's,singles and lp's. I hope you are all happy that I finally told you after all these reviews because I am extremely happy to have collected all this vinyl. Getting back to the Stranglers, this is a peak in their career. I happen to like all the Stranglers material with Hugh Cornwell - early or end. This is a magnificent lp and like Feline and Ten, very melodic, although with background beats and rhythms, was a very strong lp in my opinion. I just love it! If you have never heard the Stranglers at all, and shame on you, this is the lp I feel you should start off with,then work your way back or forwards if you prefer.

I used to be a club DJ in the mid 1980's. This album is pretty solid all the way thru, However SKIN DEEP & NO MERCY are the 2 cuts that really stand out .

...since I've listened to it when it was released in 1984. The best Stranglers album ever? maybe, at lest the one with the best songs. There are some low points, too, I really hate Mad Hatter, No Mercy and Spain. The best ones, no doubt are Let Me Down Easy, Laughing and Souls. The first two are A major while Souls is in D minor. Their atmosphere is intense in sophistication, balance, rhythm and a 100 percent brilliant harmony. I don't think this is a pop album, besides, I could say it stimulates some sort of childhood sensibility. I recommend to slow down a bit a half-tone these 3 tunes (also including Skin Deep) to understand and taste them better. North Winds is also an excellent tune, the darkest of the album. Ice Queen is an excellent intro. Uptown and Punch and Judy go hand in hand. I don't say this album is perfect, but I gave it 5 stars since it's one of my best favorites of all time.

Atmospherically, tastefully produced, beautifully sung and hauntingly memorable, Aural Sculpture shows the Stranglers expanding on the mellowness of their previous album to come up with a seamless, almost flawless exercise in pretty melodies and subtle, intelligent lyrics (which bear further analysis). Almost every song is first rate. The vocals are especially good on the song Uptown and the instrumentation has a subtle melancholy flavor to it. I've listened to this album since '84, and my favorite song has turned out to be Laughing, which has a mysterious, measured quality, like unlocking the pieces of a puzzle. The first 5 songs especially flow together very well. Souls is also very impressive. It has an air or mystery to it. The only songs that don't fully succeed to me are Mad Hatter and Punch & Judy, but every other song is very memorable in it's own distinct way. As mentioned before, the production is especially good, combining a spare, crisp mix of keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, vocals and an occasional brass section into a colorful, cinematic experience.