Ua Singles 1977-1982 [Import]

Stranglers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 3, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B002N7FIQE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,187 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 three CD collection. The Stranglers were one of the most successful bands to emerge from Punk's first wave in the UK. While they were adored by the Punks, their sound was more reminiscent of '60s rockers Atomic Rooster and The Doors. The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel's pulsating bass, but also proudly gave prominence to Dave Greenfield's keyboards at a time when the instrument was seen as unfashionable. Their early music was also characterized by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic lyrics of both Jean-Jacques Burnel and Hugh Cornwell. This most excellent triple disc set contains every single released for United Artists between 1977 and 1982, including both A and B-sides. 49 tracks including 'Nice And Sleazy', '(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)', 'Golden Brown', 'Strange Little Girl', 'Peaches', 'Something Better Change' and many more. EMI.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent early overview, tightly remastered, February 15, 2011

By 

K. Swanson (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ua Singles 1977-1982 (Audio CD)

4.5 stars

One day The Stranglers will get their proper due and be hoisted atop the punk flagpole, though these geezers probably scared most other punk bands out of their safety pins. Only the Clash matched them in songwriting ability and musical ambition, but even they seem breathtakingly normal and predictable when compared to the gleeful weirdness that is the first half dozen Stranglers albums.

It's hard to beat No More Heroes, Rattus Norvegicus, and Black And White as the essential Stranglers records and they are all amply represented here, along with the next three albums, various 12" mixes, some occasional single-only cuts and a few live tracks to boot. Most of the selections are spot on, and the middling filler on some of the later albums is excised to the good. I like the remastering, mainly for its preservation of the best aspect of the band, musically: JJ Burnel's amazingly aggressive bass playing (Greenfield's wild organ-ization is a close second). Burnel had the all-time big aggro bass tone via his Marshall stacks, and he sounds almost as good here as he does on the original vinyl (no touching those for their big round warmth of JJ's tone, though), and much better than on the early cd pressings of these albums.

The Raven and Meninblack both get a just sampling, and some might argue that most of what's good on MIB is right here. One thing's for sure, nobdoy could ever accuse these guys of lacking humor. Some of the most bizarre lyrics in modern music are scattered across these 3 cds; combined with Cornwell's guttural rasp, they still sound unlike anything else you're ever likely to hear this side of Beefheart.

And of course this collection has maybe the most musical song ever recorded by a punk band, the eternally perfect Golden Brown. It will always sound as if it was recorded this afternoon, perhaps on the edge of some alpine lake in heaven, or at least somewhere in Burma. The lyrics make it clear that the incredibly dark, weird and intense early Stranglers had been sloooooowed down irrevocably by their forays into the poppy fields of their minds, and Hugh wins the prize for bringing back the most tuneful evocation of that particular state of mental limbo this side of Charlie Parker.

Waltzinblack is also here, one of their odder efforts, along with other milder La Folie tunes that signalled the end of the early (and finest) Stranglers. Fans will appreciate the radio edit of La Folie, but the long version is still hard to beat for drifting away....except of course for Golden Brown, for my money one of the top ten singles of the entire '80s, and a fitting peak for one of the most stylistically wide-ranging and satisfying singles collections of any band anywhere during these six years. Combine it with the many superb early singles (Nice N' Sleazy, Peaches, No More Heroes, Get A Grip, etc etc) and you've got a mind-blowing variety of unique sounds from a band unlike any other.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Got my order, in spite of Post Office's recalcitrance, August 9, 2011

By 

C Conrad - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ua Singles 1977-1982 (Audio CD)

I got what I ordered. But I had to go through complications with the Post Office. For some reason, they didn't notify me the package had arrived. After a few weeks, I started asking about it & they kept telling me nothing had come. Fortunately, I had also ordered something from a different company the same day and that company used USPS tracking numbers. So I was able to print out the tracking report for this other company's order and when the Post Office searched again, they found both packages. If I had ordered only from your company, I may not have gotten it.

So, it turned out OK but I urge you to use tracking.

BTW, the music was disappointing but that has nothing to do with my satisfaction with the order fulfillment. It came in good condition, at a good price and it even got to the PO quickly.