Black and White (The Stranglers album)

Black and White is the third studio album by English new wave band The Stranglers. It was released on 12 May 1978, through record label United Artists.

Background

As with The Stranglers' first two albums, Black and White was produced by Martin Rushent. The album sees The Stranglers adopting a more experimental approach to song structures and time signatures (for example, "Curfew" features 7/4 time).

The band recorded a version of "Sweden" sung in Swedish, called "Sverige" and released it in Sweden. The song was partly inspired by Cornwell's PhD placement at Lund University in the mid-1970s. In an anecdote related in the Swedish online magazine, Blaskan, it is stated that the song was inspired by a disastrous visit to Sweden during a European tour, when a gig was violently interrupted by a gang of "raggare" (greasers).^[1]

The song title "Death and Night and Blood" is taken from a line from Yukio Mishima's novel Confessions of a Mask.

The song "In the Shadows" had previously been released as the B-side to the band's 1977 single "No More Heroes".

Track listing

All songs written and composed by The Stranglers (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black), except as noted.

Side A (White)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tank"	2:54
2.	"Nice 'n' Sleazy"	3:11
3.	"Outside Tokyo"	2:06
4.	"Sweden (All Quiet on the Eastern Front)"	2:47
5.	"Hey! (Rise of the Robots)"	2:13
6.	"Toiler on the Sea"	5:23

Side B (Black)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Curfew"	3:10
2.	"Threatened"	3:30
3.	"Do You Wanna"	2:38
4.	"Death and Night and Blood (Yukio)"	2:50
5.	"In the Shadows"	4:15
6.	"Enough Time"	4:16

Bonus 7"
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Walk On By"	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	6:22
2.	"Mean to Me"		1:55
3.	"Tits"		5:25

2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Mean to Me"		1:55
14.	"Walk On By"	Bacharach, David	6:22
15.	"Shut Up"		1:07
16.	"Sverige"		2:49
17.	"Old Codger"		2:49
18.	"Tits"		5:25

Release

Black and White was released on 12 May 1978. The album peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, spending eighteen weeks in the chart.^[2]

The first 75,000 LPs came with a free white vinyl 7" composed of three tracks: "Walk On By" (a cover of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song written for and originally recorded by Dionne Warwick), "Mean to Me" and "Tits".

The US version of the album, on the A&M label, was pressed on black and white marbled vinyl, but came without the three-track single.

Singles released from the album were "Nice 'n' Sleazy", b/w "Shut Up", and "Walk On By", b/w "Tank" and "Old Codger". "Old Codger" featured a guest vocal from jazz singer George Melly. An edited version of "Walk On By" with "Tank" was also pressed as a double A-side radio-play single.

Most of these tracks were included in the remastered 2001 CD re-issue of the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]
Trouser Press	unfavourable^[4]

Retrospective critics generally view Black and White in a lesser light to the band's previous albums. AllMusic called it "arguably the weakest" of The Stranglers' first three albums, "yet it still has some absolutely stunning moments."^[3] Trouser Press wrote, "Black and White lacks only good songs. Except for 'Nice 'n' Sleazy', most of the tracks are merely inferior rehashes of earlier work, making the LP easily forgettable."^[4]

Personnel

The Stranglers

Hugh Cornwell – guitar, lead and backing vocals
Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
Dave Greenfield – keyboards (Hammond L100 Organ, Hohner Cembelet electric piano, Minimoog synthesizer), lead and backing vocals
Jet Black – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

Lora Logic – saxophone ("Hey!")
George Melly – vocals ("Old Codger")
Lew Lewis – harmonica ("Old Codger")

Technical

Martin Rushent – production
Alan Winstanley – engineering
Kevin Sparrow – sleeve design
Ruan O'Lochlainn – cover photography

References

↑ "I huvudet på en gammal punkare", 2006 article in online Swedish magazine, Blaskan | http://www.blaskan.nu/Blaskan/Nummer44/Punkspecial/i_huvudet_pa_en_gammal_punkare_capo.html
↑ "Stranglers | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
1 2 Ogg, Alex. "Black and White – The Stranglers : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
1 2 Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Stranglers". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 27 April 2013.

External links

Black and White at Discogs (list of releases)

The Stranglers

Jet Black J. J. Burnel Dave Greenfield Baz Warne Hugh Cornwell Hans Wärmling Paul Roberts John Ellis

Studio albums	Rattus Norvegicus No More Heroes Black and White The Raven The Gospel According to the Meninblack La folie Feline Aural Sculpture Dreamtime 10 Stranglers in the Night About Time Written in Red Coup de Grace Norfolk Coast Suite XVI Giants

Live albums	Live at the Hope and Anchor Live (X Cert) All Live and All of the Night Saturday Night, Sunday Morning Access All Areas The Stranglers and Friends – Live in Concert Friday the Thirteenth Live at the Hammersmith Odeon '81 5 Live 01 Live at the Apollo Apollo Revisited Coast to Coast: Live on Tour Live at the Apollo 2010 (DVD & CD)

Compilations	IV The Collection 1977–1982 Off the Beaten Track Rarities (1998) Singles (The UA Years) Greatest Hits 1977–1990 All Twelve Inches The Early Years '74 '75 '76 Rare Live and Unreleased Strangled from Birth and Beyond The Sessions The Hit Men The Best of the Epic Years The Collection Collection Hits Collection The Stranglers The Masters Lies and Deception Peaches: The Very Best of The Stranglers Rarities (2002) Out of the Black Sweet Smell of Success – Best of the Epic Years Live 'n' Sleazy Miss You Gold The Very Best of The Stranglers Decades Apart

Singles	"(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)" "Choosey Susie" "Peaches" "Something Better Change" "No More Heroes" "5 Minutes" "Nice 'n' Sleazy" "Walk On By" "Duchess" "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" "Don't Bring Harry" "Bear Cage" "Who Wants The World?" "Thrown Away" "Just Like Nothing On Earth" "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" "Golden Brown" "La Folie" "Strange Little Girl" "European Female" "Midnight Summer Dream" "Paradise" "Skin Deep" "No Mercy" "Let Me Down Easy" "Nice In Nice" "Always The Sun" "Big In America" "Shakin' Like A Leaf" "All Day and All of the Night" "96 Tears" "Sweet Smell Of Sucess" "Heaven Or Hell" "Sugar Bullets" "Lies And Deception" "In Heaven She Walks" "Big Thing Coming" "Long Black Veil" "Spectre of Love" "Retro Rockets" "Mercury Rising"

Other songs	"Hanging Around" "Tramp"

Special projects	Clubbed to Death

DVD releases	The Collection 1977–1982 Live At Alexandra Palace Friday the Thirteenth Euro Live On Stage on Screen Rattus at the Roundhouse Live at the Apollo 2010 (DVD & CD)

Related	Discography Faith Band Soulsec Martin Rushent Celia and the Mutations

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