Rattus Norvegicus

Rattus Norvegicus, (the Latin name for the rats responsible for the plague) is an outstanding album. It has aged well and the dexterity of all four band members is clear throughout. It comes in the form of Hugh Cornwell’s psychedelic guitar licks, JJ Burnel’s fantastically deep and pumping bass lines and Dave Greenfield’s swirling keyboard. The bands song writing ability also puts them above the verse-chorus-verse-chorus ilk of their peers. Like many other punk bands of the time the Stranglers were also great at reflecting angst. Whether it’s in ‘London Lady’ which emulates the falseness and superficial attitude of music journalists; ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Ugly’, relationship problems and sexual self-consciousness or ‘Hanging Around’ a sideways look at adolescent hoods in big cities.

The Stranglers, like the Vibrators, were an older band which managed to gain visibility and success through association with Britain's punk movement. Musically, the group is much more polished than some of their rawer brethren such as the Adverts and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Stranglers' early work is most properly described as stripped-down pop played with a hardcore sensibility; with fairly lengthy songs involving frequent solo breaks, prominent keyboard usage, and occasional employment of vocal harmony set them apart from their peers.

While not the equal of their best album, No More Heroes, this album is perhaps one of The Stranglers greatest in that it reflects their malevolent attitude towards life. The songs are much rawer than their later polished and poppier material. It cleverly fits in the punk ethos of doing things for yourself and showing no concern of what others thought. How many other punk acts would have been brave enough to have a keyboard or experiment with different song structures? In a time that was made of two minute long, amphetamine fuelled numbers The Stranglers clearly stood above the rest with attitude, nous and a fantastic aptitude for musicianship.

Ripped from the 2001 CD reissue to MP3 @ 320kbps

The Stranglers; Rattus Norvegicus

1.      Sometimes  

2.      Goodbye Toulouse  

3.      London Lady  

4.      Princess Of The Streets 

5.      Hanging Around  

6.      Peaches  

7.      (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)  

8.      Ugly

9.      Down In The Sewer (Falling / Down In The Sewer / Trying To Get Out Again / Rats Rally)

10.   Choosey Susie (Bonus Track)

11.   Go Buddy Go (Bonus Track)

12.   Peasant In The Big Shitty (Live Bonus Track) 

Almost forgot, even though the CD version has the two tracks from the Free 7" single available in the first 10,000 copies...I thought I'd add the freebie in MP3 @ 320kbps anyway.

More from The Stranglers floating around here