“The Raven” by The Stranglers - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1979Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s

TJR says

Despite recent solo LPs from both Cornwell and Burnel, the Stranglers still managed to deliver their fourth LP in September '79. They've toned down the punk aggresh, there are no obvious classics onboard and I don't connect quite as strongly with them this time around. It was well received by the fanbase though, giving them their fourth consecutive place in the Top 5 of Britain's album chart. They line up: Hugh Cornwell (guitar, vocals), Jean-Jacques Burnel (bass guitar, vocals), Dave Greenfield (keyboards, vocals) and Jet Black (drums). Two singles were released from the set; “Duchess” (#14) lays out the aristocrat's lower class sex fantasy and “Nuclear Device” (#36), shines a light on the gerrymandering Australian politician Joh Bjelke-Petersen who ran a brutal state in Queensland which messed with the Stranglers when they were over there. The suitably melancholic “Don’t Bring Harry” is all about the dreaded Heroin, which all of the group were experimenting with: “with a friend like him, who needs enemies”. Released just in time for Christmas, they got away with it on Top of the Pops!

The Jukebox Rebel
11–Aug–2008

Tracklist
A1 [01:10] 5.5.png The Stranglers - Longships (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) New Wave
A2 [05:13] 5.7.png The Stranglers - The Raven (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) New Wave
A3 [02:24] 5.9.png The Stranglers - Dead Loss Angeles (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) Post-Punk
A4 [03:25] 5.4.png The Stranglers - Ice (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) New Wave
A5 [03:50] 6.0.png The Stranglers - Baroque Bordello (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) Post-Punk
A6 [03:32] 6.0.png The Stranglers - Nuclear Device (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) Post-Punk
B1 [04:50] 6.0.png The Stranglers - Shah Shah A Go Go (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) New Wave
B2 [04:09] 6.7.png The Stranglers - Don’t Bring Harry (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) Moodcore
B3 [02:30] 7.2.png The Stranglers - Duchess (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) Post-Punk
B4 [04:48] 4.3.png The Stranglers - Meninblack (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) Moodcore
B5 [05:17] 6.2.png The Stranglers - Genetix (Hugh Cornwell, Brian Duffy, David Greenfield, Jean Jacques Burnel) Post-Punk

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