The Burning Up Times - Strangled.co.uk

Burning Up Times Issue 3
exhilarating performance – I couldn’t wait
to get into school the next day, meet up
with my fellow punkster classmates and
relive the experience again – it was the talk
off the assembly hall that next morning.
Soon enough I had my very own copy of
Rattus – followed by Heroes, and before
long, every single release was purchased
– a habit that still goes on to this day. All
this built up for one landmark occasion – a
Thursday night in September 1978 at the
Ulster Hall: Rattus’ kick-starts, Go Buddy
Go on TV goes up a notch, but I’ll never
forget my fi rst live experience of the band.
It’s an event forever imprinted. I haven’t
missed a Belfast gig since. Rats All Folks!
Mully, Belfast
Jack Black’s rack
I went to see High Fidelity at the cinema
at Swiss Cottage with my cousins. There,
on the wall of the record shop in the fi lm
was No More Heroes, so I shouted out:
“STRANGLERS! NO MORE HEROES!”
I made everyone jump. Also when Dick
played Infl ammable Material, I then
shouted: “SUSPECT DEVICE!” Needless
to say, my cousins haven’t taken me to
the movies again. But No More Heroes
is a brilliant album – as good as The
Meninblack I’d say.
Adam Pigeon, south London
Hardly dated
Fifteen years on from the release of Rattus
and Heroes, I heard The Stranglers for
the fi rst time. The song was Something
Better Change and I was barely out of
nappies. But I was hooked. With whatever
pocket money I managed to scramble
together, I persuaded my folks to take me
to the nearest record shop so I could get
my pre-pubescent hands on a Stranglers
album. Now in 2007, as I place my ageing
copy of Heroes onto my tired old Dual
turntable, the music has hardly dated at all
– sounding as fresh and alive as any other
release from that era but most importantly,
has there ever been a fi ner chemistry than
the original line-up? I could sit here and
rack my brains for more words but there
wouldn’t be any point.
Adam Neil, Cheshire
No strings, but they
still cut it
I was only a young kid at the end of my
glam rock obsession back in 1976-7 when
I fi rst encountered The Stranglers in the
inky music press. I remember seeing what
would have been some of their fi rst promo
pics and thinking how old, scruffy and
mean looking they were, plus a couple of
them had moustaches and beards which
was not a Punk era plus point back then.
No overpriced Seditionaries threads for
these guys either, scuffed leather biker chic
and afghan coats was more their thing.
Eventually I heard the music which was
swamped in Doors-style keyboards and the
bass was literally in your face, these guys
could play. I liked what I heard, it was
different to the 1-2-3 chord thrash a lot
of the new breed of multicoloured spikey
tops were releasing, though I really liked
that also. Punk bands on ‘70s telly were
scarce, so The Stranglers appearances
were essential viewing. JJ always looked
cool with his low slung bass guitar, while
Hugh sneered into his mic, spitting out the
lyrics into your living room through the
fl ickering screen. Dave and Jet were there
as always in the background, solid as ever.
Rattus became a permanent fi xture on a
mate’s stereo, and played it to death – until
Heroes replaced it. Their ’77 singles
together with the fi rst three albums were
up there with the best that New Wave had
to offer. I’ve always thought they tried
too hard to be controversial, antagonistic,
misogynistic in the media, but then again
it never hurt their long-term career. Maybe
its part of their charm? I saw them live for
the fi rst time in September 1978 at Ulster
Hall in Belfast. They put on an excellent
show and encouraged everyone to join
them onstage for the fi nal song which
was Toiler, and so we happily obliged. A
mate of mine nicked JJ’s string jumper
which he had discarded during the show
then stupidly went backstage wearing it.
Lets just say when JJ spotted he had his
pride and joy, it didn’t stay on my pal’s
back for long. I saw The Stranglers live
again, minus Hugh, last year after a 28
year gap and they still cut it. I think its
safe to predict that the Meninblack will be
hanging around (sorry!) for a while longer.
Joe Donnelly, Belfast
(ex-the Producers)
Top dogs
The Stranglers are one of the all time
greats, as I remember them right from the
beginning, Rattus is a top class album.
Songs like Hanging Around, Peaches,
and Princess of the Streets would still be
in my Top 10 today. Different from the
rest of the Punk that was around at the
time – and the rat was a great logo – we
all had it painted on our leather jackets.
I now play in a Punk and Ska cover band
called Doghouse – and we do No More
Heroes and Peaches. When I hear The
Stranglers, I think of my youth and have
brilliant memories of that time. Although
I think they lost it after Black and White
and when Hugh departed, for me that was
the end.
Ian ‘Buck’ Murdock, Belfast
Morbid fascination
A dark cold room. A single bare 12
watt light bulb, when lit, only makes
the shadows darker where they fall. Did
I mention it was cold? There’s ice on
the inside of the windows, so it must be
winter, although it might be early spring.
Could be autumn! You don’t see that so
much these days – bedroom windows
caked with ice. It’s the way I remember the
setting for my introduction to an album
or two that will stay with me till the day
I die. Remember when you used to really
concentrate on an album? The sleeve,
with all it’s mysterious iconography and
imagery, especially when songs are cut
deep into black vinyl grooves? I do. By
the time I was really into The Stranglers
Black & White was out, and it confi rmed
everything my tiny teenaged brain was
already pretty certain of – this was the
band for me. But it was the two albums
preceding this that got their sharp claws in
and dragged me along on the roller-coaster
ride of a lifetime, a white-knuckle ride
replete with swirling fairground organs no
less. So, to me, Rattus Norvegicus (what a
46