The Raven (The Stranglers album)
| The Raven | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Stranglers | ||||
| Released | 21 September 1979 | |||
| Recorded | June 1979 at Pathe Marconi Studios, Paris; AIR Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Post-punk, new wave | |||
| Length | 41:11 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Producer | Alan Winstanley and The Stranglers | |||
| The Stranglers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Raven | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Smash Hits | 6½/10[2] |
 |
The Stranglers – Dead Loss Angeles
 An excerpt from "Dead Loss Angeles" |
| Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
The Raven is the fourth studio album by English new wave band The Stranglers. It was released on 21 September 1979, through record label United Artists.
Background
The first two songs, much of the artwork (the band is shown standing on the prow of a viking longship) and the album title refer to Norse mythology. The album deals with a variety of issues including Japanese ritual suicide ("Ice"), heroin use ("(Don't Bring) Harry"), the Iranian Revolution ("Shah Shah a Go Go") and Genetic engineering ("Genetix").
"Meninblack" became the starting point for their next album, The Gospel According to the Meninblack.
Release
The Raven was released on 21 September 1979. It reached No. 4 in the UK albums chart, remaining in the chart for eight weeks.[3] However, it is believed[by whom?] it should have made No.1 but for an error in the chart. The Police hit No.1 despite their album not yet being released, leading to controversy that the Police album was mis-credited with sales of The Raven.
The album was originally released with a limited edition 3D cover. Another limited edition was inadvertently created when the band was forced to remove an image of Joh Bjelke-Petersen from the inner sleeve artwork. Bjelke-Petersen was the subject of the album's sixth track, "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)".
"Duchess" was the first and most successful single from the album, released on 10 August 1979 and reaching No. 14 on the UK singles chart.[3] "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" was the second single released, reaching No. 36 in the same chart.[3] An EP, Don't Bring Harry, was released in November, consisting of the title track, "Wired" (credited to Hugh Cornwell and Robert Williams), "Crabs (Live)" (credited to J.J. Burnel) and "In the Shadows (Live)". It reached No. 41.[3]
Track listing
- All songs written by The Stranglers.
- "Longships" – 1:10
- "The Raven" – 5:13
- "Dead Loss Angeles" – 2:24
- "Ice" – 3:26
- "Baroque Bordello" – 3:50
- "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" – 3:32
- "Shah Shah a Go Go" – 4:50
- "(Don't Bring) Harry" – 4:09
- "Duchess" – 2:30
- "Meninblack" – 4:48
- "Genetix" – 5:16
| 2001 CD reissue bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 12. | "Bear Cage" | 2:50 |
| 13. | "Fools Rush Out" | 2:09 |
| 14. | "N'Emmenes Pas Harry" | 4:14 |
| 15. | "Yellowcake UF6" | 2:55 |
Personnel
- The Stranglers
- Hugh Cornwell – guitar, vocals, bass guitar ("Dead Loss Angeles"), production
- Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, vocals, production
- Dave Greenfield – keyboards, vocals, production
- Jet Black – drums, production
- Technical
- Alan Winstanley – production, engineering, mixing
- Steve Churchyard – mixing
- Porky – mastering
- BilBo – mastering
- John Pasche – sleeve design
- Shoot That Tiger! – sleeve design
- Chris Ryan – sleeve photography
- Toppan – sleeve photography
- Paul Cox – sleeve photography
- Allan Ballard – sleeve photography
References
- ↑ Cleary, David. "The Raven – The Stranglers : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ↑ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (18–31 October 1979): 29.
- 1 2 3 4 "Stranglers | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
External links
- The Raven at Discogs (list of releases)
- The Raven information, including original sleeve art