Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
1977
Album Summary
Rattus Norvegicus (alternative title The Stranglers IV) is the debut studio album by the Stranglers, released on 15 April 1977. It was one of the highest-selling albums of the punk era in Britain, eventually achieving platinum record sales. Two of its tracks, "Peaches" and "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)", were released as 7-inch singles in the UK.
WikipediaWell, hello. Please come in. The Stranglers are one of the few bands I haven't heard that I hold no prejudices about, so this was as welcome as some alone time in the shower. I can't say it defied my expectations, because I didn't have any, but I can say it was a total thrill. Lively, tumbledown, and so assured. The drummer ain't afraid to lash out, the guitar's got that shark bite quality, and the vocals are, um, strangled. Meaty stuff. An eight-minute medley in ninth place is ambitious by usual standards, but these lads are bold as brass, sticking extended instrumentals that pack a whallop into the two opening tracks. Having listened to 2021's Bright Green Field recently, the maladroit funk and dorky vocals on 'Peaches' sounds like a clear reference point for Squid. Same lyrical brand of disaffected nonsense, too. So far up my alley the street lights are a mere pinprick.
Wow, something from the British punk wave that doesn't immediately suck ass. I actually liked this from start to finish and it has really memorable songs. The sound may be of its time but the performance, especially the vocals, are really tight on this one.
(Fuck Yeah) This Album Is Incredible [I love you Dave Greenfield R.I.P] 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑
Stuart Pearce has seen this mob live over 1000 times. Psycho clearly has impeccable taste 👌
Absolutely elctricifying album. Loved the driving bass and viscerally sneering vocals.
Possibly the most enjoyably fun punk album. This or Ian Dury. Sparky, snotty and cynical, with possibly the best drummer and tons of Hammond organ to piss off the purists. The run from Hanging Around to Ugly is some of the most fun you can have with your trousers on.
I saw The Stranglers in 1977 and it was terrifying. Respectable looking men went into the toilets in suits to get changed and came out covered in lipstick and safety pins, unrecognisably different. JJ Burnel jumped into the crowd in the middle of a song and beat up someone, no idea why, but the band ignored it and kept on playing. He got back up on stage, plugged back in and resumed playing as if nothing had happened. The music was tremendously exciting, though I didn't like punk until 30 years later.
Would definitely listen to this album again. Great english punk sound.
These guys are fun. I like these songs. They are silly, angry, rude, and catchy. 5 stars.
More than anything, the fucking organ slaps. This is great new wave/punk/with a pub Horror vibe to it.
This album really straddles the line between punk, hard rock, while incorporating elements of art rock and psychedelia into a palatable and exciting package. There’s a sense of danger and sneer to this music which is appealing. These songs are interesting enough musically but accessible enough to be at home in a pub or a college dorm room.
Women are objects and Jews are not people in the world of The Stranglers. I still have some reflection to do about why I'm okay with excusing this type of bigotry in other artists, but for now, I'll say that this shit put me in a bad mood today. Being a dick doesn't make you punk. Best track: Goodbye Toulouse
British rock from the 70s might be my new favorite thing. Reminds me of a lot the newer stuff I'm listening to (Vaccines, Kooks, Dandy Warhols)
I cant believe this wasn't on my radar before. This is just fun from start to finish. A really pleasant surprise. I look forward to hearing more from them. Seriously, how did I not hear them before today?
Unbelievable stuff. Came across it myself a few weeks ago. It got me through my thesis. Very original sound.
The Stranglers vs. the Wokes. I know who I'd rather listen to. They manage to offend just about everyone. Man that bass, that keyboard.........I love these guys. This is seminal 70's UK punk.
T3B 1. Down In The Sewer (Medley) 2. Princess Of The Streets 3. Sometimes Such an absolute banger. No bad songs. Great vibe, structure, and complexity. Had trouble narrowing out my top 3 bangers. It’s beautiful. It’s fun. It’s also a 5!
Sounds like a precursor to a lot of my favourite bands/genres. Strong lead guitar, campy vocals, absolute demon on the bass, solid spurts of organ. Verging on post punk I guess. A few allusion to what was to come from the 80s. Actually yeah very post punk. I'm super familiar with Peaches but I have no idea why - sounds so much like it could be a song by Shame. Bit of a powerhouse album as you get into the second half. Love the heavy guitar/bass being offset by the organ and sax - eg Down in the Sewer. Bit of a grower but it really winds out nicely. Fk me it just keeps getting stronger at Go Buddy Go.
Boom! Album opens off groovy, baby! Rock n Roll, let's gooo!! The album has some great metaphors within the lyrics, little double meanings that increase the listening pleasure. I was surprised at how much i enjoyed this album, I really thought I would lose interest as it moved on, but my attention was retained through till the end. Great album.
A true classic. The deep baritone of singer Hugh Cornwall, alongside the Farfifa organ sells the album.
This is certainly an interesting specimen of 70’s British punk. As someone who is disinclined to love punk music, I started off apprehensive. But this is really well done! The organ was a particular highlight for me. “Down in the Sewer” was a totally epic track! Incredible organ solo at the end! This would be an ideal soundtrack for a groovy haunted house (something I've dreamed of attending ever since I say episode one of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries in 1977 - someone please recreate this and invite me!). Weird and fun!
С начала я подумал, что это будет диско из 80-ых, а потом они начали петь про то, что надо бить девушек в лицо)) Чертов британский панк с диско-синтами. Местами прикольно, но уж слишком много делается упора на проигрыши (в итоге и проиграли сами себе иногда). Вообще синт напоминает синт из The Doors и это круто. Алкоальбом: диско (коктейль, не стиль) в пабе с мужиками пьющими пиво
Hört ett 10-tal låtar med Stranglers förut men ingen av dem är från denna platta. Att jag missat den? Den är ju lysande.
Killer album through and through. Peaches had been on the soundtrack of Reservoir Dogs maybe(?). Anyhow, it was in a movie some time back and I had thus found entry to this album a while ago and had found it lackluster, but apparently my tastes have improved or degraded...And I loved it. It's that gritty English sound and a very unique one. Love.
Another solid choice from a band Id never heard of, old school punk aesthetic from the UK
This was oddly enjoyable. '70s punk has a totally different feel, yet is somewhat familiar to bands like the Ramones. I liked how melodic everything felt. A bit too much organ at times, but maybe that's just my preference. 4 stars.
I understand why people like Neil Young, but I don't particularly enjoy him, and listening to a full album of his music is a bit of a chore for me. There are certainly some things to like about this album, but, but, but 3/5
i liked this.. sounded like bowie b-sides stuff, better than the black star bowie crap earlier this week
Primer punto... el título me fascinó, no sé por qué, quizá solo me ha agradado siempre la notación en latín para las ratas pero me gustó; aún más cuando entendí por qué se llama así (more on this ahead). Dos, decía que son punk... suena realmente muy poco a punk, suena más a banda de garage con unos toques de psicodelia; ese órgano le viene muy bien a su música y está bastante bien manejado, incluso en las partes en que está casi rayando en copia de órgano de los Doors suena bien. Musicalmente solo puedo decir que es agradable, este "no punk" psicodélico que casi suena popeado y pegajoso. Eso es la música pero vaya que si hay más que decir... Por partes; no se qué tanta atención le pusieron pero tiene algunas letras un poco.... problemáticas para hoy en día. Desde el inicio tiene dulzuras como “Someday, I’m going to smack your face” o “I got morbid fascination, gonna beat you till you drop." Normalmente soy de dar contexto al tiempo en que se hizo la música y no tratar de imponer reglas o maneras de ver las cosas que no estaban patentes en su momento pero aquí va casi rayando en mi límite de lo que suena normal para la época y lo que suena realmente misógino sin importar el año. A pesar de lo anterior en verdad que la música te lleva a seguir escuchando; es realmente hipnotizante y bien hecha en su estilo tan sui generis. Las letras van mejorando y al menos no se estancan en los temas delicados aunque no los dejan del todo; tenemos desde canciones sobre la destrucción de Toulouse según Nostradamus, pero inevitablemente regresa de nuevo a lo que se siente como un ataque bastante directo a una periodista a la nada sutil "Making love to the Mercy Tunnel with a sausage." O sea vamos que del Me Too no se van a llevar un premio y si pones realmente en el Face que escuchaste este disco y te gusto una buena proporción de la gente te va a medio linchar. Por otro lado podría tratar de defenderlo un poco tomando en cuenta que todo el odio que escupe a las mujeres es en misma cantidad el que se echa a sí mismo. No trata de hacerse superior o decir que fuera mejor que toda la mierda que esta diciendo de otros. De repente, después de líneas tan líricas como “Is she trying to get out of that clitoris” en la segunda mitad la banda se vuelve francamente ambiciosa no solo en mostrar sus habilidades instrumentales sino también líricamente. "Ugly" es una dosis aun mayor de psicodelia que aperte cita el poema de Ozymandias de Shelley; después termina en un gran final con 'Down the Sewer' con los decididamente poco punk siete minutos que dura. Al borde del territorio del álbum conceptual, es una historia posapocalíptica de llegar a la gran ciudad a través de las alcantarillas y encontrar que la vida no es mejor que lo que había abajo. Un ratón de granja que se cuela en la gran ciudad solo para convertirse en otro rattus norvegicus rodeado de latas de coca-cola vacías. De verdad el final parece otra banda. Disco muy interesante, problemático en estos días, fuerte, decadente, exuda odio y frustración pero termina con un anhelo de poder levantarse más allá de la podredumbre y corrupción. No es un disco agradable, no es bonito, pero es muy muy honesto. Hacía rato que un disco no me dejaba pensando tanto, a pesar de escucharse musicalmente simple y pegajoso terminó siendo bastante más.
Die wollen‘s wissen und geben Gas; badass Bass, licks für die Ewigkeit, Schnodderstimme mit Genugtuung im Wiederkauen. Was ist das denn ? Hammond Punk? Rock’n’Rave ? Könnte heute erscheinen, wenn die Perfektion nicht schon in den 70ern erschienen wäre. restless 4.2
Good album. Great vocals and variety of arrangements. Some songs I didn't know I knew too.
Blimey. Why have I never listened to a Stranglers Album before. Love this. Raw. Not overly polished. Proper attitude, nous and musicianship. Bit long but 4/5
Solid album, loved Princess of the Streets! (or queen?) Quality dropped off a bit after that though, hanging around was a low point on the album
New wave punk rock, so cool! Attitude, rumbling bass, keyboards, all in a band! Gets me going. I like the drive of this album. This is the kind of nerdy hooligan music I can get behind. It's the right amount of edgy while also being fun. I like it a lot.
Distinctive sound with the twangy bass and keyboard with punky but not shouty singing
Really enjoyable album for my return to the project. I think I'd have been into these if I was about in the 70s. Brash, swaggering punk rock. Best tracks: Peaches & Hanging Around
Top album, can imagine a lot of these blaring out on a Friday night down at the 42nd Street discotheque back in the day. Best track: Peaches
Yo, I like this a lot! Parts of it kinda remind me of a more punk version of early Elvis Costello. Very cool!
Late 70's British Punk keeps on giving. Excellent bass work, some creeping Doors-style organ-powered jams, and Down in the Sewer dips lightly into prog.
Peaches!!! Say no more. I didn't know this was the band so I'm so glad to be introduced. I really enjoy this album. It has a good punky vibe but it's the organ in the tracks that does it for me.
I love the rawness of early British punk as they incorporate other genres like prog, reggae, and synth. All the tracks are catchy and have memorable tunes. Nothing extraordinary but also has little wrong with it and otherwise a perfectly fine album.
This sounds like one of the earliest branches of the evolution of punk into new wave. Love the synths. Pretty dope.
Yeah, all the attitude of punk but a bit going on musically. Gives a real snap shot of grimy late 70s London living.
The Stranglers burst onto the scene - "Some day I'm gonna smack your face". These droogs bring some more elaborate musicality to punk, with liberal usage of the organ
The lyrcis are not inspired, but the songs are great. Remember seeing them live and it was my first introduction to a hype man!
Another that I wouldn't usually listen to, recognised some songs again. Decent.
I quite enjoy The Stranglers, including this album. Not sure I'll put it on as a whole again though, it drags on just a bit and doesn't contain most of my personal favourites of theirs (Golden Brown, Always The Sun, Strange Little Girl).
I wouldn’t term the stranglers as a punk band, they sound like the link between punk and new wave/new romantic that arrived a few years later. You can bet Adam and the ants had been listening to Get a grip on yourself at some point, stand and deliver has quite a few similarities
Never heard of them before and I'm impressed. They're a good example of English Post-Punk.
Reminds me of the Doors minus the weird mysticism plus a nice beat. Second song sounds like proto-Strokes. A couple of the others remind me of the Cars or Talking Heads. Wire. I like this.
I was surprised. It is quite good. The sound is more aggressive than their latter hits and the melodies are catchy. A punk atmosphere with a wider sound than usual
Great album. Calling this music punk is somehow insufficient because the Stranglers were so much more clever and musically adventurous than many of their peers. But the sneering attitude is there for sure. I love the interplay of guitars and organ, which gives these songs a really distinctive sound. There really isn't another album like this. Fave Songs: Hanging Around, Sometimes, (Get A) Grip [on Yourself], Down in the Sewer, Goodbye Toulouse, Princess of the Streets
I liked it as soon as I heard the line "Someday I want to smack you in the face" in the first song. I enjoyed the rest too, particularly the Peaches song 🥰
Rattus Norvegicus has raw punk energy mixed with psychedelic sounds that create a energetic and fun style which makes for an exciting experience.
Ah, this is what The Stranglers were about. Good honest semi punk rock. And bonus point for no 'Golden Brown', the worst single ever released?