Sufficient archival material has now been issued to leave nobody in any doubt about the Stranglers' early charms. But even in the face of so much live, demo, and outtake material, the two sessions they recorded for the BBC's John Peel still rate among the most potent demonstrations of all. Live, after all, the band could be sloppy beyond words; on vinyl, they could be slick beyond belief. But caught midway between the two disciplines, neither over-produced nor under-rehearsed, the group is as threatening as a storm front ...
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Sufficient archival material has now been issued to leave nobody in any doubt about the Stranglers' early charms. But even in the face of so much live, demo, and outtake material, the two sessions they recorded for the BBC's John Peel still rate among the most potent demonstrations of all. Live, after all, the band could be sloppy beyond words; on vinyl, they could be slick beyond belief. But caught midway between the two disciplines, neither over-produced nor under-rehearsed, the group is as threatening as a storm front and as brutal as the footpads who, according to their early reputation, they supposedly aped. The first session, from March 1977, catches them halfway through the taping of their first album, but previewing their stage show rather than premiering the record -- only two songs, "Hanging Around" and "Goodbye Toulouse," would reappear on the LP. The mood is as threatening as you'd expect, but the power is far more ponderous -- a little slower than the records, and an awful lot darker. Six months later, the band's eyes were firmly on the release of the No More Heroes album, but the performances are twitchy and the energy is stiletto sharp -- "No More Heroes" has a growling freneticism that makes the studio version sound positively anorexic. No matter how much you love the LPs, you owe it to yourself to hear the sessions as well. The third session (cut for David Jensen in 1982), on the other hand, is as weak as the Stranglers have ever sounded, with even the first album era "Down in the Sewer," revived for who knows what reason, clouded by toytown keyboards, damned by unconvincing vocals, and saddled with a guitar line that seems obsessed with making a classic rock statement, rather than just following its nose like it did in the early days. Another oldie, "Nuclear Device"/"Genetix" (from The Raven), isn't much better, and "The Man They Loved to Hate," from the then-current La Folie, is simply misjudged. It's a disposable offering then, which serves only to remind listeners why so much of the Class of '77 either broke up or burned out long before the '80s hit their stride. Return to the first eight songs, though, and the two sessions that catch the Stranglers at their peak, and The Sessions emerges as one of the hottest BBC albums of all. ~ Dave Thompson, Rovi
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Add this copy of The Sessions to cart. $3.00, good condition, Sold by Bookmans rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Castle Records.
Add this copy of The Sessions to cart. $3.63, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES.
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Add this copy of The Sessions to cart. $9.50, very good condition, Sold by SellingTales rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Belvidere, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Castle Records.
