Rattus Norvegicus

I feel like I have listened to this album ten times on this list.

The Stranglers were trolls before trolling was a thing. Unfortunately its a bit of distraction from the music - I love their sound, particularly the growling trebly bass. Side anecdote - I saw them in Rome in 1985. Unbeknownst to me, they had become huge with Golden Brown. We both passing through town at the same time. I walked through a fascist rally in the Piazza del Popolo to get to the show. 100s of ragazzi on Vespas doing the Roman salute to honor the star speaker, Jean-Marie Le Pen. It was scary but I took comfort knowing that such fringe actors would never gain power ...

The guitar and bass are the highlights throughout this album. Some real fun lil guitar riffs and some funky ass bass throughout. Something is just holding it from being a 4, I think the vocals? Idk there’s just something. Anyway this is pretty good, I like it.

Панкуха? Це радує)))

Punk with proggy (prog-ish?) basslines and keyboards. Love the bass, ambivalent about the keys. Gives it a more pop feel. Makes it different and distinctive from other 70s punk, but I don't like it as much. Maybe worth the listing to show the range of styles at the time.

8/10- great album

hanging around,

Today's listen is *Rattus Norvegicus* by The Stranglers, and what a great album this turned out to be! It's a very different sound from the Stranglers' more familiar work, particularly songs like "Golden Brown", and I really enjoyed hearing this earlier, rawer side of the band. Musically, I was surprised by just how much this reminded me of The Doors. There's a similar dark, slightly psychedelic atmosphere, particularly in the keyboards, but with a much heavier bass sound and a raw punk edge. It's an interesting combination, and one that works brilliantly. The musicianship throughout is excellent. The bass playing is particularly impressive, driving so many of the songs forward and giving the album a really distinctive sound. The guitar work is equally good, and I love how the different instruments work together. There's a real energy and attitude to the music, but it's also far more interesting and varied than I was expecting from a punk album of this period. "Peaches" is an absolute classic. The bassline is fantastic, the whole song has a wonderful swagger, and I have to admit that I quite enjoy the rather smutty lyrics! It's cheeky, funny and musically superb. I also really enjoyed "Down in the Sewer", which is a brilliant piece of music. It's ambitious, full of interesting changes and shows just how talented the band were. What I particularly liked about this album is that it doesn't simply rely on the speed and aggression of punk. There's plenty of melody, atmosphere and some really interesting arrangements. It has a darker, slightly menacing sound, but there's also a lot of humour and personality running through it. Overall, *Rattus Norvegicus* was a fantastic listen and one of those albums that makes me want to explore more of a band's work. I knew some of the Stranglers' better-known songs, but I hadn't appreciated just how good their early material was. This is a really strong album, full of great musicianship, character and memorable songs. I'll definitely be listening to it again. Favourite tracks: "Down in the Sewer" and "Peaches". Both are musically superb, with fantastic bass and guitar playing. And who doesn't enjoy the wonderfully smutty lyrics of "Peaches"? Least favourite track: Nothing really. Everything on the album is worth a listen, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Album artwork: A really cool cover with a slightly dark and creepy feel. Very fitting, as I'm listening to this around Halloween!

had its moments, but the stranglers are the sort of band that can be enjoyed through a "best of"

Too bad none of them could write a song. Even worse, there’s maybe three decent melodic ideas on the entire album. One suspects that all of the hammy rock and roll attitude is just a sad attempt to compensate for their lack of musical aptitude; or to distract the listener in hopes that we won’t notice.

Never my favourite of the first wave of punk bands, but they make a reasonable racket and the use of keyboards does stnd them out a bit

It’s always exhilarating when you don’t have a single frame of reference for an album, then immediately get hit with something absurd like “Someday I’m gonna smack your face” on loop This album is entirely unhinged! I think I’m being a little willfully ignorant with the lyrics because I can tell they’d probably have me seething if I concentrated too hard, but I’m taken in by the drama of it all and telling myself they’re self-aware about it (maybe?)

Solid but unlikely to return

Weird and likable, like a lot of similar synthy punky Brit stuff of this vintage. Parts of it remind me of the first Ultravox album, and that's a compliment. But there's also a fair amount of filler. 3.5

Excellent. More melodic than most of their peers.

I don't know. I'm not really feeling it

I feel like I should be taking more notes here, but I also don't have much to say. This is good. ⭐⭐⭐.51

Love

So that's who wrote that song

middle of the road album - it didn't spark an immense amount of joy but it didn't feel like a slog either.

I listened to this almost a week ago and forgot to write the review once I finished the album. Nothing spectacular that I was dying to come back to for another listen but not that bd either.

It was fine. Some songs were fun, but it was mostly just meh

Guitar solos and fun elements with organ/horns are what brought this to like a 2.8 but other than that nothing moved me. Highlight: Ugly

To add to library

Sleaze of the highest order, love the commitment to the misogyny bit that I hope is actually a bit.

love the keyboard in the background, such a distinct sound. i've never really paid attention to the lyrics of peaches before - yuck!

good

What a post punk (with a but of proto punk thrown in) blind spot this was for me. I had admittedly never heard of The Stranglers- is that an Organ mixed with my punk? Television meets the Doors?

ok

There is something just so unseemly and off-putting about this band. It's not like The Cramps or GWAR where there's a degree of fun and satire, they just seem like they are just predisposed to unpleasantness. Hard to actually like this record but Hanging Around and Get a Grip on Yourself are great tunes.

Another British group/album I’ve never heard of. I guess this list is causing me to broaden my listening scope. That said - vocals were bad, and I didn’t think anything was outstanding about it. A couple tracks were ok, but for the most part, I didn’t care for it.

If you told me this was a Talking Heads cover band, I would believe you. Not bad, but nothing unique about this. No reason to be on the list.

Sort of sounds like a a post-punk doors album.

Ahh another British rock bad I never heard of. Might be a me problem at this point. Liking the opening track. It’s got some organ synth sounds to a rocking punk sound. Might be an actual banger. Actual organ solo that rules. As a whole their sound is pretty great. Those droning British punk vocals aren’t my favorite but they work for a lot of it. Some of it gets a littler out there or more regular punk sound, but I’m liking. There are solid guitar solos throughout. Love the keyboard and organs and synth sound that is on a lot these tracks. This feels like a real defined sound beyond typical punk. Guess this was early new wave? Either way, great stuff. I liked this album a lot. This is a 4. One of the few unheard of albums/bands that I immediately liked while listening to it.

Loved hearing these guys from the late ‘70s.

Is there a clinical condition where you're just really sick of drab, overproduced, 80s-coated new wave? Because if so, I have that.

01) Sometimes - 7,5 02) Goodbye Toulouse - 7,0 03) London Lady - 6,5 04) Princess of the Streets - 6,5 05) Hanging Around - 7,5 06) Peaches - 7,5 07) (Get A) Grip (On Yourself) - 7,0 08) Ugly - 6,0 09) Down in the Sewer - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,94 (69/100) Current ranking: 617/1060

The first track came right on the heels of “Run for your life” from our Rubber Soul review, which provided an interesting … um… thematic segue. * dislike.

Its albums like this that make the 1001 albums journey worth it. Zappa meets Television, meets The Modern Lovers, meets the Misfits, meets the B52s. I love everything about this band & prior to today, I never new they existed. 5 stars 9.2 out of 10.

First time hearing this album, and holy shit. Incredible. It's like a new wave version of IDLES, except somehow from 1977. These guys are just firing on all cylinders. Fast-moving, absolutely ferocious basslines, killer synths and keyboards, and this relentless energy that never really lets up. The keyboard work in particular is phenomenal. There's so much Ray Manzarek in here, but I also hear Sparks, Steve Nieve from Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and even some Zappa. Imagine Steve Nieve playing with the Doors while Glenn Danzig handles lead vocals. That's sort of what we're dealing with here. It's so aggressively, unmistakably British. It's giving Buzzcocks. It's giving the Misfits. It's giving the Smiths. I can hear the influence on the Strokes, and it really reminds me of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, especially in that combination of driving, almost primitive rock and roll with these wonderfully absurd, deadpan lyrics. And the lyrics! They're so fucking dumb that they're brilliant. There's something almost confrontational about how ridiculous some of this stuff is. Like they're daring you to take it seriously, while the music behind it is absolutely phenomenal. And that's what really elevates this album for me. Underneath all the punk and new wave attitude, there's some seriously sophisticated musicianship going on. The basslines are practically lead instruments, and the keyboards aren't just adding texture. They're weaving in and out of everything, sometimes driving the melody, sometimes doing these wild, almost psychedelic runs that sound straight out of the Doors. The whole thing has this fascinating layered quality, where it feels like instruments and musical ideas are being stacked on top of one another. There's almost a progressive rock or jam-band sensibility to some of the arrangements, like Zappa filtered through the British punk scene. It's chaotic, but somehow incredibly tight and deliberate. These guys can really fucking play. And I mean, any album that closes with a miniature, multi-part rock opera about sewer rats is absolutely my shit. "Down in the Sewer" is just glorious. It's ridiculous, ambitious, musically adventurous, and completely committed to the bit. Who the hell thinks to do something like that on their debut album? And who manages to make it work this well? I think what I love most about this record is how many seemingly incompatible things are happening at once. It's punk, but it's too musically sophisticated to fit comfortably into that box. It's new wave, but it's dirtier, meaner, and more aggressive. It's got the manic energy of garage rock, the keyboards of psychedelic rock, the attitude of punk, and these weird, almost progressive arrangements holding everything together. And somehow it all works. It sounds like a band that doesn't particularly give a shit what they're supposed to sound like, and the result is something completely distinctive. This is exactly the kind of album I love discovering through this project. Something I'd never really spent time with before, that sounds simultaneously like a dozen bands I already love and yet entirely like its own thing. It's funny, nasty, weird, absurd, incredibly catchy, and musically brilliant. What a fucking debut. 9.1/10.

Enjoyed it more than I expected. Quirky post-punk vibe.

Peaked at Peaches, the rest is just like an extended jam session.

Real solid and sleezy, sounds like a flat roof pub alright

Pretty good

This was fun

This is kinda odd, it opens with what seems like punk over video game music, and progressively gets tamer with a couple of good tracks in the middle (Get a grip on yourself, sounds like Art Brut heard that and made a whole record), but maybe not enough to play it on repeat.

Some fun songs but gets repetitive. 3/5

I enjoyed this one and have def heard “peaches” before, but def didn’t get the whole sleeze rock of it all til I listened to it in context with album.

A cross between the Talking Heads and the Clash (?), leaning toward the London sound. 2.5/5.0, maybe 3.0/5.0

I don't think it's worn well, but it's an absolute classic of its time. A breakthrough album.

3.1095

The Strokes but older?

I like the music (some great drums, guitar and organ) but the lyrics are just too creepy and gross. Choosey Susie, Go Buddy Bo, Ugly, Princess of the Streets are all eww and make me feel dirty. Your band's name is The Stranglers was the first clue. You are a fan of the Stranglers tells me you side with the Cornell 7 without directly saying it. I'm good not to hang out with these guys or listen to them again.

The opening lyrics about wanting to smack someone (presumably his woman) were a bit of a turn off, but the music itself was pretty fun and catchy throughout.

I can't help but think about Fred Armisen's punk character who really loves Margaret Thatcher (Rest in Piss) and sings about her in all her songs when I hear this style of punk music. Not really relevant to this album but just wanted to share. Album was fun, but not really my thing Best Song: Get a Grip on Yourself Rating: 6.5/10 Stars: 3

Very extravagant and unique.

I think this one had real potential, it feels a lot more original than most of the post-punk I've heard from this list. But unfortunately, it really doesn't do much with such a unique sound, and it still ends up being a pretty generic and formulaic album. Being such an early post-punk album before the punk rock movement had even really reached its peak gives it a really raw and aggressive sound that albums from the 80s really lack, and yet for some reason it underutilises that sound so much. I did enjoy this, but it's frustrating knowing how much more it could have been.

First time listening to a full album from them. Only really knew them from Golden Brown and it clearly doesn't represent their sound well (even though I do love the song). This is a really fun and good new wave-ish album honestly 3/5

I knew nothing about the Stranglers except Golden Brown. This was great on a Saturday night. Yes, some of the lyrics are pretty iffy, but musically I thought it was great.

Don’t let this be the last album I hear before I die

The Stranglers nousi kuuluisuuteen punkin ja uuden aallon myötä, mutta yhtyeen musiikissa oli vahvoja kaikuja 60-luvun rockista. Eritoten kosketinsoittimien käyttö muistuttaa The Doorsista. Kyseessä on onnistunut debyyttilevy, jonka parhaimmiksi kappaleiksi valitsisin Peachesin ja Hanging Aroundin, josta Hassisen Kone on tainnut ottaa mallia Levottomat jalat-biisiin.

Groupe connu par le tube ‘Golden Brown’ que j’aime beaucoup. Mais les autres morceaux de l’album correspondant (‘la folie’) m’avaient plutôt déçu à l’époque. Que dire de ce premier album ? Il est très différent de Golden Brown ! J’aime beaucoup le son et les lignes de basse. L’orgue apporte beaucoup, en particulier sur les nombreuses parties instrumentales (excellentes surprises). Rien à dire sur la guitare, mais je trouve la batterie plutôt moyenne. La première face du disque est excellente, mais j’ai plutôt été déçu par la seconde, moins intéressante (Ugly -). Bilan mitigé donc, mais je pense que je l’écouterais de nouveau. =>3/5

Sounds kinda modern

Enjoyable album with good instrumentals and quite a few fun songs. Not perfect as there are a few dud songs but it fits my taste well and I enjoy it a lot. I like the keyboard parts. best songs: sometimes, peaches and hanging around.

Bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed parts of it, particularly the last couple of tracks but most of it is pretty mediocre. You can hear how it heavily influenced new wave.

An extra star for the novelty of having an organ

Pretty good.

Noisy

Aight, not much to say. Too bops: Peaches

Like a lot of blokes my age I had a teenage dalliance with punk rock, some of us stuck with it relentlessly, but I moved on after a while. So did the Stranglers. This album, and the Stranglers first three or four albums were a huge part of this youthful excitement, I played this album to death at the time. Fifty years later I still have the occasional listen and I pretty much still know all the words, even though I can't remember what I had for breakfast! Some big Stranglers tunes on this album, Go Buddy Go, Grip, Peaches, Hanging Around, all brilliant, but I also really like the opener Sometimes with Dave's flowery keyboard opening over a thundering rhythm and London Lady.

fun as hell. very surprised by how much i liked this one - the two popular songs in the middle were actually my lesser favorite. starts of and ends strong. really didn’t like princess of the street and have no clue how peaches is their most popular song

I wasn't in the best mood to listen to this. Tired and burned out. Songs were alright though.

Damn, that organ can -shred-. Bit hampered by the blatant misogyny though.

Good basslines, powerfull voice and an organ to give it a bit of a lush tone. So are the weird lyrics just censor baiting or ironic or some sort of callout? Fuck if I know, but it does mean you can't just throw it on, listen to it with your buddies without context and not expect questions from that one guy who's paying attention. Every group has one. Not yours? Well then it must be you.

I dig rock songs with an organ in the mix. Definitely some Doors vibes with these songs.

day 1 of not rolling Aja by Steely Dan trying something new. if brandon can manifest morrissey, i will manifest Aja by keeping track of how many days we don't get it. this is cool, i think? some of the riffs are a lot of fun, and the organ slaps, but i'm not loving the bass and i don't know why i'm paying so much attention to it. also, what uhhh are these lyrics? anybody? hello?

this was surprisingly fun and i want more

Something about the vocals… couldn’t fully vibe with it

Pretty fun!

The Stranglers are one that I’ve meant to check out for a while. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself) is up there with the best songs I’ve heard through the album generator. I would like just a bit less organ. Puts me in a Doors headspace.

Very different from golden brown

pretty cool

Another band I'd never heard of but I did recognise the hits from the album. Like a few other albums I've heard from this era, it’s clear to see that classic late 70s transition where the raw aggression of punk started blending with catchy pop melodies and synth driven new wave, setting the exact blueprint for the 80s sound. Dave Greenfield's swirling organ work really gives it a distinct, moody edge compared to typical guitar led punk. This musical blend makes it an easy album to listen to. I didn’t find it anything particularly special to rave about, but overall it's an okay debut album. 6/10

Punk leve. Mas o sintetizador truando. Bem final do anos 70. Mas senti no final que poderia ter ido mais né?! Dito isto, gostei de Goodbye Toulouse, Hanging Around e Peaches.

Silly and fun album. Can definitely hear the beginnings of new wave

I wasn't expecting this at all. Many of the tracks on here slap and slap HARD. Favourite Track(s): Princess of the Streets, Go Buddy Go, Sometimes Least Favourite Track(s): London Lady

Some bass I liked, some great organ action. Not the most revolutionary or catchy punk album I’ve ever heard, but it gets the job done, I guess. Also burdened by some grating vocal performances and truly questionable writing. It’s kind of proto-cock rock in that sense. Bumping the rating up for the keyboard/organ work; it was the one thing that stood out in a positive sense.

The Stranglers are the British equivalent of The Doors. On the mind map of rock, they are both moderately interesting end points. I think the list is better served by the "nodes" albums which other bands were able to build on. It's too bad this album isn't more interesting, had better songs, be made by better musicians, or have something more to say. It's perfectly fine but I wouldn't tell anyone they "needed to hear it".

Yeah, an alternative punk sensibility, but underwhelming

Not the greatest but not bad either.

Good

I expected The Stranglers to sound more like a punk rock band, which they do, but they are more a punk rock band with some Doors influences mixed in with their overall sound. I am not a huge fan of a few songs being inspired by the punching/slapping/assault on a girlfriend. The songs are catchy though? Even if some of the subject matter is more stereotypical gangsta rap then it is 70's punk. I don't know if I would put this on the level of some of the other punk albums I have discovered in this book, like Television and The Clash, etc. but this is a very enjoyable album that I am glad was in this book. Top tier, no, but I love the inclusion of the keyboards with the punk-ish sound. My favorite tracks: Sometimes Goodbye Toulouse Princess of the Streets Hanging Around Peaches (Get A) Grip [on Yourself] Go Buddy Go

Хороший рокерский альбом

...

This music sounds like if Jim Morrison was born and raised in a rough estate pub in the 70s. 4/5

It’s interesting, I like some songs.

Fun album. That punk style that eventually becomes 80s pop.

I can appreciate how this band kind of operates outside of punk orthodoxy; at least in theory, I appreciate the organs and the vocals and the "against the grain" stuff they were kind of doing. And it's really not a bad record at all, even if it's not something that I'm really into. I just struggle to hear a punk band from England from around this time that I don't hear shades of the Clash with, and I've never been into them at all (maybe the Stranglers precede the Clash? I honestly don't know). And, from a songwriting perspective, I didn't hear anything on this record that I felt like I needed to hear twice. Anyway, this is probably a decent enough record that I know I'll never revisit. 7/10

Decent for punk new wave, a genre I am not the biggest fan of in general. But felt like this was working well, felt like spooky horror-esque punk that you could play at a Halloween party.

First two songs on side two are a league beyond everything else. The keyboard always put me off these guys a little but I like their attitude.