Customer Reviews

Gold Collection

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Dear Monica and others, yes, the booklet is horribly misleading. I cannot understand that either the band's or Hugh's management let people get away with this sort of bs.
In case you didn't know, Hugh left the band in 1990 already and the others carried on with vocalist Paul Roberts and guitarist John Ellis (ex- The Vibrators, replaced in 2000 by Baz Warne).
The live recordings here were made in june 1997 in the Royal Albert Hall when the stranglers celebrated their 25th anniversary. Beautiful arrangements of both classics and newer tracks and fine musicianship by both the band and the accompanying Electra Strings group.
The studio recordings were made in the nineties and were originally released on the albums About Time, Written in Red and Coup de Grace. Although very entertaining and well played these recordings are not on that same level as the stranglers had in the 1977-1983 period. But still it's good entertainment for real fans of modern rock.

I received this as a gift, and I thought I was getting a re-issue of sorts. Instead, it is a live performance at a festival, and Hugh is NOT singing. I know his voice back to front, every aspect of his tone, and it is someone with a bit of soul damage singing on the songs. The booklet completely misrespresents this idea, the original line-up is pictured throughout. I cannot understand why they would do this unless they were trying to dupe people into buying it as the original line-up. There are no credits as to where the show was, or who the actual line-up is, and on the outside of the package, there is no mention that this is a live performance. If a band has a new singer, I'd like to be informed before opening the CD - when a band makes such a change, they should embrace it and promote it, not hide behind the old image. If I were the replacement singer, I would also be quite livid at how it was packaged. If I were Hugh, I'd be even more angry. My suggestion: do not buy this CD unless it is repackaged in a truthful manner.