Jun 29 2022
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5
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.
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Mar 02 2021
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5
Really surprised by this one, kept it fresh and interesting
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Aug 14 2021
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4
More than anything, the fucking organ slaps. This is great new wave/punk/with a pub Horror vibe to it.
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Jan 04 2022
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5
Stuart Pearce has seen this mob live over 1000 times.
Psycho clearly has impeccable taste 👌
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Jul 15 2022
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4
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.
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Jan 20 2021
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1
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
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Apr 23 2022
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5
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.
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Feb 09 2022
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4
Well, 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.
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Mar 04 2024
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2
Mix of punk and classic rock. Lots of organ, reasonably accessible and melodic but all very average. Nothing stands out other than the low organ jam in Down The Sewer. As the kids would say, it’s very mid.
5.2/10
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Mar 01 2024
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2
Punk rock polka. The lyrics may have been “ok” in 1977 but definitely didn’t age well. The Stranglers don’t stand out for me.
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Apr 18 2022
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5
Absolutely elctricifying album. Loved the driving bass and viscerally sneering vocals.
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Aug 10 2021
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5
Very cool, very early punk album. I liked it a lot.
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Apr 10 2021
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5
best album EVER..
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Mar 16 2021
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5
(Fuck Yeah) This Album Is Incredible [I love you Dave Greenfield R.I.P] 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑
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Nov 15 2024
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4
I can’t believe a band called “The Stranglers” would have lyrics that didn’t age well.
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Sep 01 2024
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4
Gritty, grimy, gross, gorgeous? Maybe I'm forgetting another G word to describe the tone of this straight up classic UK punk album. The tracks here keep you guessing right up until the end, and nothing feels like it belongs in a box.
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Sep 01 2024
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4
The musical equivalent of a city rat, slick with slime, crawling from the gutter to leer at passing suits.
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Aug 26 2024
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4
I had one of my best Balloon Monkey Tower Defense games with this album in the background. I made it to round 146! All thanks to the humorous energy of The Stranglers, no doubt!
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May 23 2022
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4
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.
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Apr 01 2021
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4
These guys are fun. I like these songs. They are silly, angry, rude, and catchy.
5 stars.
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Jun 07 2021
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4
Would definitely listen to this album again. Great english punk sound.
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Jan 25 2022
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3
Si cet album avait une couleur, ce serait transparent
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Dec 18 2024
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5
Really enjoyed this having never listened to The Stranglers before apart from Golden Brown (which I hate). This album will be in my rotation for sure.
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Nov 24 2024
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5
I love this album. Hanging Around is probably my favorite Stranglers tune. Peaches and Go Buddy Go are up there as well. Even though they get lumped in with punk, I think the keyboards make them sound more like new wave crossed with pub rock. Some songs remind me more of Television than the Damned or the Buzzcocks. Labels are dumb. This is great.
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Oct 10 2024
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5
Classic songs on this album, and they have such a strong unique sound. I love the Stranglers
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Oct 02 2024
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5
Fabulous
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Oct 02 2024
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5
In case you ever wondered what raw power sounded like, look no further. Nasty bass, snarling vocals, heavy organ, this album absolutely drips attitude and punk ethos. "IV"? More like "V"!
Been a long time fan of these guys and this album falls in my personal top 100 records of all time. This is a rare gem on this list that has been rather stale the last few weeks.
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Sep 29 2024
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5
Listen to this album most days in our house. One of the greatest albums in my opinion. Love the music, love the band even without Hugh Cornwall. This was the start of many great albums to come.
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Sep 23 2024
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5
The Stranglers are largely ignored by the current punk scene. Maybe because they're not politically correct enough or maybe because their later work is not very good. This album is great though. Of the original punk bands, they were obviously some of the best musicians. The songs have enough variation. Production is good. I love the bass sound. Favorite song: get a grip
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Aug 28 2024
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5
Absolutely brilliant album from one of the best bands to emerge from the post punk era. The distinctive voice of Hugh Cornwall accompanied by that energetic bass and the overall unique sound that this band produced. Everything about this band is super cool. What an album title too. Fab. Loved it 👍👍
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Jul 31 2024
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5
Loved it!
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Jul 18 2024
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5
Top tier, as always.
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Jul 15 2024
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5
This is the most range I've heard on a punk album besides Marquee Moon and London Calling. Almost every single track brings you an entirely unexpected sound or feel, and I cannot get enough of it. Punk organ slaps unbelievably.
70s/80s punk is becoming very close to being an auto 5 star for me. Picking a favorite track here is very tough, but I'll go with Princess of the Streets and Down in the Sewer
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Jul 05 2024
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5
relisten. very cool
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Jul 03 2024
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5
Any music in the world for me gets bonus point if it gets my parrot dancing, as she’s usually a very reserved little petal. Literally 10 seconds into this album, she was headbanging away and having a great time. I love the mix of basic punk sound with the synths that gives The Stranglers their sound, and makes them so easily identifiable. Nothing is overly complex here, but it absolutely gets the job done and is enjoyable along the way.
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May 14 2024
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5
A band where I like all the songs I know, but wasn't sure how consistent a full album would be. I am glad to now know that it is excellent - probably better as a whole than the Sex Pistols album from around the same time.
Punk with a keyboard doesn't sound like a recipe for success, but it absolutely works.
Clearly shows the link from pub rock to punk, and even shows the way punk would morph after its heyday - a brilliant album. All of their next few albums are now on my (rapidly expanding) "beyond 1,001 albums" list!
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May 02 2024
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5
Had never heard of this band before. They’ve got a fun, unique, kinda carnivalesque punk rock sound. Haven’t heard much punk with an organ player before!
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Apr 19 2024
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5
One of those albums I've never heard, but probably should have. These guys were getting banned from the BBC before I turned 5. Love it.
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Apr 08 2024
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5
Cool! 5/5
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Mar 15 2024
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5
It's punk but there's more sophistication than most.
Opener 'Sometimes' sounds a bit like The Doors 'Love Her Madly' (especially the keyboards). 'Goodbye Tolouse' is in waltz time (3/4) and closes with a barrage of sound effects. 'London Lady' has some hilariously risque lyrics and an awesome guitar solo. 'Princess of the Streets' and 'Down in the Sewer' both sound like a lunatic asylum crossed with a fairground ghost train ride. And 'Peaches' and 'Get A Grip' are familiar classic (and nutty) singles.
I absolutely love this band's sense of wit, irony, satire and the absurd; only a corpse would fail chuckle at the goon-like humor. Debuts don't get much better than this zany album.
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Mar 15 2024
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5
Fabulous album, love this! Still sounds innovative and fresh
🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🍑🍑🍑🍑
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Mar 01 2024
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5
Snarling vocals over howling Hammond Organ. The "middle" 3 tracks of Hanging Around, Peaches and (in particular for me) Get A Grip are probably amongst my favourite punk tracks.
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Feb 23 2024
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5
Great bass throughout.
Peaches!!
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Feb 09 2024
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5
cool
sometimes
goodbye toulouse
london lady
hanging around
get a grip on yourself
down in the sewer
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Feb 02 2024
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5
Pink Floyd meets AC/DC
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Jan 28 2024
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5
Wow this was great. I'd heard Peaches before but nothing else on this album, and I'd never heard of the Stranglers despite liking lots of similar stuff. This was a great find for me today!
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Jan 26 2024
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5
Some really good songs on here!
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Jan 26 2024
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5
Very fun listen and pretty blown away by the consistency. Feels very ahead of its time for 1977, reminds me a bit of an evolution of what Sparks was doing and incorporating deeper synth layers to it. Very enjoyable experience!
Top tracks: Sometimes, Goodbye Toulouse, London Lady, Hanging Around, Get A Grip On Yourself, Ugly, Down In The Sewer
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Jan 26 2024
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5
Great project. Weird in all the best ways, this is making my rotation
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Jan 22 2024
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5
hell yeah.
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Jan 21 2024
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5
not a bad album. I'd listen to it again
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Jan 19 2024
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5
An album I bought at the time on vinyl. It might be labelled Punk but to my prog rock infuenced ears back in 1977 I heard a lot more than the 3 chord trick punk bands around then. This is probably because the Strangler members were a bit older than the average punk rocker and by the addition of Dave Greenfield the keyboard player in the lineup. His swirling organ sound can be heard on most tracks giving the songs an extra layer. I love a rock keyboardist, Emerson, Wakeman, Lord etc, but Greenfield’s organ solo accompanied by Burnel’s thundering bass at the end of Down In The Sewer is magnificent and one of my top keyboard moments. But the Stranglers were and have proven to be great musicians and some of the songs on here are memorable pop tunes. Peaches is particular is a song everyone will know, exceptional guitar riff and cheeky lyrics which will always come into mind (well mine anyway) when on a beach somewhere. It was great to sit down with this album again and remind myself how great the songs are on this album.
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Jan 17 2024
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5
I listened a couple times. It didn't stick with me but I enjoyed the energy.
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Dec 20 2023
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5
I love these guys. They have a fresh, different sound on every track. I love that they have a punk edge to them without it all being bleating into the microphone to the same chords played over and over. Give them their due for having the guts highlight the keyboards.
"Sometimes", "Peaches", and "Get a Grip" are great tracks.
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Dec 01 2023
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5
totally cool, and a total surprise. great songwriting and bass playing
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Nov 30 2023
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5
A mix of punk and pop, without sounding like pop punk. This almost prog in some ways. While obviously punk, there's hints of blues, jazz, boogie and psychedelia that you wouldn't expect. I'd heard "Peaches" before (I guess it was a hit), but "Goodbye Toulouse" and "Hanging Around" are the standout tracks for me. This is a solid album that I suspect would get better with subsequent listens.
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Nov 25 2023
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5
Classic Stranglers album. One of my favorites. '[Get a] Grip [on Yourself]' is my favorite track on the album.
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Nov 09 2023
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5
Never heard before, absolutely loved it
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Oct 10 2023
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5
Oh this is really good, like really good. It seems quite well timed as it's got a fucking organ playing which is very goth/Halloween and it slaps.
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Sep 22 2023
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5
I like the punk rock vibes with the keyboard combo
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Sep 22 2023
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5
First time listening to this and positively impressed. I will definitely relisten and explore The Stranglers's catalog.
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Sep 08 2023
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5
Excellent album, well ahead of its time in a lot of ways.
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Jul 08 2023
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5
Standout track: Peaches
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Jun 01 2023
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5
I like the sound, the guitar playing, the keyboards. Everything stands out.
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May 02 2023
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5
So far the best punk album on the list, in my opinion. First of all, repetitiveness of the beat wasn't that off-putting. In fact, the music, mainly drum and bass line, was amplifying absolutely great vocal work. If we take a look at 70s and 80 punk and post punk albums, that have appeared on this list so far, then it is easily the best singer out there. Exceptional stuff, no filler songs, everything is at least above average. Additionally, there is no way I won't mention "Golden Brown", even if that song wasn't included in this album. One of the greatest melodies ever, it is going to influence the score regardless of the rules. I think in normal circumstances this album would receive a 4 stars from me, but to highlight how much better it is than other punk records, I will give it a full 5 stars. Great album!
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Apr 06 2023
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5
What the hell is this oddly technical prog punk mix and where has it been my entire life???
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Mar 21 2023
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5
Love the keyboard and grungy vocals
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Mar 07 2023
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5
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.
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Mar 01 2023
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5
Punk perfection. Easiest 5 ever.
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Feb 23 2023
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5
Hört ett 10-tal låtar med Stranglers förut men ingen av dem är från denna platta. Att jag missat den? Den är ju lysande.
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Feb 19 2023
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5
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
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Feb 16 2023
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5
Brilliant album
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Feb 07 2023
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5
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!
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Jan 31 2023
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5
A true classic. The deep baritone of singer Hugh Cornwall, alongside the Farfifa organ sells the album.
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Jan 20 2023
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5
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.
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Nov 28 2022
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5
PREFS : TOUT
MOINS PREF : RIEN
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Nov 23 2022
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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.
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Nov 22 2022
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5
Fun musicality, ska adjacent, they have fun with their voices
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Sep 20 2022
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5
very cool
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Sep 14 2022
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5
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!
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Sep 02 2022
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5
At last a true classic
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Sep 01 2022
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5
Punk classic
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Aug 18 2022
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5
Very good album, didn't know them
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Jul 15 2022
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5
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.
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May 15 2022
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5
Unbelievable stuff. Came across it myself a few weeks ago. It got me through my thesis. Very original sound.
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Mar 06 2022
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5
A beautiful album. Kept me hooked till the last min.
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Feb 23 2022
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5
Punk rock setentero. Vinilo.
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Feb 16 2022
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5
This was great.
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Feb 12 2022
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5
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?
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Nov 16 2021
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5
Not the kind of music I usually listen to, but very good!
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Nov 01 2021
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5
Bella scoperta
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Oct 24 2021
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5
love this
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Oct 07 2021
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5
Их нотки есть у строукс, за новаторство 5
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Jan 29 2021
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5
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)
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Dec 20 2024
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4
Nice
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Dec 15 2024
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4
Excellent songwriting and production. A really great example of what punk is capable of becoming with a little sophistication. Well, never mind the lyrics. Not so sophisticated.
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Dec 15 2024
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4
Pretty fly
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Dec 09 2024
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4
Pleasantly surprised with this album. I haven't been much of a fan of punk or new wave by themselves, but this album brings the genres together in a fun and unexpected way. The album threads a really interesting needle, utilizing the strengths of the two genres to mitigate the flaws. Not a masterpiece, but very good. Top tracks: Hanging Around, Peaches, Down in the Sewer
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Dec 09 2024
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4
Don't be fooled by the IV on the sleeve. The Stranglers' eponymous debut album does the trick of not only making punk fit in their image but allowing a tad bit of accessibility possible for the irascible nascent genre.
Favorites: Sometimes, Goodbye Toulouse, London Lady, Hanging Around, Peaches, (Get a) Grip (On Yourself), Down in the Sewer, Go Buddy Go.
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Dec 06 2024
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4
i think im starting to like punk music now lowkey
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