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The Raven (The Stranglers album)

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The Raven
Studio album by
the Stranglers
Released21 September 1979[1]: 82 
RecordedJune 1979
StudioPathé Marconi Studios, Paris
Mixed at AIR Studios, London
Genre
Length41:11
LabelUnited Artists
Producer
The Stranglers chronology
Black and White
(1978) 		The Raven
(1979) 		The Gospel According to the Meninblack
(1981)
Singles from The Raven
  1. "Duchess"
    Released: 10 August 1979[1]: 80 
  2. "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)"
    Released: 5 October 1979[1]: 85 
  3. "Don't Bring Harry"
    Released: 9 November 1979[1]: 86 
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
The Great Rock Discography6/10[4]
Record Collector[5]
Record Mirror[6]
Smash Hits6½/10[7]
Sounds[8]
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, released on 21 September 1979, through record label United Artists.

Background

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The first two songs, much of the artwork (the band is shown standing on the prow of a Viking longship on the back cover) 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").[9]

"Dead Loss Angeles" features guitarist Hugh Cornwell playing bass guitar in conjunction with bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel, who wrote the song's heavy bass line. No lead or rhythm guitars feature on the track, whose lyrics were written by Cornwell about his experiences in the United States.[10]

The Raven is the first Stranglers album not produced by Martin Rushent, instead being produced by the band with engineer Alan Winstanley.[11]

Release

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The Raven was released in September 1979. It reached No. 4 in the UK albums chart, remaining in the chart for eight weeks.[12]

The album was originally released with a limited-edition 3D cover. Another limited edition had to be 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.[12] "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" was the second single released; this reached No. 36 on the same chart.[12] A four-track EP, "Don't Bring Harry", was released in November. In addition to the title track and a live version of "In the Shadows", it also included "Wired" (taken from Cornwell and Robert Williams' forthcoming album Nosferatu) and a live version of "Crabs" (a track from Burnel's solo album, Euroman Cometh).[1]: 86  It reached No. 41.[12]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by the Stranglers

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Longships"Instrumental1:10
2."The Raven"Jean-Jacques Burnel5:13
3."Dead Loss Angeles"Hugh Cornwell2:24
4."Ice"Burnel3:26
5."Baroque Bordello"Cornwell3:50
6."Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)"Cornwell3:32
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
7."Shah Shah a Go Go"Cornwell4:50
8."Don't Bring Harry"Burnel4:09
9."Duchess"Cornwell2:30
10."Meninblack"Burnel4:48
11."Genetix"Dave Greenfield5:16
Total length:41:11
2001 CD reissue bonus tracks (EMI)
No.TitleOriginLength
12."Bear Cage"Non-album single, 19802:50
13."Fools Rush Out"B-side of "Duchess" single2:09
14."N'Emmenes Pas Harry"Non-album single (France)4:14
15."Yellowcake UF6"B-side of "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" single2:55
Total length:53:24
2016 expanded vinyl edition

Self-released by the Stranglers, The Raven received a deluxe vinyl reissue in 2016, limited to 1500 numbered copies. The original 11-track album is coupled with a bonus 9-track album, entitled Treasures Captured, which features B-sides, alternate versions and radio sessions.[13]

  • Side one and two as per original vinyl edition
The Raven: Treasures Captured
Side three
No.TitleOriginLength
1."Fools Rush Out"B-side of "Duchess" single2:11
2."N'Emmenes Pas Harry"Non-album single (France)4:16
3."G.m.b.H."IV, 19803:53
4."Vietnamerica"IV4:11
5."Yellowcake UF6"B-side of "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" single3:00
Side four
No.TitleOriginLength
6."Shah Shah a Go Go" (long version)"Bear Cage" 12" double A-side5:23
7."Bear Cage" (long version)Non-album 12" single6:34
8."Nuclear Device"/"Genetix" (BBC Radio 1 session, 24 January 1982)The Radio 1 Sessions - The Evening Show, 19898:14
Total length:37:42
2018 CD reissue bonus tracks (Parlophone)
(Associated recordings)
No.TitleOriginLength
12."Fools Rush Out"B-side of "Duchess" single2:12
13."Yellowcake UF6"B-side of "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" single2:59
14."In the Shadows" (live at Hope and Anchor, London, 1977)"Don't Bring Harry" EP4:48
15."N'Emmenes Pas Harry"Non-album single (France)4:17
16."Bear Cage"Non-album 7" single2:50
17."Bear Cage" (12" version)Non-album 12" single6:31
18."Shah Shah a Go Go" (12" version)"Bear Cage" 12" double A-side5:21
Total length:70:24

Personnel

[edit]
The Stranglers
Technical
  • The Stranglers – production, cover concept
  • Alan Winstanley – production, engineering, mixing
  • Steve Churchyard – mixing
  • George "Porky" Peckham – mastering
  • Denis "BilBo" Blackham – mastering
  • John Pasche – sleeve design coordination
  • Shoot That Tiger! – inner sleeve design
  • Chris Ryan – sleeve photography (2D cover photo)
  • Toppan – sleeve photography (3D cover photo)
  • Paul Cox – sleeve photography (back cover photo)
  • Allan Ballard – sleeve photography (inner bag photo)
Bonus tracks
  • The Stranglers – production (all tracks, except "Nuclear Device"/"Genetix")
  • Alan Winstanley – production, engineering (all tracks, except "G.m.b.H.", "Vietnamerica" and "Nuclear Device"/"Genetix")
  • Steve Churchyard – production ("G.m.b.H."), engineering ("Bear Cage", "Vietnamerica", "G.m.b.H.")
  • Dale Griffin – production ("Nuclear Device"/"Genetix")

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Twomey, Chris (1992). The Stranglers – The Men They Love To Hate. EMI Records Ltd.
  2. ^ Cleary, David. "The Raven – The Stranglers". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Stranglers". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography (6th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1012. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  5. ^ Peacock, Tim (April 2018). "The Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes, Black And White, Live (X Cert), The Raven, The Gospel According to the Meninblack, La Folie". Record Collector. No. 478. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  6. ^ Nicholls, Mike (15 September 1979). "Strangler Than Fiction". Record Mirror. p. 13.
  7. ^ Starr, Red (18–31 October 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1, no. 23. p. 29.
  8. ^ McCullough, Dave (1979). "The Stranglers: The Raven". Sounds.
  9. ^ Marszalek, Julian (4 March 2014). "Mr Dojo Rising: JJ Burnel of the Stranglers Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  10. ^ Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers: Song by Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. pp. 127–132. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
  11. ^ "The Raven in retrospect". thestranglers.co.uk. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d "Stranglers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  13. ^ "The Raven limited vinyl reissue". thestranglers.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
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