Stranglers

The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning four decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s. Beginning life as the Guildford Stranglers on 11 September 1974 in Guildford, Surrey, they originally built a following within the mid-1970s pub rock scene. While their aggressive, no-compromise attitude identified them as one of the instigators of the UK punk rock scene that followed, their idiosyncratic approach rarely followed any single musical genre and the group went on to explore a variety of musical styles, from new wave, art rock and gothic rock through the sophisticated pop of some of their 1980s output. They had major mainstream success with their single "Golden Brown". Their other hits include "No More Heroes", "Peaches", "Always the Sun" and "Skin Deep". The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel's melodic bass, but also gave prominence to Dave Greenfield's keyboards at a time when the instrument was seen as unfashionable. Their early music was also characterised by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic lyrics of both Jean-Jacques Burnel and Hugh Cornwell.==Links To Peel== Peel first went to see The Stranglers at the Hammersmith Odeon in October 1976 supporting Patti Smith, well before the band were signed to United Artists Records. Before the band released their debut album Rattus Norvegicus, Peel played three tracks from the LP on his show on 06 April 1977. He also played exclusive tracks from later albums in the late 70's. The group did two sessions for Peel's show, but by the time of the mid 80's, Peel had got bored of their commercial sound. On his Peel 042 (BFBS) show, he had found their 'Nice In Nice' single as a bit of a bore.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1977 Festive Fifty: London Lady #32
 * 1978 Festive Fifty: London Lady #40
 * 1978 Festive Fifty: No More Heroes #33
 * 1978 Festive Fifty: Hanging Around #32
 * 1979 Festive Fifty: No More Heroes #45
 * 1980 Festive Fifty: No More Heroes #58
 * 1982 Festive Fifty: Golden Brown #56 (Mentioned, not played)
 * 1982 Festive Fifty: Strange Little Girl #51 (Mentioned, not played)

Sessions
Their first session is available on the John Peel Session, 1977 (7" vinyl, Stigma, 1977)

1. Recorded: 1977-03-01. Broadcast: 07 March 1977. Repeated: 12 May 1977, 21 December 1977, 16 July 1980, 19 August 1986 2. Recorded: 1977-08-30. Broadcast: 13 September 1977. Repeated: 28 December 1977*Dead Ringer / No More Heroes / Burning Up Time / Bring On The Nubiles
 * Hangin' Around / I Feel Like A Wog / Goodbye Toulouse / Somethin' Better Change

Live
Recorded at the London Roundhouse gig of 1977-11-06. Broadcast: 27 December 1977. Repeated: 23 January 1978


 * 1) No More Heroes


 * 1) Dead Ringer


 * 1) Sometimes


 * 1) Dagenham Dave


 * 1) Hanging Around


 * 1) Bitching


 * 1) Burning Up Time


 * 1) I Feel Like A Wog


 * 1) Straighten Out


 * 1) Something Better Change


 * 1) London Lady


 * 1) Peaches

Other Shows Played
(The list is incomplete. Please add further information if known)

1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1985 Others
 * 05 April 1977: Down In The Sewer (Album: Rattus Norvegicus) (EMI)
 * 06 April 1977: Ken Garner notes (The Peel Sessions, p.217) that JP also played three tracks from the Stranglers' Rattus Norvegicus and two from the Jess Roden Band LP Blowin'.
 * 25 April 1977: On tonight's programme, sessions from Kevin Coyne and then a classic from March 1974 from Robin Trower, and records by among others the Rolling Stones, the Stranglers, Radio Stars, Nic Jones, Big Youth, Van Morrison, Garland Jeffries, the Faces and Frankie Miller. We'll also be opening our complaints desk and I shall be looking for a little bit of sympathy."
 * 11 May 1977: Peaches (LP - Rattus Norvegicus) United Artists
 * 17 May 1977: Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions (p.218) also lists a play for the Stranglers' 'Go Buddy Go.'
 * 19 May 1977: 'Peaches (7")' United Artists (JP: 'I'm not quite sure why that's not getting played on the radio: it's a pity that it isn't, 'cos it's an excellent record. Perhaps it's because it's got a reference to "sewers" in it, and sewers as we all know are not fun places. The girls in the Radio 1 typing pool, who have fine taste I think, think that that and the Frankie Miller single [1]  are the two best singles around at the moment, and they could well be right.')
 * 12 July 1977: 'Something Better Change (7")' (United Artists)
 * 29 August 1977: London Lady (7", Single: Grip) United Artists Records
 * 0x September 1977: No More Heroes (7") United Artists
 * 03 October 1977: Hanging Around (12", Album: Rattus Norvegicus) United Artists Records
 * 04 October 1977:  Before the final hour, Peel promises "three from Randy Newman, three from the Modern Lovers, plus The Stranglers, Gladiators, Tyla Gang and oh so much more."
 * 26 December 1977: London Lady (single) United Artists FF #21
 * 10 May 1978: Sweden (All Quiet On The Eastern Front) / Hey! (Rise Of The Robots) / Toiler On The Sea (LP - Black And White) United Artists
 * 22 May 1978: Mean To Me (free EP with Black & White LP) United Artists
 * 20 December 1978: Enough Time (LP – Black And White) United Artists
 * 27 December 1978: London Lady (LP - Rattus Norvegicus, 1977) United Artists FF #40
 * 27 December 1978: No More Heroes (LP - No More Heroes, 1977) United Artists FF #33
 * 27 December 1978: Hanging Around (LP - Rattus Norvegicus, 1977) United Artists FF #32
 * 21 February 1979: Straighten Out / Curfew / Do You Wanna? / Death And Night And Blood (Yukio)(Medley)  (album - Live X-Cert) United Artists
 * 09 August 1979: Duchess (single) United Artists
 * 24 September 1979: The Raven (LP – The Raven) United Artists
 * 20 December 1979: 'No More Heroes (LP-No More Heroes)' (United Artists) FF #45
 * 19 May 1980: 'Who Wants The World (7 inch)' (United Artists)
 * Karl's Tape Late February 1981: Sunspots (album - The Gospel According To The Meninblack) Liberty
 * Karl's Tape Early July 1982: Strange Little Girl (7") Liberty
 * Karl's Tape 25 - August 1983: 'Paradise (LP-Feline)' (Epic)
 * Peel 005 (BFBS): '(Get A) Grip (On Yourself) (LP-Rattus Norvegicus)' (UA) (JP: 'Goodness me, that used to sound really hard in the days when it first came out. It sounds sort of Gary Numanesque these days.')
 * Punk 78: Sweden (All Quiet On The Eastern Front) / Hey! (Rise Of The Robots) / Toiler On The Sea (LP - Black And White) United Artists
 * 28 August 1986 (TOTP): Nice In Nice (32) (breaker)
 * Staying Single: Something Better Change
 * Punk Fiction: Peaches / Nice 'n' Sleazy