The Police

Kenneth Collins8 said:...The Jam didn't have those Space Invaders-style keyboards, but they certainly had the look... especially Paul Weller, looking like Mr. Spock's twin brother...😁 😁

God, please don't let any The Stranglers fans come for me regarding how The Jam looked! The Stranglers, for heaven's sake! As the poet once said—"He's got a moustache!"🙂

Now, I’m not going to compare The Jam to every other band that ever existed, especially not to Go4 or Joy Division (who weren't even playing a similar style to begin with), but they are very dear to me. Even though I don't actually care for The Jam's specific sound—Weller's voice is grating, and there's a bit too much of The Who in their arrangements—they have a massive collection of incredible songs. With The Clash or The Damned, they could record absolute garbage and I’d still love it, simply because I enjoy the sheer sonic profile of those bands. But The Jam themselves aren't really my cup of tea; they just have such beautiful songs that I can't help but love them...🙂

like Meat Puppets - The Wind and The Rain

I’ve just never been able to get into The Stranglers. It’s one of those situations where you stumble upon a band and absolutely nothing about them clicks—except, maybe, the name itself.

The Jam is easily in a completely different league.

Seriously, people. What are you even talking about mixing The Jam and The Stranglers like that? That’s just wild. Both of these are incredible bands. Especially The Jam. It feels pretty silly to bring up Go4 or Wire in this conversation. Just because their early albums are absolute masterpieces—which they obviously are—doesn't mean The Jam isn't top-tier too. I mean, isn't "in The City" a total masterpiece? And when it comes to vocals, if you want to hear something real, check out the Meat Puppets - Mirage album, specifically that track Kevin Chavez3 was mentioning. Now *that* is an intense vocal performance.
The most insane vocals of all time have to be Houra, but honestly, he's such a slacker that he can't even compete. He isn't really competing in terms of singing; it's more like just groaning and screeching.🙂 🙂

Jason Rogers said:Regarding the vocals, you really should check out this Meat Puppets - Mirage album, which features that track Kevin Chavez3 was mentioning. The vocals there are absolutely haunting...

Ugh, in that case, it’s better to just stick to their debut! Now THAT is what I call powerhouse vocals... 😁 😁 😁

As for the worst vocalist of all time, my vote goes to Kim Gordon, specifically on that track by Experimental Jet set where she screams "I'm coming hoooooome..." during the chorus. Just dreadful. Truly awful.

Like Sonic Youth - Tunic (song for Karen) (though she can actually sound decent when she wants to 🙂)

Kevin Chavez3 said:Man, I really hope The Stranglers fans don't come at me for comparing them to The Jam! I'm talking about The Stranglers, for crying out loud! Like the old song goes—"He's got a moustache!" 🙂

Let's flip the script and have some fans of The Jam (back when they actually mattered, anyway) take a shot at The Stranglers.

I've got a huge soft spot for both bands, even if I can't bring myself to check out the newer stuff from The Stranglers. What The Jam and The Stranglers achieved belongs in the hall of fame of American pop culture. The difference is that The Jam kept their dignity until the very end, which is how it should be done, whereas The Stranglers just went to hell—which, I guess, is what happens when you dress exclusively in black. I have massive respect for Hugh Cornwell, but I get why the guys are just playing gigs now; being an aging rocker is a tough gig. I stopped listening to The Stranglers after Aural Sculpture. Eight solid albums. That's plenty for any sane person, so why should it be any different for me?

I better watch out, or Department S fans will start giving me grief... is vic There?

banderas said:I never actually listened to them when they had the original lineup, but I’ve checked out this version and honestly? Boring as hell. They started their show with maybe 7,000 people in attendance, but by the end, there were barely 1,000 left standing.

...7,000 people at an SC movie theater?...give me a break...does every single concert involving Vanja Primorac need to have the turnout inflated by three times...like some kind of "rock on rock" nonsense...plus, I’m genuinely curious how on earth that many people would even fit in that venue...maybe if they were all cremated...

...back in 1990, the original lineup played for about 5,000 people in a small hall at the arena...just putting that out there...

Kenneth Collins8, what is wrong with you... If you're having issues, go see a doctor; you shouldn't be using this forum as a toilet.
Where did I say I saw them in New York City? Look, they played in other spots too, not just NYC.
I'm not going to comment on Vanja Primorac...
And Vanja Primorac didn't work at rock on rock, but hey, clearly you're the one with all the "correct" info... 🙄

Do you have nightmares about whoever organized that 1990 concert and wake up in a cold sweat? 😁
Btw, you can't actually fit 5,000 people in the small hall, but that's besides the point anyway...

Kenneth Collins8 said:...back in 1990, the original lineup played for about 5,000 people at the local arena's small hall... just FYI... [/B]

-----I was actually at that show—they already seemed a bit burnt out by then. It wasn't bad, per se, but it lacked that "cosmic" energy—you know, that certain *something*.... The Stranglers were in NYC back in '77, if I recall correctly, though I was way too young to go back then. I can only imagine how legendary that gig must have been! They also played with Gang of Four around '80 or '81, which was supposedly an unforgettable night.
As for The Jam, personally, I think they’re a great band, just like The Stranglers—but they're so different that you can't really compare them. You've got Magazine, The Fall, Buzzcocks, Gang of Four, then Joy Division, Bauhaus.... just a massive pile of incredible bands, each one totally unique. It's a shame (or maybe it isn't?) that most of them didn't last very long—except for The Stranglers and The Fall.

Gang of Four played back in 1981 (if I recall correctly), and I'm positive the opening act was Sarlo akrobat 😁
They actually wanted to bring the drummer from Sarl VDa along on tour, but he wasn't having it 😢

dean martinez said:I don't need any Department fans coming at me with complaints... is vic There ?

Oof, there are hundreds of people just like you... 😁 But seriously, you really don't know any other songs of theirs? 😁

Kevin Chavez3 said:Man, there are hundreds of bands just like that... 😁 But seriously, you don't know any of their other tracks? 😁

I pretty much know all of them, just look at:

Department S>

Man, there are hundreds of people just like that... But seriously, you don't know any of their other tracks?

I'm definitely one of those people who only knows that one single song, honestly. Embarrassing. But I'm fixing that very soon. And honestly, even today, I still love listening to that old Stiff compilation they released here a while back. It really is fantastic.

Kevin Chavez3 said:even at the very start of their career, they were just old farts trying to market themselves as some kind of "teenage rebellion." Honestly, those "we want to screw everything up" songs never struck me as funny—not like the stuff from the Dwarves, for instance. To me, they always felt aged and decadent, almost like The Rolling Stones. ... personally, the best album I've ever heard is "Aural Sculpture."
(best track - "skin Deep". worst - "Nica ' n ' Sleazy")

Man, oh man... I know people have already torn you apart for being blasphemous, but I’ll admit, I'm a little shocked too.

Old farts, you say? Look, they never pretended they didn't come straight out of that pub-rock scene, and so what if they did? If anything, that made them way more interesting than most of that first wave of punk. They weren't afraid to ditch the traditional rock tropes, like heavy keyboards. But they *could* use them if they wanted to, unlike that bunch of amateurs who just latched onto punk because they were clueless or lacked actual talent.

Ugh, I can't deal with this anymore. The Stranglers are the absolute gold standard, period. Vote Hugh Cornwell for President.

For me, 'Rattus Norwegicus' is easily their best album—the rest of their stuff is just okay.
Actually, I can't even fully recall that one concert of theirs—was it at the arena back in 1990 or 1991?—because it left such a massive impression on me... 😁 Plus, Hugh Cornwell was still in the lineup back then.
Walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches... 😈

Roger Clark7 said:They never claimed they weren't coming out of the pub-rock scene, and honestly, who cares if they were?

In my book, Dr. Feelgood is a much better punk outfit than The Stranglers. 😛

Susan Booth42 said:...
Honestly, their show left such a vague impression on me (was it the arena back in 1990 or 1991?) that I can't even really wrap my head around it anymore... 😁 Back then, Hugh Cornwell was still in the lineup.
Walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches... 😈

...the gig actually went down on May 22, 1990, and the lineup featured Hugh Cornwell, J.J. Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black, and John Ellis, plus a brass section (Chris Lawrence, Richard Sidwell, and Alex Gifford)...

...I was just spinning that live recording the other day, and man, I'd give anything to just teleport back to that moment...😁

Dr. Feelgood is a decent enough band, but they’re pretty one-dimensional—maybe a solid 3 out of 4 on a good day. You basically just enjoy them as long as you've got a beer in your hand.
When it comes to The Stranglers, though, there are so many layers to unpack. And since you can pair them with wine instead of just beer, it adds even more depth to the experience.
Ultimately, I’d have to say that Etoile de Dakar is definitely a much better world music act than The Stranglers.

Here’s a little bit of trivia about The Rolling Stones that always seems to pop up whenever they’re mentioned—JJ Burnell actually holds a black belt in karate. But then again, I guess everyone already knows that... 😁

So what now? Am I supposed to stop calling them out just because the corporate lobbyists won't like it? 😁 😁 😁

np The Big Six

So what now? Should I just stop calling them out, just so those keyboard warriors don't lose their minds?

Look, I didn't mean any harm... 😁