Stranglers & Friends [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Product Description
Live at The Rainbow, London, April 4th 1980. 17 tracks with musician friends guesting like Robert Fripp & Peter Hammil on 'Tank' & 'Peaches' with Ian Dury, Wilko Johnson, Davey Payne, John Turnbill & Toyah Wilcox. Remastered with sleeve notes & many rare photos. 2002.

Tracks:

Peaches
Something Better Change
No More Heroes
Walk On By
Duchess
Golden Brown
Strange Litlle Girl
European Female
Skin Deep
Nice In Nice
Always The Sun
Big In America
All Day And All Of The Night
96 Tears
No Mercy

Customer Reviews:

My Introduction.......2006-07-06

I'm really new to the Stranglers in the big picture of things. Either they never really crossed over the Atlantic or when they did I was off doing other things, or both. So I only got into the Stranglers about two years ago. I got a best of cd (this one here) and it has gotten me hooked to acquire their whole catalog. I've got 4 cd's in and each one has at least 2 or 3 really good songs on it (probably more its still very early, I got them today). All I can say about this collection is that I am amazed that the Stranglers have put out so many different live and greatest hits cd's. Amazon has listed 90 Strangler items and I would bet that 20 of them are unique live and greatest hits cd's.
I was in London in May 2006 and on the Tube they were advertising another Stranglers "Very Best Of" CD, its just unreal for one band to have 10 different "best Of" CD's! If you buy one of these, chances are after a while you will yearn for everything they put out, the songs are that good, so find the cheapest "Best of" you can find and be prepared to get all their other releases!

STRANGLERS' GREATEST.......2005-10-28

British punk band evolved into a shiny pop outfit before imploding in the early '90's.Their greatest hits package offers glistening pop sheen, ("Skin Deep", "No Mercy"), art-pop Euro-lounge, ("European Female"), punk with careful pop borders, ("Something Better Change"), some lame and toughened up covers, (The Kink's "All Day And All Of The Night", and ? and The Mysterians' "96 Tears"), and a dark, eight minute, guitar soloed, organ pounding version of Burt Bacharach's "Walk On By". It may be said The Stranglers, with so many musical styles, lacked an identity of their own, but there's no denying the 15 tracks on this disc offer an upbeat, addictive listening experience.

Lovin' this CD.......2004-02-19

This CD is my first exposure to this group, and I must say that I'm quite impressed. Some songs fall in categoies that range from punk to a sort of disco-punk, but most of the songs are straight new-wave from later in their career. Some of the new wave is quite inspired, some of it can admittedly border on cheesy, but overall this is a great package with some wonderful songs. It's obvious that these songs are geared more toward pop sensibilities than any need to innovate or push boundaries, but the material is not derivative either. It's intelligent, well-done, and most importantly, fun.

"No more heroes" is a perfect combination of the best elements of British nihilistic punk and new wave music, and has some very smart, cynical lyrics as well. "Golden Brown" is a great song that has such a catchy folksy kind of feel that I was shocked to discover it's actually about heroin. "Strange Little Girl" is also a catchy, well-crafted song.

I'd recommend this to anyone who's a fan of UK punk, new wave, and the Manchester music scene of the 90s, as the Stranglers' music has elements of all these genres.

For misogynists, they make pretty good music!.......2004-01-31

I knew very little about the Stranglers, except for the downloaded copy of "Peaches" that I had been playing on constant rotation. (A great feat considering my ultra-feminist status.) I took a leap of faith, and went ahead and bought it. This is defintely a good buy for Stranglers fans, and it had some really good songs. There are one or two of them that I couldn't stand, though. (But, it was only $10.00, so I was happy.) Bottomline: If you have $10.00 to throw around, go ahead and buy it. If you want to get something you're 100% sure you'll like, look for something else.

good but lacking some great songs.......2003-07-05

I love The Stranglers and basically these are not thier greatest songs, altho this is the only one I was able to find "Always the Sun".
This album is missing Dead Los Angeles, Baroque Bordello, Ugly, Don't Bring Harry, The Man They Love to Hate, Nuclear Device, and more! They were such a great band and this is not their greatest. you dont get a taste of their great sense of humor as in the song Ugly.
You basically have to get The Raven, Rattus Norvegicus, La Folie, and Aural Sculptures to get the best of the Stranglers. This is a drag because altho I have all the cassetes including Black and White, the tape is starting to stretch, so now I have to get them on CD's.

Average customer rating:

Superb Collection From This Unique Band!
Good 80s stuff

Peaches: Very Best of
Stranglers
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)
The Stranglers - Greatest Hits 1977-1990
Aural Sculpture
Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
Rattus Norvegicus

ASIN: B000067UKH
Release Date: 2002-06-17

Tracks:

Peaches
Golden Brown
Walk On By
No More Heroes
Skin Deep
Hanging Around
All Day And All Of The Night
Straighten Out
Nice 'N' Sleazy
Strange Little Girl
Who Wants The World
Something Better Change
Always The Sun (Sunny Side Up Mix)
European Female
Grip '89 (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
Duchess
5 Minutes
Don't Bring Harry
La Folie
96 Tears

Album Description

Includes singles from their years with both EMI & Sony. 20 tracks, 'Peaches', 'Golden Brown', 'Walk On By', 'No More Heroes', 'Skin Deep', 'Hanging Around', 'All Day & All Of The Night', 'Straighten Out', 'Nice 'N' Sleazy', 'Strange Little Girl', 'Who Wants The World', 'Something Better Change', 'Always The Sun' (Sunny Side Up Mix), 'European Female', 'Grip '89 (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)', 'Duchess', '5 Minutes', 'Don't Bring Harry', 'La Folie' & '96 Tears'.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Single Disc Compendium of the Punk Band that Lasted the Longest Since the Original English Punk Era Began. The Stranglers Beat Out the Sex Pistols as England's Favorite Punks at the Time and it Will Always Be to their Credit. This Unique Collection Includes Tracks from Both their United Artists Years and First Years on Cbs Records, Making it the Most Complete Assemblage of their Hits Ever.

Customer Reviews:

Superb Collection From This Unique Band!.......2004-06-15

The Stranglers are one of those bands that are hard to describe, they have a sound that is distinctly their own. Part of the punk movement of the seventies, they were more advanced musically and lyrically than most of Britain's punk bands. This superb collection contains such gems as "No More Heroes", "Straighten Out", "All Day And All Of The Night" (remember the original by The Kinks? Well The Stranglers do a great job covering this classic), "96 Tears" (another classic originally a hit for the sixty's group "? And The Mysterians", "Golden Brown", "Dutchess", "Always The Sun", "Skin Deep", and "La Folie" plus more. The only song missing is "All Roads Lead To Rome". The remastering is excellent with crisp highs, increased midrange and extended output. Highly recommended!

Good 80s stuff.......2004-03-01

This is a very good cd. i had never heard of the sranglers before a friend shared a track with me. and what can i say? i'm hooked. being a new fan, this album was obviously the one for me to get because it is a collection of their best songs. I really love the tracks "Golden Brown" and "Peaches" and "Always the Sun" and... well every other song. Maybe you've heard the song "All Day and All of the night" I'm not sure if they are the original recorders of this song, but its cover if not. If you are a fan of 80s music (stuff that you'd see on the wedding singer soundtrack) I definitely suggest this album! Good variety too: melodic, upbeat, fantastical, and fun... BUY IT TODAY!

Average customer rating:

Far Better Than Expected - Especially For A Cornwell Fan
This one's a grower
British Music Fan
Better Than Expected
All Hail The Meninblack !

Suite XVI
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Norfolk Coast
No More Heroes
Aural Sculpture
Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
The Meninblack

ASIN: B000GG4T3W
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Tracks:

Unbroken
Spectre Of Love
She's Slipping Away
Summat Outanowt
Anything Can Happen
See Me Coming
Bless You (Save You, Spare You, Damn You)
A Soldier's Diary
Barbara (Shangri-La)
I Hate You
Relentless

Album Description

The 2006 Opus from the Band that was Named Best Punk Band in the UK (Over Media Sensations the Sex Pistols). This Album Marks the Beginning of "Stranglers Mk Iii", Following the Very Amicable Departure of Lead Singer Paul Roberts. Vocal Duties Are Now Shared by Founding Bassist Jean-jacques Burnell and Guitarist Baz Warne. The Menininblack also Return to the EMI Fold Where They Began their Journey Over 30 Years Prior and Keep the Darkness Perpetuated with their Unique Brand of Aggressive Rock.

Album Details

Customer Reviews:

Far Better Than Expected - Especially For A Cornwell Fan.......2007-05-31

Trying to replace Hugh Cornwell would seem an impossible task - akin to replacing Weller of The Jam or Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) - but JJ, Jet Black and Dave Greenfield pull it off here. What's terrific is that you don't find yourself comparing the CD to older material (and finding it lacking). The music presented here is enjoyable on its merits, rather than for nostalgia value - the songs rock out rather well. It is wonderful to hear Dave Greenfield all over his Moog (a monophonic synthesizer, i.e. no chords - when I saw the original Stranglers at the Ritz during the Dreamtime tour Greenfield was sweating buckets, he has to be the hardest working keyboardist in rock). Similarly Jean Jacques (JJ) Burnel's "Barracuda Bass" is as exciting as ever. These two instruments entwine to create the signature Stranglers sound. The relatively recent addition of guitarist/vocalist Baz Warne (he signed on for Norfolk Coast) completes the picture: he growls and snarls much like the Stranglers of old. The end result is that this is a Stranglers CD through and through. That's not easy for me to say: I greatly admire the coarse, abrasive sound of No More Heroes and Black And White and was very skeptical of this CD - some of the material that came after Hugh departed was less than memorable. Nonetheless, I can't stop listening to Suite 16. In fact I've never written a review for Amazon and probably never will again so clearly I'm inspired - I'd advise making this purchase, seeing the lads should they tour near you - and turning up the volume. There may indeed be No More Heroes but we still have The Stranglers. Count your blessings.

This one's a grower.......2007-03-09

This really is quite a good album, but most of all, most of the songs have an enjoyable, strong hook. There is one track, "Summat Outanowt," which has grungy lead vocals and bass by J.J., and while it's gripping, it's not one that you'd want to play often. Let's say a little of it goes a long way. "Barbara (Shangri-La)" is really cool: it's as if the "Straighten Out" single had been altered and re-written during the Laurie Latham (Aural Sculpture and Dreamtime) period.

A particularly melodic and pleasing tune is the final track, "Relentless," but maybe I like it because it features strong keys from Dave Greenfield and some crunchy J.J. basslines, reminiscent of The Raven album.

Although I one of the things I like most about The Stranglers is their melodicism, I have always found "Golden Brown" to be boring and repetitive -- and my favorite band is Tangerine Dream, so I am used to repetitive keyboard bonanzas. Give me stuff like "(Get a) Grip (on Yourself," "I Feel Like a Wog," "Dutchess," "Tramp" or "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" any time. My type of repetitive is more in the vein of "Love 30," "Pawsher," and "The Man They Love to Hate."

Except for "Anything Can Happen," which sounds way too much like a Paul Roberts song, this is a really strong album, once you get used to it. I didn't like it much the first few times I played it, but it grew on me to the point where I much prefer it to Norfolk Coast, overall.

British Music Fan.......2007-03-08

Suite XVI is a disappointment - the older Stranglers stuff is better. Don't waste your cash on this album. Buy The Shins instead.

Better Than Expected.......2007-03-02

The Stranglers toured Norfolk Coast down here a couple of years ago and completely blew me away. I bought the album at the gig and it stayed in my CD player for 6 weeks straight. It was a revelation from start to finish.
Hearing that Paul Roberts had departed made me a little skeptical but I thought I would dive in anyway and I'm glad I did. Whilst it doesn't really have anything that stands out as much as the better tracks on Norfolk Coast [the title track, Big Thing Coming] it is a consistently good effort. On first listen I thought it was OK but after only a couple of listens I found myself wandering around the office with different songs stuck in my head.
This album is far more hard rock than punk, although A Soldier's Diary possibly sounds more punk than anything they ever did in the 70's and Summat Ouotanowt could almost be an out-take from Black and White. What really amazed me was that, if I didn't know he had left, I would have assumed it was Paul Roberts singing most of the time. I think it must be Baz Warne who has a similar voice, with JJ doing the screaming punk vocals where appropriate [but I could have it backwards]. Some of the lyrics are quite funny, albeit in a fart joke kind of way.
On the downside, there are some pretty average songs, as there were on Norfolk Coast, and Dave Greenfield's keys are a lot more conservative [too much organ for my liking] and the funny lyrics are just silly in places.
That said, I quite like this album but I have to register my surprise at the other reviews. I think Norfolk Coast is a much better album but this is a strong follow-up nonetheless.

All Hail The Meninblack !.......2007-02-13

Less in more - now that it's "The Stranglers four" again - everything you loved about the vintage Stranglers sound is here, and then some...JJ's growling bass & vocals, Dave Greenfield's swirling, analogue keys, Jet Black's muscular, drum-machine-on-steroids drumming, and newest member Baz Warne's edgy Telecaster twang? Dare I say it's enough to make H.C. proud - plus those great Stranglers harmonies & a healthy dose of old-school punk attitude too - all add up to this record being a refreshing blast of rock & roll! Take some of the aggression of "Black & White", the psychedelia of "The Raven" & mix with a dash of "Dreamtime" melody, and you just might begin to get a feel for some of the music here, at least that's my initial impression, though this record is still growing on me. Lots to listen to here...old fans of the band will not be disappointed...and to those new comers? All I can say is, if this were the first album by one of those dime-a-dozen "punk" bands of today, the media would be hailing this as an album for the ages.

Average customer rating:

Great Picture and Some Great Songs Too
Growth doesn't always hurt
Move over Beethoven... here come the Stranglers
Stranglers are always worth 5 stars
Mediocre Stranglers

Dreamtime
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: Sbme Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Aural Sculpture
Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
The Meninblack
La Folie
Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)

ASIN: B00005NZHA
Release Date: 2001-10-22

Tracks:

Always the Sun
Dreamtime
Was It You?
You'll Always Reap What You Sow
Ghost Train
Nice in Nice
Big in America
Shakin' Like a Leaf
Mayan Skies
Too Precious
Since You Went Away
Norman Normal
Dry Day
Hit Man
Was It You [7" Version]
Burnham Beeches

Album Description

Import remastered reissue of 1987 album that's out-of-print domestically. 16 tracks including seven bonus tracks, 'Since You Went Away', 'Norman Normal', 'Dry Day', 'Hit Man', 'Was It You?'(7 inch version) & 'Burnham Beeches'.

Customer Reviews:

Great Picture and Some Great Songs Too.......2006-10-17

The most interesting thing about this release to me is the song "Dreamtime" because it sounds like a song John Lennon might have made had he been around in 1985. It takes trivial pop riffs and "warps" them so that reality, which is otherwise quite dull and oppressive, becomes enhanced. Also, a certain anxiety creeps into the music as it approaches the end of the song. In fact, like many of Lennon's songs, it goes out of its way to crystallize the energy it has created and pop models based on blues cadences offer the best format for doing this. It captures the lightheaded state of "sitting here doing time."

Otherwise, The Stranglers soften their grip on this one with an Iggy Pop ripoff, "Was It You?" (Yes, it is me and I'm going to sue you guys.) Also, we have the likable "Ghost Train," with its Bono/Jim Morrison laments and assorted whistles. All of the songs are quite good.

The cassette ends with two very excellent songs: "Mayan Skies" and "Too Precious." "Too Precious" is arguably the best song I have ever heard. It takes Latin music and runs it throught the heads of mad Englishmen, who are musically madly talented.

The cd has additional tracks that I can't comment on.

Growth doesn't always hurt.......2005-06-18

My first experience of The Stranglers was the "Black & White" album. I've been a fan of just about ALL their albums since!

The Stranglers started out as a harsh, edgy sounding band whose style was each member playing a different riff(s) held together by Jet Black's rock-steady drumming.

In time, they began smoothing-out & becoming more lush. The vocals going from a snarl to a murmuring croon. They're still The Stranglers, mind you!

This album marks their most musically mature work(s) without becoming saccahrine or schmaltzy. It's very "Euro", but it's not pop. It's more concrete than Kraftwerk, having roots in the late punk era. A very interesting album that's easy to listen to.

Move over Beethoven... here come the Stranglers.......2002-05-08

I'm a big fan of the Stranglers ever since a friend turned me on to their early stuff like "Golden Brown" and "Midnight Summer's Dream". This album holds true to that style with songs like "Always the Sun", "Mayan Skies" and the title track. But my favorite and possibly all-time fave Stranglers cut is "Too Precious", an absolute masterpiece and culmination of the Stranglers unique talent for fine lyrics and musical arrangement. My grandfather, a classical music aficianado, would have loved this piece. The way the bass carries a hypnotic beat throughout, while the guitar and and synthesizers build to a crescendo at the end. I love it.

Stranglers are always worth 5 stars.......2002-03-01

well nearly always. This Album is for everyone who loves good pop music that gets not boring. Listening Tips: Always The Sun, Mayan Skies, Shankin' Like A Leaf, Too Precious. If you like the old stuff '77-'79 this one is probably too soft, oh well The stranglers were luckily never Motorhead or AC/DC and published 100 times the same album just with different titles. GET This one!

Mediocre Stranglers.......2001-06-26

Hate to disagree with the other reviewers but as an avid Stranglers fan, this is just so so as far as they go. Granted "Always The Sun, Big In America, and Nice N Nice" are good solid songs but the rest of this is rather tepid and uninteresting. FOr an introduction to the Stranglers I would recommend "La Folie" or "Aural Sculpture".

Average customer rating:

Classic punk of the highest caliber
Possibly the best punk album of them all!
A Masterpiece From Head to Toe
One of the true classics
Gutter Expressionism

Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

British Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

No More Heroes
Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)
The Meninblack
La Folie

ASIN: B00005MAG8
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Tracks:

Sometimes
Goodbye Toulouse
London Lady
Princess Of The Streets
Hanging Around
Peaches
(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
Ugly
Down In The Sewer: Falling/Down In The Sewer/Trying To Get Out Again/Rats Rally
Choosey Susie
Go Buddy Go
Peasant In The Big Shitty (Live)

Album Description

UK repackaged reissue of 1977 album, includes new artwork with extensive sleeve notes & previously unseen photos. 12 tracks including three bonus tracks, 'Choosey Susie', 'Go Buddy Go', 'Peasant In The Big Shitty' (Live).

Album Details

Digitally remastered and with bonus tracks 'Choosey Susie', 'Go Buddy Go' and 'Peasant in the Big Shitty (Live)'. also includes restored artwork, complete lyrics and many previously unseen photos. the Stranglers beat out the Sex Pistols as the UK's favorite punk band in 1977 and the reasons why are on this disc!

Customer Reviews:

Classic punk of the highest caliber.......2006-11-07

I'll never forget when my little brother first brought this album home and we listened to it. I knew the Stranglers were good because I had snagged a single of theirs, but "Rattus Norvegicus" just blew our minds. Hugh Cornwell's snarling vocals, Jean-Jacque Burnel's incredibly muscular bass, the swirling keyboards, the slashing guitars, the dark and poetic imagery of the lyrics.

They were unlike any other punk band of the time. Just as mean and dangerous, but following their own muse, adding their own influences to the pot. The use of keyboards alone made them iconoclasts. I always figured that they were big Doors fans, which is something other punk bands of the time would probably have sneered at.

I consider "Rattus Norvegicus" to be their finest and most cohesive album. They have other excellent albums, like "No More Heroes" and "The Raven", but for my money, this is the one to get.

Possibly the best punk album of them all!.......2006-07-28

Sure, the Pistols "Bollocks" caused more commotion and who can forget the Clash, but if you've never heard Rattus, you NEED to check it out. I absolutely wore out my vinyl copy back in the day.

While most the other punk bands would eventually become better musicians and produce masterpieces like "London Calling", the Stranglers started out being great musicians. For me, this is their best work. While there are small flaws with all their other LPs, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this one.

Plus, this record had the best artwork of any of them. The picture of the rat walking in front of the sun on the LPs back cover is just fantastic. Unfortunately, this picture is often messed up on the re-issues.

A Masterpiece From Head to Toe.......2005-12-29

Since the punk era, when I required perfection from the imperfection, Rattus Norvegicus came to me "heaven sent". I've got then a version with all the tunes, including Who Wants The World. Since then I worshipped Hammond keyboard sounds. Compact, daring, challenge, explosive and perfect, almost all tunes are my favorite (except Peaches that was its best single). One tune comes perfectly one after the other, Princess Of The Streets is the "intruder" blues maybe the most intense, soulful tune of the album. Sometimes, Goodbye Toulouse, Hanging Around are a strong chain of dynamic, chorus tunes to learn and sing and kick ass. Get A Grip On Yourself is too perfect, too sophisticated (who plays the sax/trumpet in the chorus? it's brilliant!). Ugly is the ugliest but is also cool. Down in the Sewer I adore it, specially the Rat Race final part, it's the masturbation part of the album and an awesome skin-crisping end. Bravo!

One of the true classics.......2005-12-04

When I was growing up in London in the 70's punk hit like a smack in the mouth and where I was there were two albums you bought, forget the Sex Pistols, even then they smacked of all hype and no substance, you were either a Clash or a Stranglers man (boy more accurately). And I bought The Clash, and, well, I rue that decision to this day.

Don't get me wrong, The Clash was and is a great album, much more so than the horribly overrated London Calling, but Rattus contains a mature punk fully born, as it were, in 1977 just at the start of the genre. Hanging Around is as good as it gets and with the Buzzcocks' Ever Fallen In Love stands as one of the two best songs of the genre. Yes think about it, what Clash song would you actually place above those two, not 'the album' but actual song?

And I don't rate Peaches, but that aside, Hanging Around, Grip and Sometimes, well those were the soundtrack to my teenage years and nostalgia aside, they are some of the best things to have come out of rock and roll, never mind punk, in the last thirty years.

Gutter Expressionism.......2005-01-13

It's hard to say if this is a classic or not. Some will hate it and even those who love it can find a bit of fault. Despite the imperfections, this is still a great listen when you're in the mood for some impeccably played bile. The Stranglers may have actually been more punk than the media acknowleged punks. They were aging, lecherous working class pub rockers and owned that image to the hilt. Their sound is a melange of Doors, Seeds, Zappa and red light district sleaze.

Average customer rating:

flying straight with perfection
One of the best albums ever.
PUNK PPULSED OUT, MACHINE GUNNED,EMPEORS MEoW SUITTE,
PUNK PPULSED OUT, MACHINE GUNNED,EMPEORS MEW SUITTE,
Interesting Times

Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
Rattus Norvegicus
No More Heroes
The Meninblack
La Folie

ASIN: B00005MAGD
Release Date: 2006-11-21

Tracks:

Longships
The Raven
Dead Loss Angeles
Ice
Baroque Bordello
Nuclear Device
Shah Shah A Go Go
Don't Bring Harry
Duchess
Meninblack
Genetix
Bear Cage
Fools Rush Out
N'Emmenes Pas Harry
Yellowcake UF6

Album Description

UK repackaged reissue of 1979 album, includes new artwork with extensive sleeve notes and previously unseen photos. 15 tracks including four bonus tracks, 'Bear Cage', 'Fools Rush Out', 'N'Emmenes Pas Harry' & 'Yellowcake UFO'. This was perhaps the band's most commercial album to date and features many tracks that remain firm fan favorites including 'Duchess', 'Nuclear Device', 'Baroque Bordello' and the title track. In the U.S., this album was released as Stranglers IV with a few tracks removed and some non-album tracks added. EMI.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered and Repackaged with Bonus Tracks, Extensive New Sleevenotes and Many New, Previously Unseen Photos. The Raven is One of the Many Peaks of the Stranglers' Long Career. One of their Best Lyrically, Musically and Visually.

Customer Reviews:

flying straight with perfection.......2007-05-08

This album is the Stranglers finest hour. Following the fascinating 'Black & White' which highlighted two distinct and developing sides to the Stranglers music - the lighter, faster,melody flooded White side with the darker, slower, spikier more challenging Black, this LP kind of mixed the both into a wonderful collection of intelligent songs that still entrance, intrigue and envelop you 22 years later. Gone are the naive, 'notice me' brutal lyrics of the early songs, seceded by an international theme born of tours beyond bristol, bolton and birmingham. Here each of the four players dance with and around each other in musical games - each offering different parts that somehow complement to add to a gorgeous whole on tracks like Genetix, Baroque Bordello and Ice. Many of the songs feature very strong, very intelligent opening instrumental passages that never over stay their welcome but transform into a seemingly separate song in an instant - 'shah shah a go-go' is a perfect example. The drum patterns are very inventive too and add to the layered, textured feel of a lot of the tracks. And then there is " the Raven' - the title track and 5 minutes and 12 seconds of perfection. The sectional approach to the song, the bleak romanticism of the lyrics, the interplay of keyboard and guitar, the driving bass and the final ethereal, swirling last minute of synthesizer magic evoking the flight of 'the Raven' is just breathtaking at loud volume. This is The Stranglers' masterpiece.

One of the best albums ever........2006-07-26

If you like the Stranglers, then you probably already own it (if not, shame on you) and it is even probably your favourite Stranglers album. It has the heaviness and kick of previous albums (gotta love their basslines), but is much more polished as they have gotten a lot more synthesizer savy on this one. This is by far my favourite Stranglers album, although everything pre-Aural Sculpture is fantastic as well.

PUNK PPULSED OUT, MACHINE GUNNED,EMPEORS MEoW SUITTE,.......2004-01-04

THE ULTIMATE punk CATHARSIS, OUT SMART THE AART PRETENTIOUS SNOTY BRATS, WASH OUT,SURD STYLED VENTURES SPIRALS of HEAVEN FORBIID POWER POP,BEFORE IT GOT SOFT, RADICAL EXAMINATIONS INTO exe Verificationn of LUNACY, SET OF, OFF THE SHORES OF VAGRANCY,blow your snoty noises out WITH the lame in with the brain thinkin mans RATTLLES, the foundation OF before with AFTER CLEAAR, new shores toooo EXPLORE sabbertoothed SNATCHES OF THE BEST EVER SYNTHESISERS,trumphet YES ELEPHANT WAIL ala eric BRANNS guitar EFFECTS DONE percoscious,punk smart ALEXS OUT SMARTS, ALL ELSE.

PUNK PPULSED OUT, MACHINE GUNNED,EMPEORS MEW SUITTE,.......2004-01-04

Interesting Times.......2003-09-23

The Stranglers always had something of a mixed reputation, both intellectual and menacing, with the latter perhaps being more appealing to their fan base, this album was the first to showcase their intellectual side. Of course in popular music intellectual refers to occasionally reading a newspaper, but in 1979 there were lots of interesting things in the papers and few other punk bands had an ex-scientist as lead singer. Musically they lowered the bass in the mix to less than speaker destroying volume and Hugh lets loose his guilty secret, he may be able to really sing. At the very least evocative of an era, there were more important things happening in 1979 than your (my) tawdry memories of teenage trysts, the album holds up well. Buy it for your children.

Average customer rating:

Their only masterpiece
Weird Zappa Like Stuff With Some Classics
Punk Classic
Not as good as the 1st, but nastier
The Best NON BEST OF album by the Stranglers

No More Heroes
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rattus Norvegicus
Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)
The Meninblack
La Folie

ASIN: B00005MAG9
Release Date: 2001-08-27

Tracks:

I Feel Like A Wog
Bitching
Dead Ringer
Dagenham Dave
Bring On The Nubiles
Something Better Change
No More Heroes
Peasant In The Big Shitty
Burning Up Time
English Towns
School Mam
Straighten Out
Five Minutes
Rok It To The Moon

Amazon.com

"You either love or you despise, there's just no room for compromise" spat Anglo-French bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel on "Burning Up Time." And by the time of No More Heroes--the Stranglers' second album--the battle lines were drawn between those (the press and the women's movement, mainly) who saw the future "men in black" as uncouth sexist pigs peddling aggressive punk Doors music and those for whom the Stranglers were a fantastically melodic, intelligent punk-rock combo, albeit one with a dangerously dry sense of humor and a swift-fingered, pipe-smoking keyboard player.

The former had plenty to complain about. Elderly aunts all across the land must have fainted the day an unwitting DJ played "I Feel Like a Wog" ("out on the dirty shitty jobs") on Britain's state-sponsored Radio One, so it's probably just as well they never got to hear the teacher-pupil relationship smut of "School Ma'm" or the infamously rude "Bring on the Nubiles," which was chanted like testosterone-charged Daleks and featured the word "f***" eight times. Musically, the Stranglers were on a roll--Dave Greenfield's use of Hammond organ and Moog synth coupled with Burnel's sonorous belch of a bass and Hugh Cornwell's not-bothered vocal made them instantly recognizable. And at least half of No More Heroes is every bit as good as Rattus Norvegicus (in fact, most of the album was recorded at the same time). It's also the only Stranglers album to spawn two Top 10 singles, namely the guttural call-to-arms of "Something Better Change" and the iconoclastic title track--a genuine rock classic. --Kevin Maidment

Album Description

UK repackaged reissue of 1977 album, includes new artwork with extensive sleeve notes & previously unseen photos. 14 tracks including three bonus tracks, 'Straighten Out', 'Five Minutes' & 'Rok It To The Moon'.

Album Details

Digitally remastered and repackaged with bonus tracks 'Straighten Out', 'Five Minutes' and 'Rok it to the Moon'. Includes restored artwork, complete lyrics and many previously unseen photos.

Customer Reviews:

Their only masterpiece.......2006-07-13

I disagree with the other reviewers here who regard this as less than the Stranglers' finest effort. I am not a rabid fan of the band but this one has always grabbed me from start to finish. I would recommend it to anyone looking to hear a punk band with classic rock roots more openly displayed, and the chops to back up that attitude.

The Stranglers' first album plods along, only really picking up halfway through - THIS one starts with a bang and does not let up until the last phased out weird noises at the end of "School Mam."

It's got a great survivor's tale of the suicide of a heroin addict friend ("Dagenham Dave"), drunken-sounding rave-ups ("Bitching", "Burning Up Time"), biting social commentary ("I Feel Like A Wog"), good old thuggish sexism ("Bring On The Nubiles") ... but the reason I keep listening to this album decades later is the hooks. I dare you to not start tapping your foot to "Something Better Change."

They sort of recreated this awesome vibe on their next one ("Black And White" is worth checking out) and then they started off in a musical direction that really hasn't interested me much. But "No More Heroes" remains for me a pinnacle of the English punk rock era.

The inclusion on this reissue of "Straighten Out" - their best non-lp track - and the great rocker "5 Minutes" just makes this package even better.

Weird Zappa Like Stuff With Some Classics.......2006-07-08

I am not from England and I missed the Stranglers in my youth other than Hanging Around (which at the time I didn't know was a Stranglers tune). I got into the Stranglers through an Amazon suggestion (Amazon is freaking great), and got one of their many Greatest Hits cd's. Well I got into that so much I decided to get there whole catalog of original releases. I was expecting this whole cd to be along the lines of No More Heroes and Something Better Change (the ones that are on the greatest cd I got). Unfortunately the songs don't click nearly as well for me as those two did (which are awesome!). A lot of the songs remind me of Zappa (who I don't listen to but have heard), the songs just don't have as Dick Clark might say "The Beat". This is really going to make me look like a dumb-a but I always thought in the song No More Heroes that they are singing "whatever happened to... and Central Panzer" I'm thinking that's really freaking rockin singing about a WWII German Army Group that got annihilated in Russia, right after Leon Trotsky getting an ice pick! Well I looked at the liner notes and its not Central Panzer its Sancho Panza! Oh well he's cool too I guess, not as radical as a English Group singing about a Nazi Army Group but maybe that's what they meant really because it sounds a lot more like what I think it sounds like (they just didn't want to put that in the liner notes?)! This early Stranglers release reminds me of the stuff that bands like the Police and INXS put out and than later on they took on different sounds. In the case of The Police it was a mixed bag early on but there are of course some classics, INXS real early stuff was horrible, the Stranglers here to me are a mixed bag with some good and other stuff I will be passing by. I'm glad I got it but I doubt I'll listen to it often with the exception of my Central Panzer tune! 3/5 out of respect to all you Stranglers fans on Amazon.

Punk Classic.......2006-02-25

One of the best Punk albums from 1977, a pure classic and as outrageous as any punk outing.

Not as good as the 1st, but nastier.......2004-05-14

So there's nothing that reaches the dark depths of "Ugly" on this CD. But a couple come pretty close. Fist there's the deliciously lewd "Bring On The Nubiles", the teacher-student relationship, "School Mam", and the extra track "5 minutes". While their is not a loser on the album for some reason it sounds rushed and incomplete. The band's in fine form here and Cornwall sounds angrier than on the fist but the songwriting just is not as good. More outrage than seediness. One things for sure The Stranglers realy try to offend you here and most times they do suceed. "I Feel Like a Wog" is excellent as is the next track "Bitching". While later releases still are pretty good, this is also their last really great one where they could even be considered a punk bank(or lumped into the same category). I would even consider them new wave and pre-industrial on a few tracks. All three extra tracks are excellent.

The Best NON BEST OF album by the Stranglers.......2003-12-27

This is without a shadow of a doubt the best early stranglers album. Hugh Cornwall is fantastic and JJ Burnel is ace and David Greenfield and Jet Black are cool too. This whole album is superb both dark and funny at times its one of their best early releases. My favorites tracks? you want one how bout all of them great stuff indeed.

Average customer rating:

dark, threatening, controversial...not punk
Virtuoso musicianship... on a punk album!
Virtuoso musicianship... on a punk album!
Life should Always be so Black & White!
An all time classic

Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)
Rattus Norvegicus
No More Heroes
The Meninblack
La Folie

ASIN: B00005MAGF
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

Tank
Nice N' Sleazy
Outside Tokyo
Hey! (Rise Of The Robots)
Sweden (All Quiet On The Eastern Front)
Toiler On The Sea
Curfew
Threatened
In The Shadows
Do You Wanna
Death And Night And Blood (Yukio)
Enough Time
Mean To Me
Walk On By
Shut Up
Sveridge
Old Codger
Tits

Album Details

Digitally Remastered and Repackaged with Bonus Tracks, Fresh Artwork, Extensive New Sleevenotes and Many New, Previously Unseen Photos.

Customer Reviews:

dark, threatening, controversial...not punk.......2006-05-28

Black & White is the masterpiece of The Stranglers, a band which showcased a very aggressive sound (especially the bass of J.J.Burnel) with Doorsian influences (the keyboards), dark themes and very politically un-correct opinions in their lyrics.

They were contemporaries of the british punk movement of the second half of the 70's, but they were never a part of that scene and were always distinguishable for their use of keyboards and independent thought. I don't think they ever pressed the anti-establishment issue that was so prevalent in the punk scene, although they never refrained from taking an independent stand on controversial topics.

Therefore, I disagree with the label "punk" so often attached to them, included the previous users' reviews on this site. If you want to use a tag, then I think "darkwave" fits best.

The music in this album blends "dark" themes with psychedelia, poppish hooks ("Tank", "Sweden - All quiet on the eastern front") and even up-tempo waltz ("Outside Tokyo"). The drums - as the costume of the time imposed - were played in a quite rigid, cold style; the bass is an ever-threatening presence and along with the keyboards give the Stranglers music its distinctive sound.

After almost 30 years this is still great album to listen to; my impression is that fans of dark metal would also appreciate it.

Virtuoso musicianship... on a punk album!.......2003-08-20

I love this album; I consider it the best punk album ever recorded. Despite my love for this album, I've never checked out any of the other Stranglers albums... perhaps I'm afraid I'd be disappointed when comparing them to this masterpiece. (This strange quirk of mine extends to the "bonus tracks" on the CD; I don't want to hear them for fear they'll turn a perfect album into an imperfect disc.) I can't imagine The Stranglers - or punk music - getting any better than the original "Black and White" album. I don't have a favorite track on this album; they're all gems.

What makes this record unique is its balance between traditional "punk" sounds and attitudes on the one hand and virtuoso musicianship on the other. Punk bands have never been known for talented instrumentalists; oftentimes, it's a person's ATTITUDE that gets him hired by a punk band, not his ability to play an instrument. As a result, most punk bands don't have very talented musicians. That's not the case here... the members of The Stranglers are all exceptional on their chosen instruments; they all have "chops" and play as though music theory matters. Bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel is perhaps the best in the band... his tone and basslines on songs like "Toiler on the Sea" and "Nice n' Sleazy" blow me away.

Punk musicians with chops? Time and tempo changes in punk songs? It hardly seems possible, but it is. Prog Rock meets Punk? Prog Punk? What's next, will the members of Yes join the Clash?

(The only complaint: the CD format robs the buyer of the art on the original album. The LP had a "marbled vinyl look" that was entertaining to stare at as it spun beneath the record needle.)

Virtuoso musicianship... on a punk album!.......2003-08-20

Punk musicians with chops? Time and tempo changes in punk songs? It hardly seems possible, but it is. Prog Rock meets Punk? Prog Punk? What's next, will the members of Yes join the Clash?

(The only complaint: the CD format robs the buyer of the art on the original album. The LP had a "marbled vinyl look" that was entertaining to stare at as it spun beneath the record needle.)

Life should Always be so Black & White!.......2003-04-06

At first this album was a hard one to really grasp. Rattus & No More Heroes were so much easier, But with a little bit of work Black & White joins The Raven as well as the first two, as great Satisfying works of this Great Band! These guys followed their own direction, and that made this album timeless in an age of timely music. Solid songwriting and musical exploratory usage make for an album to be enjoyed, perhaps, forever. Not just songs where the clouds are interesting! Where is Sweden anyway?

An all time classic.......2002-03-11

Stranglers' fans will usually see one of three albums as the group's best: Rattus Norvegicus, Black and White or the Raven. Each have their merits and each have their own claim to be the high point. On 'Black and White' the group have found their 'sound'. The album holds together extremely well as a whole. There is still the punk energy of the group's debut. There is also some of the superb musicianship of the Raven. What makes this such a classic is the way the instruments feed off each other and complement each other so well. The booming bass lines of Jean-Jacques Burnel are constantly interacting with the unusual guitar style of Hugh Cornwell and the exceptional talents of Dave Greenfield on keyboards. This is what the Doors were aspiring to be but never quite achieved. Contains two superb singles 'Nice n Sleazy' and as a bonus track 'Walk on By'. Paradoxically it was listening to this album that A flock of Seagulls came up with their name- thankfully this group is 100 times better than Mike Score's outfit ever could be. Definitely worth the money.

Average customer rating:

Least Liked Stranglers Record
favorite Stranglers record
Phoebe's take on one of the best stranglers albums
One of the best of the 'New Wave"
Experimental concept album

The Meninblack
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)
Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)
La Folie
No More Heroes
Rattus Norvegicus

ASIN: B00005MAGE
Release Date: 2006-11-21

Tracks:

Waltzinblack
Just Like Nothing On Earth
Second Coming
Waiting For The Meninblack
Turn The Centuries, Turn
Two Sunspots
Four Horsemen
Thrown Away
Manna Machine
Hallow To Our Men
Top Secret
Maninwhite
Tomorrow Was Hereafter

Album Description

UK repackaged reissue of 1981 album, includes new artwork with extensive sleeve notes & previously unseen photos. 13 tracks including three bonus tracks, 'Top Secret', 'Maninwhite' & 'Tomorrow Was Hereafter'.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered and Repackaged with Bonus Tracks, Fresh Artwork, Extensive New Sleevenotes and Many New, Previously Unseen Photos.

Customer Reviews:

Least Liked Stranglers Record.......2007-02-14

I now own 15 CD's from the Stranglers (16 if you count a best of release) and this is definetly, without a shadow of a doubt, my least favorite, as a matter of fact I hate this record, there isn't one track on here I could live without, not one. Sound harsh? Just telling it like it is for me. The Stranglers changed their styles over the years and I pretty much like them from Feline on with several tracks from stuff earlier to that also included, but not one track from Meninblack would be included. Concept albums are OK in my book, I love Tommy, I also liked Tarkus, and Setting Sons, so I'm not against the concept album, its just that these songs are all querky, and querky is good if your Weird Al Yankovich, but not the Stranglers. They developed into my idea of guys who were very cool, this album is if anything very geeky, not cool at all. Make this the last of the releases to get if your a compleatist as your not missing anything, not even the bonus tracks are redeeming.

favorite Stranglers record.......2005-11-23

Been listening to this one for many years, never tire of it, always something new to hear. They conjure it all on this record with intensity and restraint. The songs are brilliant in a framework of their own, rather than any sort of "hook laden" pop/rock or punk style. The musicianship is masterful, almost neurotically precise drums and bass and lots of keyboard jumping around. The guitar playing is just insane, especially on tracks like "Nothing on Earth". Hugh delivers the vocals totally deadpan with at times a sort of fake east-european accent. Intro. track features chipmunk-like creepy aliens laughing at the plight of humanity (I suppose).

Phoebe's take on one of the best stranglers albums.......2005-09-01

After working in a record store for 6 years and coming from a family of musicians and music lovers alike I thought I had heard
a great deal of good music,and then I discoverd this cd.
Meninblack is one of the most innovative albims I have ever heard. Apparently when it was released in '81 it garnerd little fanfare and no 'hits'- not suprising, it was way ahead of it's time.Forget Tangerine Dream- this album pioneered techno while still being very much a rock album. The more I listen to it the more I love it,a must have for fans of Talking Heads,Gang of Four,Devo etc., notable tracks:'It's Like Nothing on Earth','Waiting for the Men in Black',and 'Manna Machine' which listens like a distant stare into space.

One of the best of the 'New Wave".......2004-04-22

This was one of the albums that got me through high school... DEFINITELY a 'desert island disc'. Just heard it again for the first time in 10 years. Better than I remembered! HIGHLY recommended. Possibly the greatest concept album ever made.

Experimental concept album.......2002-03-11

In 1980, years before the film 'Meninblack' came out, the Stranglers devoted a concept album to black-clad extra-terrestrials. A track on the previous album, the classic 'Raven', had already touched on the theme and since the group and most of their fan base wore nothing but black it seemed logical to develop the idea further. In the columns of their excellent fanzine, 'Strangled', they tried to convince their following that since touching on the theme they had been plagued by bad luck (Hugh Cornwell's arrest, the theft of the band's equipment, etc). This was put down to the influence of aliens from outer space!! The MeninBlack (or M.I.B) album was much more electronic and synthesised than previous recordings. In many ways it was ahead of its time but fell on deaf ears from some of the more narrow minded of their punk following. The sight of fans pogoing to the mid-tempo 'Thrown Away' on Top of the Pops spoke volumes of the unwillingness of some to allow the group to evolve. Commercially the album was not a success but it is worth listening to. One classic lyric concerning Jesus' second coming was particularly inspired: 'he may be ugly and have problem hair, even speak funny and make all the people stare'.

Average customer rating:

I guess I am the best reviewer of this album since...
Want the facts?
Should get 10 stars.
Go listen to their earlier music!
Hard to believe this is 20+ years old

Aural Sculpture
The Stranglers
Manufacturer: Sbme Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Dreamtime
Feline
The Meninblack
Raven (+4 Bonus Tracks)
Black and White (+6 Bonus Tracks)

ASIN: B00005NZH9
Release Date: 2001-10-22

Tracks:

Ice Queen
Skin Deep
Let Me Down Easy
No Mercy
North Winds Blowing
Uptown
Punch & Judy
Under the Name of Spain
Laughing
Souls
Mad Hatter

Album Description

Import remastered reissue of 1984 album that's out-of-print domestically. 19 tracks including eight bonus tracks, 'Here & There', 'In One Door', 'Head On The Line', 'Achilles Heel', 'Hot Club' (Riot Mix), 'Place De Victoires', 'Vladimir & The Beast' & 'Vladimir Goes To Havana'.

Customer Reviews:

I guess I am the best reviewer of this album since..........2005-12-29

...since I've listened to it when it was released in 1984. The best Stranglers album ever? maybe, at lest the one with the best songs. There are some low points, too, I really hate Mad Hatter, No Mercy and Spain. The best ones, no doubt are Let Me Down Easy, Laughing and Souls. The first two are A major while Souls is in D minor. Their atmosphere is intense in sophistication, balance, rhythm and a 100 percent brilliant harmony. I don't think this is a pop album, besides, I could say it stimulates some sort of childhood sensibility. I recommend to slow down a bit a half-tone these 3 tunes (also including Skin Deep) to understand and taste them better. North Winds is also an excellent tune, the darkest of the album. Ice Queen is an excellent intro. Uptown and Punch and Judy go hand in hand. I don't say this album is perfect, but I gave it 5 stars since it's one of my best favorites of all time.

Want the facts?.......2005-12-26

There are those who strongly prefer the Stranglers' early stuff and do not like Aural Sculpture or Dreamtime. Please include me amongst those who do not like the early stuff [which dominates "The Very Best of" CD] and much prefer this album and Dreamtime.

Should get 10 stars........2005-10-06

This last great album by the Stranglers is a MASTERPIECE! "Aural Sculpture" is an apt title. Anyone in a review who says something like 'I like this or that track' simply has not listened to it enough or is hung up on the aggressive "punk style" of their earlier work. Let me stress something here for those of you thinking of buying this... EVERY SONG ON THIS CD IS FREAKING GREAT. It doesn't hit you the first few times you listen because it's more complex and sophisticated than most. Even the band thought it was one of their best... "Oh the bliss, oh the pleasure caressing your ears. How can you have survived until this historic moment?".

Go listen to their earlier music!.......2005-03-01

SKA Kitson has it right. I'd never heard of these guys until Aural Sculpture, so I thought they were pretty good (hey, this was the 80's!). I loved "Skin Deep" and a couple of the other cuts on this album. Then my husband introduced me to their earlier work! Wow! I couldn't believe it was the same band. If you hear their punk-era music and then put this CD on, you will be dismayed to hear how weak they became. Don't bother with this CD - go buy "Rattus Norvegicus" and enjoy the real Stranglers.

Hard to believe this is 20+ years old.......2005-02-13

Guess I date myself when I say I'd listen to this CD all the time way back when.

The Strangler's poppier future was coming nicely into play with the release of Feline and was pretty much cemented into place with Aural Sculpture. Early Stranglers purists will scream sellout, I'd call it evolution. If the Stranglers were trying to capitalize on the 80s sound, they did it masterfully.

Wonderful pop tunes lurk all over. "Ice Queen" has a gloriously repetitive warbling that stays with you. Things don't skip a beat with the silky smooth "Skin Deep" and catchy "Let Me Down Easy", "No Mercy" and "Under the Name of Spain". Each and every track is a gem really in its own right, Hugh Cornwell's calm vocals add sparkle. A favorite CD of mine for those laid back moods.

Love them or hate them for their direction change and seemingly endless collection of greatest hits CDs, it's impossible to discount the charms of Aural Sculpture.

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