Customer Reviews
Fly Straight with Perfection - By: Nigel C. Jackson, 01 Nov 2008 
With their 1979 album 'The Raven' the Stranglers produced what has to be regarded a true masterpiece which sounds as original & brilliant today as it did when first released: the mature sound they'd developed by the time they recorded this album is nothing short of astonishing, JJ Burnel's powerful, sinewy bass & Cornwell's wiry & intricate guitar-lines enveloped by Greenfield's arch & swirling keyboard & synth, underpinned by the solid but never ostentatious drumming of Jet Black. It's not often one can say that an album has been recorded on which every track is a jewel but with 'The Raven' that is undoubtedly the case; the diversity of mood from the menacing to the ironic & the downright strange, with themes ranging from ancient Norse seafaring to the turmoil of the Shah's falll & revolutionary Iran of the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 & exploring extra-terrestrials & baroque bordellos along the way, continues to compel & delight. Post-punk rarely sounded as good as this. So vastly superior to the absurd bluster or vapid, over-produced flab & impoverished blandness which the unfortunate youth of today are burdened with, here The Stranglers reached an incredible high-water mark of power & imagination which has not been surpassed.
Breathtaking and original - By: D. J. H. Thorn, 15 Oct 2007 The Stranglers made so many fine albums that it's impossible to single one out as being their definitive effort. 'The Raven' is certainly my favourite, though. Their debut is on a similar level, but this album sees the band maturing with some finesse. It is the culmination of the experimentation which begins on the similarly-acclaimed 'Black And White' but boasts a little more polish & greater consistency. The homage of the exhilarating title track is juxtaposed against the more characteristic hatchet jobs which follow. No longer so concerned with misanthropy, The Stranglers continue the international put-downs begun on 'Black And White' with attacks aimed at the USA, Australia & Iran, alll of them cutting to the bone.
'Nuclear Device' harks back to the band's earlier recordings as it derides the Australian nation, while the title track & 'Duchess' also provide conventional pop moments. Elsewhere, the music is accessible, yet with an oddballl element. The intros to songs tend to be lengthy & catchy, yet give way to unusual arrangements. 'Don't Bring Harry' is striking for its use of piano instead of organ.
They keep the two most chilling tracks for the end, however. The helium-voiced 'Meninblack' is a piece of genius ('Human flesh is porky meat, tee hee') which would be developed across the whole of the next album, while 'Genetix' is a disturbing reminder of science going too far.
Of the bonus tracks, 'Bear Cage' is the stand-out, a minor hit, if I remember correctly. 'The Raven' is a must for anyone who likes this band.
the raven - stranglers - By: M. Baker, 24 Jun 2007 
i should nt reallly moan about this band , after alll most punk, & bands that came out of punk could only manage one maybe two classic albums (stiff little fingers , clash , pistols , banshees stand up please ) but this album was & still is a big let down for me . with the loss half way through recording of producer martin rushent , arguably the man who honed the stranglers early sound the band totallly lost their edge .
the album starts off brightly enough & there are certanly some good tracks on here but the production is so weak its heart breaking
worth having if only as a what could have been album ..........certanly no more heros after this
FIND ME A NEW DIRECTION - By: Kelvin J. Dickinson, 14 May 2007 The first STRANGLERS album I bought rather than borrowed. But where to start? Right at the beginning, I suppose.
(DEEP BREATH) I first saw them in 1980 at Leeds University during The Raven tour. Halfway through the set there was a power cut, so when they eventuallly returned to the stage, the band (like us) were Seriously Pissed Off & what should have been the remaining thirty minutes were thrashed out in less than twenty. I don't even think there was an encore, although that may be down to the don't-give-a-damn punk ethic of the times. But still I loved the gig & still I love the album. And here's why:
Following on from BLACK AND WHITE, 1979's THE RAVEN was like a breath of fresh air to my ears. The sound is more thoughtful & the instruments easier to differentiate & place, with a production designed to emphasise the gaps, so to speak, yet being far from spartan as a whole. And even though the theme of the album (Viking/Nordic symbolism) peters out after only two tracks, there's still a cohesion that insists you play these songs in order.
It's roughly 50/50 in the writing & performance stakes on THE RAVEN & at this point neither HUGH CORNWELL nor JEAN JACQUES BURNEL are significantly dominant or more accomplished than each other as songsmiths. But it doesn't matter anyway, because each song compliments the next & so on. Highlights include the title track, DEAD LOSS ANGELES, DON'T BRING HARRY (with a beautiful guitar solo), MENINBLACK & GENETIX (DAVE GREENFIELD providing his usual ought-to-belong-on-some-kind-of-creepy-register vocals). Even the bonus tracks are a delight, especiallly BEAR CAGE, a dinky little number with a typicallly flat (again, of the time) Cornwell delivery. Marvellous stuff.
And another point worth mentioning: after alll these years, there's still nothing to compare in sound or texture to THE RAVEN (if you're in any doubt about that, just listen to the extraordinary SHAH SHAH A GO GO). Timeless? Maybe not. But unique? In spades.
So, a few reasons why the album is worth owning. You'll no doubt discover the rest for yourself.
Oh, & finallly: In 1979 I was lucky enough to buy one of the first 10,000 copies of THE RAVEN featuring a 3D hologram stuck over the standard LP cover. So, what do I go & do? Needing some cash, I sell it to a schoolfriend for £[...], having played it to death & figuring that I'll buy another copy before too long. Of course, the utter stupidity of that decision only hits home a few weeks later when I'm in the Bradford branch of Boots the Chemist, face as long as a falllpipe, about to pay £[...] for the non-limited edition. Then, as I prepare to hand over the cash, another assistant walks up & asks if I'd I prefer a 3D copy, SHE THINKS THERE'S ONE LEFT IN THE BACK SOMEWHERE(!!!)
Confirmation in my book that there is indeed a God.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
stranglers classic - By: John Wilkinson, 23 Mar 2007 
this is a great stranglers album, i would have give it five stars but i dont think alll the songs on here are great. but obviously, i had to give it four stars! AT LEAST. because there reallly are classics on here.
the raven, nuclear device, dont bring harry, longships, to name some reallly brilliant songs on this album.
if your a fan of the stranglers, (im a HUUUUGE FAN!)then you must get this album, as your collection is not complete without it! the stranglers music was changing at this time, but theres still punk on this album.
the stranglers are a band that were punk but went on to change to a different music style, but the music stayed great as they produced great albums like la folie, aural sculpture, & feline (you should buy alll of them to!). buy the raven, ITS GREAT!
