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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scabrous, Scorching "Punk" Rock!, July 21, 2000
The Stranglers deserve a revered place in rock history solely by virtue of "No More Heroes." A propulsive, hypnotic attack of guitars and organs that sounds as if its coming from a merry-go-round playing at methamphetamine speed, this song is the apex of punk rock in the 1970s. From the top, lead singer Hugh Cornwell snarls: "Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky / He got an ice pick / That made his ears burn! . . . Whatever happened to those heroes! " At one point, Cornwell dares to rhyme "Shakespeare-os" with "heroes"! What a riot!So who were The Stranglers, and what happened to them? It was an eclectic, rude, controversial, British "punk" band that rivaled the Sex Pistols . . . and could, at the next turn, sound like the Bee Gees. No kidding! Although musically inspired by the Doors and the Kinks (and undoubtedly by the Sex Pistols and other contemporaries), the band (hugely popular in Britain during the mid 1970s but virtually ignored in the U.S.) had punk sensibility and raunchy humor to match. As a case in point, in "Peaches," the singer strolls along a beach and admires from afar certain, uh, features of bikini clad women. "She's got me going up and down!" he screams at one point. Subtlety was not this band's strongest suit. Among the "pop" nuggets here: "Walk On By," a sloppy rendering of the classic Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition that likely was not ironic; "Golden Brown," a perfectly crafted Herman's Hermits sound-a-like; and "Strange Little Girl," a perfectly crafted Doors sound-a-like. As you might guess, the Stranglers were not blessed with much imagination; their studio producers, which once included the legendary Alan Winstanley, are the invisible hands behind the music. But the band rewards the listener with an overabundance of chutzpah and verve. None of the aforementioned songs ever receive airplay on mainstream radio, and it appears that, surprisingly, even college radio is ignoring them. (Three reviews? ) The band did earn some Stateside attention on "alternative" radio in the early 1980s with some catchy synthesizer songs, "Skin Deep" and "Always the Sun," the latter a hugely popular dance-floor tune in Europe. But those songs do not fairly represent the outrageousness that was at the heart of the Stranglers. As the 80s expired, the band finished its career with forgettable pop remakes (the Kinks and "96 Tears"), songs which are, unfortunately, included in this "Greatest Hits" collection. A challenge: if you're throwing a party, buy this record in advance, and play this "Greatest Hits" collection midway through the party. You'll revive the party if its sagging . . . and, at the least, heads will turn and your guests will say to each other, "Who IS this? " And then some sexy young woman will slide up alongside you and compliment your cool CD collection.
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by The Stranglers 
