[kj] Are These the Devil?

[Graeme Rowland]

--- Alex Smith <vassifer at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> You mean "Duchess"? Never liked it that much.
> Hilarious video, though.
> 
> Alex in NYC

(wrote this 2 days ago and see a lyric from Duchess as
I post it, how very synchronous/fateful)

Even though they were the first rock band I got into
bigtime, I only ever managed to see the Stranglers
live once. They played a short four song set in
Manchester HMV with the two Cornwell replacements.
Someone in a Ramones T-shirt shouted for Sometimes but
got Golden Brown and three mediocre songs off the
current album. That evening I went to see Babes in
Toyland instead.

The first album I ever bought was The Raven, bizarrely
thanks to a Noel Edmonds presented TV show. He used to
do this video "jukebox jury" thing, but the video for
Duchess had been deemed offensive to Godinblack and
the Second Coming of the Baby Jesus because the
Stranglers had dressed up as choirboys and vicars and
shot it in a church. This was clearly a threat to
society and civilisation as we know it, and instead
Noel, in his infinite bearded wisdom, showed everyone
a still from the video, which was a photo of the
Stranglers dressed as choirboys in black shades,
singing from a pulpit about hoping a Duchess will
never grow up. Armageddon was only averted by Noel's
concern for sensitive Christians, but it was a close
call with the Four Horsemen even so. If they'd been
seen actually moving about in a church, who knows what
HELL would have been unleashed? This was of course
before Noel became notorious for killing a man for a
joke!

Next I bought both Rattus Norvegicus and No More
Heroes on the same day. This would've been between the
release of Feline and Aural Sculpture. The Gospel
According to the Meininblack was the last one I
bought, and it only really became my favourite more
recently. I like the way they really didn't give a
damn about alienating anyone with that album, and went
for the big punk rock no-no of the mystical shit
gatefold sleeve concept album. It was also the last
album they made that really stands the test of time
well. The albums after that have all dated
increasingly, although Feline and La Folie have some
great songs, even if some, such as It Only Takes Two
To Tango, wouldn't actually sound out of place on a
Wombles album. Aural Sculpture would be greatly
improved by replacing Mad Hatter with the No Mercy
b-side In One Door, and is hopelessly marred by the
latest crap eighties technology. I don't even have a
copy of Dreamtime anymore, but Always the Sun is
always nice to hear on the radio. My 49p in a sale
copy of 10 went out the window after just one spin! 

The Stranglers did have some abysmal lyrics though
(Ugly, Peaches, I Feel Like A Wog, Princess of the
Streets) next to some pretty interesting ones (Who
Wants the World, Just Like Nothing On Earth, Genetix,
Manna Machine, Curfew). 

The first song on Norfolk Coast sounded OK, but I hate
that singer's voice, and the lyrics of that album were
pitiful.



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