The Stranglers ~ Rattus Norvegicus Song By Song
Sometimes
First track, first album, and my first real introduction to the Stranglers. Even now, many years later, I can still remember sitting in darkened rooms and Sometimes heralding the start of the whole night; the sound-track to it. It still transports me right back there every time I hear it start Rattus.
The whole band kick in together from the start. Jet is pounding the beat along at a steady rigid pace. Dave's runs up and down the keyboards at the breaks, JJ's relentless, incessant bass line, Hugh's erratic, spidery guitar solo leading into the instrumental middle- it's all the classic Stranglers trademarked Sound. The way the song returns from the instrumental break with the line, "You're way past your station...", the keyboards firing all over the shop, is perfect.
"Morbid fascination" what a great line, delivered perfectly.
It's got false stops and even a quick roll on the skins.
You could play Sometimes to nearly anyone with ears and the hook would be in.
Goodbye Toulouse
For a long time, I thought Goodbye Toulouse was a love song. Twisted and dark yes, (and, lets be honest here, exactly what I expected from the Stranglers at this stage) but a love song none the less. It was only years later when I finally read the proper lyrics and then later still read Song By Song that I realised it wasn't a love song to some chick dumped or left behind at all.
I don't think the mention of Paula in the song helped my confusion.
I think I thought that, unlike Hugh's Cadiz from his later solo album Beyond Elysian Fields, for example, where the apparent story of a girl actualy represents a love of a city, Goodbye Toulouse was a love song to a girl symbolised by a city.
I was wrong, of course, it's a song about Nostradamus and calamity and the apocalypse- hence the "farting Dalek" sound effects at the end.
It's got guitar strings squeaking honestly, it's got slightly flat backing vocals that only make them sound more genuine. Fuck, it's got more atmosphere and menace in the first 20 seconds than any of your manufactured Green Day-a-likes could ever hope to dilute to fill their next album. It's got a classic opening- each instrument building one after another an incessant pounding beat- first the spooky keyboards then the drums then JJ's relentless basslines and then the stuttering guitar. Hell, it's even got a great Row Row Row Yer Boat guitar solo in the middle.
In short, it's got baws.
What the fuck more do you want from a song?
London Lady
First track, first album, and my first real introduction to the Stranglers. Even now, many years later, I can still remember sitting in darkened rooms and Sometimes heralding the start of the whole night; the sound-track to it. It still transports me right back there every time I hear it start Rattus.
The whole band kick in together from the start. Jet is pounding the beat along at a steady rigid pace. Dave's runs up and down the keyboards at the breaks, JJ's relentless, incessant bass line, Hugh's erratic, spidery guitar solo leading into the instrumental middle- it's all the classic Stranglers trademarked Sound. The way the song returns from the instrumental break with the line, "You're way past your station...", the keyboards firing all over the shop, is perfect.
"Morbid fascination" what a great line, delivered perfectly.
It's got false stops and even a quick roll on the skins.
You could play Sometimes to nearly anyone with ears and the hook would be in.
Goodbye Toulouse
For a long time, I thought Goodbye Toulouse was a love song. Twisted and dark yes, (and, lets be honest here, exactly what I expected from the Stranglers at this stage) but a love song none the less. It was only years later when I finally read the proper lyrics and then later still read Song By Song that I realised it wasn't a love song to some chick dumped or left behind at all.
I don't think the mention of Paula in the song helped my confusion.
I think I thought that, unlike Hugh's Cadiz from his later solo album Beyond Elysian Fields, for example, where the apparent story of a girl actualy represents a love of a city, Goodbye Toulouse was a love song to a girl symbolised by a city.
I was wrong, of course, it's a song about Nostradamus and calamity and the apocalypse- hence the "farting Dalek" sound effects at the end.
It's got guitar strings squeaking honestly, it's got slightly flat backing vocals that only make them sound more genuine. Fuck, it's got more atmosphere and menace in the first 20 seconds than any of your manufactured Green Day-a-likes could ever hope to dilute to fill their next album. It's got a classic opening- each instrument building one after another an incessant pounding beat- first the spooky keyboards then the drums then JJ's relentless basslines and then the stuttering guitar. Hell, it's even got a great Row Row Row Yer Boat guitar solo in the middle.
In short, it's got baws.
What the fuck more do you want from a song?
London Lady
posted by Alias at 3:38 PM
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