Customer Reviews

Black and White

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Stranglers' fans will usually see one of three albums as the group's best: Rattus Norvegicus, Black and White or the Raven. Each have their merits and each have their own claim to be the high point. On 'Black and White' the group have found their 'sound'. The album holds together extremely well as a whole. There is still the punk energy of the group's debut. There is also some of the superb musicianship of the Raven. What makes this such a classic is the way the instruments feed off each other and complement each other so well. The booming bass lines of Jean-Jacques Burnel are constantly interacting with the unusual guitar style of Hugh Cornwell and the exceptional talents of Dave Greenfield on keyboards. This is what the Doors were aspiring to be but never quite achieved. Contains two superb singles 'Nice n Sleazy' and as a bonus track 'Walk on By'. Paradoxically it was listening to this album that A flock of Seagulls came up with their name- thankfully this group is 100 times better than Mike Score's outfit ever could be. Definitely worth the money.

What can I say about this album that hasn't already been said? Quite a bit and so little. It is one of the most awkward albums that I've ever listened to. At times the tracks go on for hours after you thought they were over, the keyboard has more solos than the guitar and the songs are all over the place. I don't know how, but this album just plain works. The album is really hard to explain since, at least to me, there is no real reason that it works it just does. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone impatient or stuck up, but if you want something beautifully bizarre get this album. One of my all time favorites.

Black & White is the masterpiece of The Stranglers, a band which showcased a very aggressive sound (especially the bass of J.J.Burnel) with Doorsian influences (the keyboards), dark themes and very politically un-correct opinions in their lyrics.

They were contemporaries of the british punk movement of the second half of the 70's, but they were never a part of that scene and were always distinguishable for their use of keyboards and independent thought. I don't think they ever pressed the anti-establishment issue that was so prevalent in the punk scene, although they never refrained from taking an independent stand on controversial topics.

Therefore, I disagree with the label "punk" so often attached to them, included the previous users' reviews on this site. If you want to use a tag, then I think "darkwave" fits best.

The music in this album blends "dark" themes with psychedelia, poppish hooks ("Tank", "Sweden - All quiet on the eastern front") and even up-tempo waltz ("Outside Tokyo"). The drums - as the costume of the time imposed - were played in a quite rigid, cold style; the bass is an ever-threatening presence and along with the keyboards give the Stranglers music its distinctive sound.

After almost 30 years this is still great album to listen to; my impression is that fans of dark metal would also appreciate it.

Only the Stranglers could have devised an album so odd yet so powerful, a concept album about war, violence, seafaring, and the mechanization of industry set to visceral and angular bass lines, choppy rhythms, and twiddling, melodic synthesizer runs. You might call this album "post punk," but in 25 years of listening to rock, pop, and jazz, I have yet to find anything to compare it to. And for all that, this album will still have you singing along to its catch phrases. A very stark and brilliant album.

Unbelievable-- this was originally released in '78 on vinyl-- one side Black, One side White (the LP is extremely RARE-- if you can find it, get it, as it's worth money); I've been looking at Stranglers websites for a while trying to find this CD, and boom-- I find it at amazon...amazing... I'm not a big Stranglers fan, but this album is unbelievable for skill, creative and blistering guitar/keyboards...I'm buying it now!

The bottom line is that you should buy this CD. This is one of the Stranglers' best efforts. It combines energy, talent, creativity, depth, brains, emotions and originality like perhaps no other Stranglers album. But most Stranglers albums have those characteristics. "Tank" is a breathtaking leap off an aural cliff. "Nice and Sleazy" is stunning. J.J. Burnel's bass demands that you listen to it -- not merely hear it. In "Nice and Sleazy" we are also treated to Dave Greenfield's wildly swirling keyboards, not adhering to any expected path. "Outside Tokyo" pulls this runaway stallion back for a couple minutes as guitarist/vocalist Hugh Cornwell croons that if (speaking about watches) they should ever sell out that "would be the end of time." Next "Hey! Rise of the Robots" shoots forth, with energy bursting as Hugh sings about automation. This album was recorded in 1978. Automation has never been more in vogue than it is now. That's something to keep in mind about these guys; despite a few lapses of judgment, the Stranglers were incredibly astute observers of society. In fact their 1981 album "The Gospel According to the Men in Black" had its subject matter hijacked in the recent film titled "Men in Black," which unfortunately garnered loads of attention, as if it was their idea to invoke the subject matter. Back to the album. "Sweden, All Quiet on the Eastern Front" bosts splendid musicianship including an awe inspiring keyboard solo that blends with drummer Jet Black's incredibly functional drumming. Jet Black never does any more or less than he needs to. He knows how to interpret songs and play accordingly. In fact, he has been the anchor that has kept this band going through good and bad times. "Toiler on the Sea" tears forth next and we are treated to a classic guitar line. This music is so damn good. If I could reach through your screen and grab your lapels, well.. you know what I'd say. "To! iler" ends side one -- the white (positive) side. Side 2 (second half -- I'm aware that CDs have made sides basically obsolete) kicks off with "Curfew." The darkness continues with "Threatened" whose foreboding tones hover and haunt as "In the Shadows" appears. "Do You Wanna" has Greenfield uncharacteristically. Next "Death and Night and Blood (Yukio)" comes on. This song is a paean to Yukio Mishima, the famed Japanese writer who took his own life. Bassist J.J. Burnel, who has a black belt in karate and is an avid motorcycle enthusiast, is a huge admirier of Mishima. "Enough Time" ends the album. CD adds "Mean to Me," a fun romp, and "Walk on By," which is a splendid 7 minutes or so cover version. If you want something by the Stranglers that is from the old incarnation but is more melodic, try "Rattus Norvegicus IV." For the Stranglers in a softer, yet still excellent stage, try "Aural Sculpture."

Holy roller, where'd this mutant of an album emerge from? What vast aquatic expanse did this near necessarily classic album expunge iself'? Luckily...the end product isn't at the seeming excrement left by Burnel (that dappy lad gone fetal on the left) but is instead and most sincerely there most confident and aggressive albums of that Stranglers era. Fast and utterly violent, "Black and White" strikes like a quick jab to the knob and ultimately settles like a bruise you so sickeningly enjoy showing others. Be proud, all those that heard it at its birth and the newer gobs claiming it as the holy grail of 80's post-punk revelry. "Toiler on the Sea" should be commissioned and given a rank, while "Death and Night" is a slopper of a track, boiling on obsessive with a crash like opening that still gives me jollies. Seek out, indeed! (the George Melly track is also a grin maker)

So called because there's a black side, you see, and a white one. Very clever, though failing utterly to predict the arrival of CDs some years later. Nevertheless, the first 6 tracks constitute the white (lighter) side, the next 6 the darker side. All these things are relative, of course; by "lighter" we mean "has a slightly less remote chance of being played on daytime radio".

The album's opener, "Tank", is indeed a bit of light relief, Hugh Cornwell singing (well, okay, shouting) of the joys of owning one's own armoured vehicle. "Nice `n Sleazy" is another slice of pseudoreggae a la "Peaches", but I'm not sure what the hell this one is about. It is nice, though, and sleazy too. Next up are the slightly morose "Outside Tokyo" and the partly cracked "Hey!", before Hugh regales us with exciting tales of his time in Sweden (you might be able to find an album with the Swedish version on it, which has novelty value at least). "Toiler on the Sea" is a mini epic that rushes along under high winds, showcasing the band's ability to write better music than you might expect from looking at the album cover.

The black side is JJ Burnel's chance to take over; in general, these songs sound more like "No More Heroes" (the album, I mean) than do the others, although less conventional in structure. These are, as the track list indicates, songs of murky things: violence, fascism, and the various other topics preoccupying JJ at the time. It's not comfortable listening, but it's certainly fascinating.

Included on the disk are two tracks given free with the original LP: the rockin' "Mean to Me" and the Bacharach & David song "Walk on By". Dionne Warwick?? Absolutely not. The Stranglers play it like they were the Doors. Over six minutes of showing off: marvellous.

THE STRANGLERS - RATTUS NORVEGICUS. Don't let the cover or the bands name frighten you away - this is a great album. It trancends Punk. With the swirling organ, harmonies and thumping bass lines it could have been a pop record if not for the nihilistic attitude of the lyrics. More complex and engaging than many of their Punk peers, the Stranglers wove their sardonic humor into every song on this album. Check out the track "Ugly" for a dose of their ascerbic social commentary. Do yourself a favor, if you don't own this - buy it! Did I mention their offbeat sense of humor? Notice the album is called "Rattus Norvegicus - 4" as if this were their fourth effort. Long live the Stranglers!

This is the most unique and innovative album that the stranglers ever released. Some of their others are perhaps more listenable, but this one is their creative best. Unfortunatly, one must take the right wing and misogynist posturing with a grain of salt. I try to tell myself that it was just a fashion of the punk movement of that time.

Musically the album is ground breaking. JJ's "iron bar" bass sound is perhaps the most distinctive feature and as a style it reached it's pinnicle in this recording. I will take Cornwell's opening solo on "Toiler on the Sea" to the grave with me.