Marking
45 years on the shelf today is The Stranglers' third LP, Black and
White, which was released on May 12th, 1978. It’s an album which
continued to highlight the band’s distinctiveness, well beyond the
limitations of three chord slashing, bog-standard punk rock. The album
showcases the group beginning to develop a more introspective emotional
lyricism along with an increased sophistication in their song-craft,
introducing elements like the 7/4 time signature in the song, Curfew.
For some, the shift towards a more refined sound came at the expense of
powerful songwriting, as showcased on their first two LPs, but for
others, the writing was just as solid, while pushing musical boundaries
with implications of influence upon contemporaries like Gang of Four,
Joy Division and Public Image Ltd. Clearly, they were on a path which
was akin to those “post-punk” allies and their continued evolution down
that path would quickly lead to some significant pop classics down the
road. Not that Black and White doesn’t have its own cherries to be
picked. Tracks like Nice ’n’ Sleazy, Toiler On the Sea, and Death &
Night & Blood are just some of the songs which have become
essential listening in the classic Stranglers canon.
The
initial release of the UK version included a white vinyl 7” which
included a cover of Burt Bacharach’s Walk On Buy, along with two other
bonus tracks. The US release did not include the single, but was
pressed on black & white marbled vinyl. The album was a critical
and commercial success at the time of its release, though retrospective
critical praise has been a bit more mixed in light of the band’s
evolution. Still, it remains an essential piece of the band’s legacy
for any serious fan.
