The Album Review Club - Week #138 - (page 1790) - 1956 - Soul-Junk

[BlueMoonRisin’]

I haven't listened to this for a long time but it's interesting that what I both liked and disliked about it doesn't seem to have really changed over the years. Reading some of the other reviews makes me think again about how often timing is so important with the bands you end up loving. I was probably a couple of years too young to be meaningfully into the early stages of punk (not that this really is but that's another discussion) and I think it definitely colours my views compared to had I been at their early gigs etc.

When I do get round to doing my review I was going to point out that I think JJ Burnel was more than a bit of a knob and that as good and as different as his brutalist approach to bass was, the fact that he is underrated by many is offset by the fact he was so overrated by himself.

I was also going to point out that, no I definitely would not say any of this to his face. But I reckon it's entirely possible that one of the BM Waldorf Massive who've rocked up for this pick might actually know him and dob me in it!

So I won't be saying any of that :-)

I may have to go on the run anyway after my review but I reckon @Saddleworth2 might give me sanctuary ?

JJ Burnel is a 7th degree black belt (nanadan) in Shidokan Karate and is head of Shidokan UK. In the early days of the band they had a fight with The Clash and The Sex Pistols and guess who won?

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

I've given the album a few listens now and haven't really shifted from where I began which is that the Stranglers were one of my favourite bands of the late 70's although they coincided with a period where music took a back seat to young kids, work and playing rugby. They were one of many bands I have liked through the years but not really carried forward to listen regularly through the decades since. The Police are another example of a band I liked at the time but I probably haven't listened to them since they broke up in the 80's.

Of the 11 tracks on this album I guess I knew 4 really well as they must have been included on compilation cd's. Peaches was and is a great song and has stood the test to time. If only the other 10 tracks were of the same quality. I did like the opener 'Sometimes' which features some nice keyboard and bass work and a relatively strong hook. "Get a grip' featured nice keyboard work too and undoubtedly Dave Greenfield, gave the band their easily recognisable sound. I'm not going to overplay comparison to the Doors although the parallels are pretty clear although I was interested that Greenfield was more influenced by Lord and Wakeman than Manzarek. Lord's style I can hear pretty clearly and tbf I was never a huge fan of his or DP, preferring Emerson, Banks (in particular) and Wakeman. In terms of subtlety, Manzarek, to me stands out. Listening to some Doors over the last few days that was clear to me.

I am a fan of 'pushy' bass that sits at the centre of the music so that was a tick. The vocals less so which although they work fine on tracks like Peaches, in other tracks, grate and feel like they are forced to prove that the Band is 'punk' whatever that is. Despite that, the bands musicality just about wins through on this album.

So to scoring, the inconsistency of the songs puts this at a 5.5 for me. It's an album I enjoyed bits of but not enough to go back to it any time soon. Good pick though.

There are 9 tracks on original album. And The Stranglers weren't a punk band as such.

 

[Saddleworth2]

There are 9 tracks on original album. And The Stranglers weren't a punk band as such.

Oh. I quite liked the bonus tracks on the version I listened to. Better knock the score down to 5 if they don’t count.

 

[threespires]

JJ Burnel is a 7th degree black belt (nanadan) in Shidokan Karate and is head of Shidokan UK. In the early days of the band they had a fight with The Clash and The Sex Pistols and guess who won?

And that's why whatever criticism of him I might write on here I'd magically forget if I met him in the street! Doesn't the story go that even mild mannered Dave Greenfield had Lydon up against the ice cream van during that fight?

Burnel always strikes me as the Brian Clough of bass playing, "I'm not saying I'm the best bassist in the world, but I'm in the top 1" .

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

And that's why whatever criticism of him I might write on here I'd magically forget if I met him in the street! Doesn't the story go that even mild mannered Dave Greenfield had Lydon up against the ice cream van during that fight?

Burnel always strikes me as the Brian Clough of bass playing, "I'm not saying I'm the best bassist in the world, but I'm in the top 1" .

I didn't know the details of their fights. JJ is a great bassist, maybe not the best but his style suited the band.

 

[threespires]

I didn't know the details of their fights. JJ is a great bassist, maybe not the best but his style suited the band.

I'd go further than that, in no small part it help defined the sound of the band like Foxton did too. Interesting that they both came to the bass from originally playing the guitar and I think you tell in the nature of a lot of their basslines.

 

[RobMCFC]

Burnel always strikes me as the Brian Clough of bass playing, "I'm not saying I'm the best bassist in the world, but I'm in the top 1" .

You've just given me a fantastic idea - we should do a Brian Clough round where everybody has to review in the style of Cloughie :)

"If we had a disagreement about an album, we'd sit down and discusses it's pros and cons and after 10 minutes, we'd agree I was right."

 

[Saddleworth2]

You've just given me a fantastic idea - we should do a Brian Clough round where everybody has to review in the style of Cloughie :)

"If we had a disagreement about an album, we'd sit down and discusses it's pros and cons and after 10 minutes, we'd agree I was right."

So how would things be different? ;-)

 

[RobMCFC]

Rattus Norvegicus – The Stranglers

I must have heard about three songs by The Stranglers in my life, and I only knew for sure that “Golden Brown” was one of theirs; the others I will have heard on adverts or TV soundtracks.

Mentally, I always had them pegged as one of those shouty late-70s bands, so I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to Rattus Norvegicus for the first time. There is quite a bit of that shouty, strident vocals thing that renders so much of that period’s music unlistenable for me, but in this case it’s backed up by an interesting sound.

I agree with @BlueMoonRisin’ s assessment that Dave Greenfield is the unsung hero of this album because on some of these tracks he is definitely channelling Ray Manzarek. For me, without his input, this would have been a non-starter.

“Sometimes” and “Down in the Sewer” are both excellent, and “Hanging Around” and "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)" are decent, the latter with a hooky chorus.

Elsewhere, “London Lady” has some great dynamic chords and “Princess of the Streets” some more nice keyboards but the shouty vocals get in the way, “Peaches” is familiar yet repetitive, whilst “Ugly” is a truly awful song.

So, a really good opener and closer, but I found a lot of what came in between patchy. There are some good individual moments on these songs, most of which are provided by Dave Greenfield’s keyboards, so I’ll give it a Jam+1 score of 6/10.

 

[VOOMER]

There are 9 tracks on original album. And The Stranglers weren't a punk band as such.

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