No More Heroes [Extra tracks, Import, Original recording remastered]

Stranglers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Emd Int'l
• ASIN: B00005MAG9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,863 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"You either love or you despise, there's just no room for compromise" spat Anglo-French bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel on "Burning Up Time." And by the time of No More Heroes--the Stranglers' second album--the battle lines were drawn between those (the press and the women's movement, mainly) who saw the future "men in black" as uncouth sexist pigs peddling aggressive punk Doors music and those for whom the Stranglers were a fantastically melodic, intelligent punk-rock combo, albeit one with a dangerously dry sense of humor and a swift-fingered, pipe-smoking keyboard player.

The former had plenty to complain about. Elderly aunts all across the land must have fainted the day an unwitting DJ played "I Feel Like a Wog" ("out on the dirty shitty jobs") on Britain's state-sponsored Radio One, so it's probably just as well they never got to hear the teacher-pupil relationship smut of "School Ma'm" or the infamously rude "Bring on the Nubiles," which was chanted like testosterone-charged Daleks and featured the word "f***" eight times. Musically, the Stranglers were on a roll--Dave Greenfield's use of Hammond organ and Moog synth coupled with Burnel's sonorous belch of a bass and Hugh Cornwell's not-bothered vocal made them instantly recognizable. And at least half of No More Heroes is every bit as good as Rattus Norvegicus (in fact, most of the album was recorded at the same time). It's also the only Stranglers album to spawn two Top 10 singles, namely the guttural call-to-arms of "Something Better Change" and the iconoclastic title track--a genuine rock classic. --Kevin Maidment

Product Description

UK repackaged reissue of 1977 album, includes new artwork with extensive sleeve notes & previously unseen photos. 14 tracks including three bonus tracks, 'Straighten Out', 'Five Minutes' & 'Rok It To The Moon'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hard edge that has not softened, May 7, 2001

By 

oldboyinblack (Williamstown, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Heroes (Audio CD)

I bought this album in the 70s when I was hitchiking around Europe, and it has never lost its appeal. The title track is a driving masterwork, but every track on the album maintains its grip. This was their second album, in the original line-up with Hugh Cornwell driving, although most of the tracks were recorded in the same sessions as the first album 'Rattus Norvegicus'. The mood is angry, the music is immaculate. I would hate to try to pick stand out tracks, but 'English Towns' and 'Something better change' are personal favourites.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars you might like it more than I did, April 22, 2001

By 

Jim Shine (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Heroes (Audio CD)

I find it hard to like this, the Stranglers' second, album. Sure, the title track is a masterpiece, and "Something Better Change" was a good single, and "English Towns" is an understated triumph, but... well, there's not much else that I can get very enthusiastic about. The band's melodic gift is never far from the surface (example: "Bitching") but the aggression is often to the fore (example: "Bitching"). Probably worked well at the time, and especially live, but it hasn't aged as well as most of their other work. Those who like their Stranglers heavier will enjoy it more than I do. It's still, of course, (and this is the old fogey in me) way better than most of the rubbish that gets into the charts these days.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A scathing album, May 8, 1998

By 

Vstmxo (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Heroes (Audio CD)

Angry pre-punk, with virtuoso keyboard/synth layered over gravelly bass and driving guitar work. The essential Stranglers disc. Should also be available in domestic release.