Aural Sculptors - The Stranglers Live 1976 to the Present
Welcome to Aural Sculptors, a blog aimed at bringing the music of The Stranglers to as wide an audience as possible. Whilst all of the various members of the band that have passed through the ranks since 1974 are accomplished studio musicians, it is on stage where the band have for me had their biggest impact.
As a collector of their live recordings for many years I want to share some of the better quality material with other fans. By selecting the higher quality recordings I hope to present The Stranglers in the best possible light for the benefit of those less familiar with their material than the hardcore fan.
Needless to say, this site will steer well clear of any officially released material. As well as live gigs, I will post demos, radio interviews and anything else that I feel may be of interest.
In addition, occasionally I will post material by other bands, related or otherwise, that mean a lot to me.
On the eve of The Stranglers Convention, where an undoubted highlight will be the band running through 1978's Black and White album..... Here's the blueprint.
The Black & White tour was not huge and featured no conventional London date (Battersea excluded) for the reasons posted earlier and is not well documented. The best on offer (and again thanks to Dom P for his excellent clean up) is this from Manchester Apollo.
Featuring no fewer than seven songs from the new album, this must be the standard for how they should sound live.
Give this one a listen!
To my ear, B & W transitioned the band from the punk rock sensibilities of the first two albums to the dark, sophisticated arrangements of The Raven. This September 1978 recording is a late punk roar from the band (before Hugh dropped the Ray Winstone tone between songs!!).
To those going to the Convention, enjoy the set. Will Baz attempt Sverige!?
A couple of weeks ago on a very, very wet Thursday afternoon, I found myself in the prestigious company of a few Specials and a few hundred skinheads. The occasion? A pre-gig party marking the the last night of The Specials' UK tour at Ally Pally.
Now this was the thing. Members of the Specials forum could gain access to this pre-gig event which allowed fans and band to interact in a brilliant way. Photos taken, tickets signed, job done.
Amongst the 2 tone dignitaries in attendance was one John Sims, otherwise known as Teflon. Whilst you may not know his name, his work will be instantly recognisable to anyone over the age of 40 who ever bought a 7" single in Woolworths! I had met John previously at an earlier Specials gig in Margate. On that occasion, John had set up an exhibition of his 2 tone related design work in a local gallery, which warranted a visit on the morning after the gig.
John Sims a.k.a. Teflon and Me
Alexandra Palace 3rd November 2011
Teflon, in conjunction with Jerry (The General) Dammers was largely responsible for the look of 2 tone, a monochrome rash that infected half of the teenage population of Britain between 1979 and 1981.
Close associations between artists, bands and labels are nothing new, but with the exception of Jamie Reid's work with he Pistols, Teflon's artwork produced for The Specials and the 2 tone label have over the years become truly iconic.
Enter Walt Jabsco, label logo and undoubtedly the coolest guy in town!
Peter Tosh Inspired Walt Jabsco
From Walt their followed a series of stunning, yet simple black and white images that adorned record sleeves, billboards and the pages of the weekly music papers.
Bang up to date as they were, many of the pieces gave a nod to earlier times, thereby perhaps forging a link back to the '60's back to the time of those Blue Beat records, that when fused with punk, produced that unmistakable 2 tone sound.
From the pop art of the Rat Race single
To the tour promo posters based upon the ads for the package tours so popular in the '60's.
The graphic designs produced by Telflon and his associates has to my mind has transcended it's original function and now become part of social history. To see these images is to be thrown back in time to a period of mass unemployment, racial tension, urban decay and let's not forget some bloody good tunes!
Of all his work, perhaps none is more evocative of those times than the cover of Ghost Town, a song that was to become the soundtrack to some of the worst inner city riots ever seen in the UK.
Promo for Ghost Town 20th June 1981
It's re-release ten years later to the day drew on the unforgettable promo video, that saw the band driving a Vauxhall Cresta through a sinister, decaying urban landscape
Ghost Town (Revisited) 20th June 1991
Take a look at a BBC article written to mark the 30th anniversary of Ghost Town's original release, here.
John periodically displays his work and here is the real treat as the exhibition includes some of the original mock-ups that resulted in those familiar images. Remember, these works were produced at a time when the tools of the trade included a knife, inks and masking tape rather than an Apple Mac and Photoshop and it is this aspect of these works in-progress that to my untrained eye make them every bit as appealing as the finished, printed work.
30 years on and Walt is still going strong, even on the home furnishing front!!!
More information can be found on Telflon and the art of 2 tone on John's site.
I, like many other Stranglers fans have long carried a torch for The Damned. Both bands were viewed as outsiders of the London punk scene of '76/'77, this despite the Damned consistently racking up all of the punk firsts (first signed, first single release, first to tour America etc.). With influences more aligned to the demon progressive rock (admittedly hidden rather well by the Damned for a few years) than the front line reggae favoured by the Clash and the Pistols, it seemed that neither the Damned or the Stranglers really meant it maaan!!
As a frequent wearer of the tutu, even more frequently naked by the end of a gig and always an agent of the unpredictable at early Damned gigs, the good Captain was certainly one reason why the serious music journos of the day did not or would not take the Damned seriously. However, once the band rose above the Stooges/MC5 inspired thrash of the first album, it became clear that Sensible was a musician of considerable talent.
For many fans, the albums Machine Gun Etiquette, The Black Album and Strawberries represent the holy trinity in The Damned's body of work. For this reason, it is in some ways disappointing that on this tour they have chosen to couple complete run throughs of Damned Damned Damned (done before) and the Black Album. Maybe Strawberries is in the diary for 2012!!
This weekend sees the band play The Roundhouse in our own Camden Town. It promises to be a great night. 'Sensible's a Wanker!' parhaps, but he's also a great guitarist to boot.
From the American leg, I have uploaded this from Dime in the original lossy format (flac) at the request of the original uploader.
I'm not entirely sure when the bans really started, one of the earliest I suppose was the banning of punk from the London's prestige jazz venue, the 100 Club, after a glass throwing incident that resulted in a young female fan losing an eye (down to Sid according to most accounts). This was as early as September 1976, before a knowledge of punk was known outside the boundaries of the yet to be built M25. Other venues may well have become cautious about booking so called punk bands after the Punk Rock Festival.
But, the turning point would undoubtedly have been the Bill Grundy interview. Stepping as a late substitute for Queen, the Pistols appeared on this, a nationwide, early evening magazine show on the eve of the Anarchy Tour. Goaded and provoked by a drunk Grundy, the Pistols (especially Steve Jones) uttered a series of expletives that at that time were still very rarely heard on British TV, even post watershed.
The Pistols Bill Grundy Interview 1st December 1976
This appearance lit the touch paper and what a short fuse it was! The new phenomenon of punk rock and any one linked to its creation or proliferation was overnight elevated into the position of Public Ememy No. 1. With the popular media on the case, the bans soon ensued.
First casualty was the Anarchy Tour itself. The tour was decimated. Don't quote me on figures, but a rough count, of the 19 original advertised gigs only 3 or so were played. Incidentally, it was on this tour that some of the famed rivalries and feuds were born. The Damned were thrown off the tour for agreeing to play in front of city councillors (Derby) prior to a decision to allow the gig to go ahead.
The shock waves created by the Grundy interview passed through every venue in every provincial town in Britain. Then, as now, venues were operated by entertainment chains. The 1977 equivalents of O2 were Fortes and Top Rank (Mecca) organisations. Within these companies, boardroom decisions were being made that instantly punched massive holes into the touring plans of any band associated with punk ronk and the new wave.
The Stranglers were inevitably caught up in this wave of corporate mass hysteria.
Sounds 11th June 1977
UK Music Press June 1977
Record Mirror 13th August 1977
UK Music Press October 1977
Local authorities in many cases used pretty weak justifications for imposing the bans. Hugh Cornwell's decision to sport a barstardised version of the 'Ford' logo resulted in the plug being pulled at the band's support gig at The Rainbow in Finsbury Park on 30th January 1977 on the orders of the Tory lead Greater London Council (GLC).
The Show-stopping Shirt
In London, from the outset of 1977 the band ran into regular problems with the GLC, which by 1978 culminated in a blanket ban on the band performing anywhere in the capital. The rug was pulled under the band's feet in their home town.
Melody Maker 15th April 1978
UK Music Press 20th May 1978
As a consequence of this ban, the band and their following in London were deprived of live performances from, at that time, one of the biggest bands in the country. Secret gigs became a necessity if the band wanted any opportunity to play in London, but these were difficult affairs and in some ways added to the frustration of fans who had no chance to get in. Further information on the handful of secret pub gigs the band played in this period is available in an excellent article on the official site.
Here's a contemporary piece on these gigs (thanks to Deadeye63 for the scan).
Sounds 9th September 1978
Efforts to get the band a suitable London date continued without sucess until September 1978, when the band eventually played an open air gig in Battersea Park. This gig was surely a pinnacle gig in the band's early career, effectively bringing the 'punk chapter' to a close.
UK Music Press 2nd September 1978
It was at Battersea that the band pulled off a very punk coup. The appearance of strippers on stage during 'Nice 'n' Sleazy' left the GLC themselves facing prosecution for allowing such a public spectacle if a case were to be made. A stroke of genius!!
Post Battersea, the band's problems in the capital were by no means at an end. Paranoia still abounded and securing Stranglers and solo gigs continued to be problematic in 1979. This, over 2 years since Grundy.
Poor old JJ seemed to be singled out for attention, seen as the most belligerant of the four band members, his name alone was sufficient for bookings to be cancelled! Attempts to promote his solo 'Euroman Cometh' ran into big problems in London.
Melody Maker April 1979
NME April 1979
UK Music Press 14th April 1979
NME April 1979
As the 1980's dawned, attitudes shifted and long standing bans were lifted and normal service was resumed.
Here's a great sounding recording of Ruts DC at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London. Now sadly without Malcolm Owen, Segs does a stirling job handling the vocals (couldn't have been an easy task as Malcolm's were big DM's to step into!). The set is a mix of new material from the excellent 'Animal Now' album and Ruts songs. Whilst the instrumentation on those Ruts songs was impecable (why wouldn't it be), it must have been so hard performing them only a matter of a few months after Malcolm's demise.
Is anyone is able to share any more Ruts DC live shows, I'd love to hear from you.
As promised here's some old Ruts material, albeit, the Ruts incognito. Backing the Godfather of Ska, the Ruts here are palying out and out ska beats (with the accasional shout from Malcolm!).
Pick of the crop for me here (perhaps with more than a little bias*) is 'Rudi Got Married' which, should my son get married, will make the reception play list for sure.
* his name is Rudi
Here's a slightly shortened festival set coming off the back of the Decades Apart tour. The Stranglers teamed up with Triumph for this celebration of our bass player's favourite mode and make of transport. Full sets from the Spring tour will be uploaded before too long, but even here it is notable that this tour saw a much needed rethink of the band's set. On this recording, Go Buddy Go, Curfew, Genetix and Down in the Sewer make a welcome return, whilst a new song in the shape of Retro Rockets appeared.
This was the first night of the first rerun of the '80s style coach excursion to the continent. For reasons well known to most, this became known as The Wonky Bus Tour, two nights of (mostly) men behaving badly.
The venue booked for the showcase Paris gig was a grand step up from 2007's Parisienne date at La Cigale. For obvious reasons, France has always been a big draw for the Stranglers and French fans have always received them well. Nevertheless, L'Olympia was an ambitious venue for them at this point in their career.
Something of the history of one of Paris's most glamourous venues can be found here. Apparently, JJ was very exited to be treading the same boards as once trodden by the great Edith Piaf.
When the yet to be Wonky Bus spewed out it's human cargo, the British contingent of the night's audience was swelled considerably. Many had already travelled out independently for this gig. We walked into one of the plushest venues I have ever seen any band in. This gig was a presetige date and the band rose to the occasion admirably.This was one of the best post Hugh gigs that I have seen them play.
I hope that you enjoy this cracking boot of that night's performance.
'Take My Hand Disco Man Are You Just A One Night Stand?'
On paper another 'Greatest Hits' tour, that created much debate in fan circles along the lines of please , please vary the set. Nevertheless, the 'FortyTwoForty' tour was excellent. Here's the penultimate night of the tour from London.
2007 wound up with something rather special on planet Strangler. To mark the 30th anniversary of a 5 night residency at Camden's Roundhouse (2nd-6th November 1977), the Stranglers took the same set back to the stage with a series of three dates (Glasgow, Manchester with the culmination at the now pristine Roundhouse itself).
Of the three I only made it to the London date (famously beset by technical problems, as seen in the Rattus at the Rounhouse DVD of the event). I am reliably informed though that of the three, it was in Glasgow that the band turned in their best performance.
Exiting news this.I was recently informed that in anticipation of new material and dates from the wonderful Ruts DC, a new web site concerning all things Ruts has been launched:
What's more Ruffy and Segs have been kind enough to provide a link to this site. Now to the best of my knowledge, there is not an overwhelming amount of suitable material from the Ruts and Ruts DC to post, but what I have I will make available soon.
In the meantime, all that remains is to wish the lads all the best with Rhythm Collision Volume 2 and the December dates. Please make all efforts to get out to see them, you won't regret it.
Apologies for the poor activity on the Stranglers front. Thus far, the coming weekend appears to be engagement free, so there will be more to come then.
