THE STRANGLERS - The Raven (CD-Rip with Bonus Tracks)

I picked this up when I was away the other week. A £1.99 charity shop bargain. My original vinyl copy was well scratched, even before it was either swapped, sold or stolen. Finding this again on CD with bonus tracks was a right result, and listening to it again, well….I should have taken better care of the original, cos this is a classic that I’d forgotten about over the years, but it’s back in my life now thanx to whoever donated it to the RSPCA Charity Shop in The Mumbles, nice one. Like The Clash’s London Calling and The Damned’s Machine Gun Etiquette The Raven sees The Stranglers moving away from their original sound, the trademark Bass and Keyboards are still there but this is dark, poppy and experimental in equal measures. Through the eyes of The Raven The Stranglers songs took on a more worldly view and subject matter; Genetic engineering Genetix, Uranium mining in Australia Nuclear Device and The Shah of Iran leaving Shah, Shah A Go Go, they even took it to another world of aliens and UFO’s with Meninblack, and Duchess… well that has to be one of the best pop songs ever written. Enjoy!

I’ve had to upload this to a different file sharing site because in the week I was away my usual hosts Media Fire have had a change around and for some reason I can’t seem to upload anything to it anymore, hence why there’s been no music for a while. Hope this doesn’t cause any problems, if it does, let me know. Problems....did I say problems, well................

FUCK THIS SHIT! A WHOLE DAY SPENT TRYING TO UPLOAD THIS TO VARIOUS PLACES AND ALL I GET IS SHIT. JACK FUCKING SHIT! NOWHERE WANTS TO KNOW. I give up. Maybe tommorrow. RESULT! Here'a link to The Raven by The Stranglers. CLICK!,

THE STRANGLERS - In Concert 1977/78 (Bootleg)

Another band that some felt didn’t fit the punk rock profile were The Stranglers, they were too old, could play their instruments, had long hair/beards, blah, blah, blah. Yes they were politicaly poles apart from some percieved punk rock theory, with their misogynistic, macho attitude and stance, politicaly correct they weren’t, but they still fitted into the punk rock picture. Songs like; Peaches, Bring On The Nubiles and I Feel Like A Wog, all guarenteed shock, horror and outrage, and all are featured on this bootleg made up from 2 recordings for the BBC. The first six tracks are from an In Concert recording at London’s Paris Theatre on 24/4/77, and the last five are from BBC TV’s Rock Goes to Collage when it visited The University of Surrey on 19/10/78, I don’t think this part of the evening was broadcast, because the band were a bit abusive to the audience, still that’s punk rock for yer. Anyway you know what to do if you fancy a blast of some vintage Stranglers, that’s right just click! As an end note, former Strangler Hugh Cornwall recently appeared on stage with The Paddingtons helping to keep the punk flag flying high.