February
7th marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Stranglers fifth
studio LP, The Gospel According to The Meninblack, released on this day
in 1981.
The album began life as what most fans considered to be a
throwaway track on their previous album, The Raven. The song,
Meninblack, seemed like a bit of frivolous fun, featuring a half speed
mechanical drum loop, layers of synth and a helium double speed vocal
that incited conspiratorial screeds about mysterious aliens harvesting
humans for food. It all, at the time of its release in 1979, seemed a
bit silly to most, though it was always one of my personal favorites
from that album for its experimentalism and oddness.
The truth
was that the guys were quite serious about this conspiracy of mysterious
black clothed "agents" who appeared to people who reported encounters
with UFOs. It's a concept that has since become a staple trope in
science fiction properties like the Men In Black film franchise and the X
Files TV series. Back in 1980, however, it was only something that was
discussed in obscure intellectual circles. One must remember that it
is only in the last few years that conspiracy culture has become
mainstream with groups like QAnon gobbling up oxygen in the media. Back
before the internet, conspiracy theories had a bit more clout and were
closely aligned with occult (meaning "hidden") traditions. Those who
pursued these topics were involved in in-depth research and
documentation, not merely swapping unsubstantiated rumors with unhinged
strangers online. Sure, a lot of the people involved in such pursuits
were still on the fringes of society and often sanity, but at least they
had some standards for research and investigation.
As work
began on the album, which was split up throughout 1980 with various
tours breaking up the recording sessions, a peculiar pattern of
misfortune seemed to descend on the band, prompting paranoia and
suspicion that what they were delving into was somehow upsetting some
kind of balance. It was tempting to see the group as being cursed
during the events that surrounded the creation of this record. Among
many misfortunes that befell the group were things like...
- court cases resulting in custodial prison sentences (Hugh)
- management and label conflicts
- master tapes going missing for The Raven
- all their gear being stolen while on tour in the US, including Dave's impressive array of keyboards and synths, all of which had been critical in the recording of the album
- poor record sales & charting (this was the least successful album of their career to date)
The
critics were also ruthlessly savage towards the album and its singles.
Stylistically, though its direction had been hinted at by The Raven, it
was still a huge departure from their earlier works. Overall, it had
an almost "techno" vibe thanks to the heavy use of synths and Jet's
focus on mechanical, precise and electronic sounding drums, though
calling it "pop" would be misleading as the vibe was too bizarre and
dark for such a label. The religious themes also caused critics to
level accusations of pretentiousness at the group. The album was even
packaged to look like marble carved scripture with a gate-fold inner
image of a parody of da Vinci's Last Supper and biblical sounding song
titles. It was no surprise when, after poor sales and critical
reception, their label had them back in the studio, posthaste, to get
going on another album to try to rehabilitate their reputation.
For me, however, this was the album that got me hooked on the group. The experimentation, use of electronics, complex themes and the cohesive aesthetic of it's symbology all worked together to form a work of astonishing completeness. Even some of the band now look back on this as the peak of their creative achievements, particularly Hugh Cornwell. It's frequently seen as the "ugly duckling" of their catalogue, but I think it has stood the test of time and bares the marks of a group willing to go against the grain to pursue their artistic vision. And I still keep a lookout for any mysterious looking gentlemen in dark suits.
