Black And White 1978 Album

The Stranglers

The one area the Stranglers 3rd record ups the ante from the first two is tone. This was the most "punk" toned record they made to this point. Right from the first guitar and drum blast of "Tank" it's clear - the majority of BAL was up-tempo, and more important, uncompromising. The only trace of raunchy innuendo was on the second track "Nice 'n' Sleazy", but even that felt more serious and threatening than any previous works. Stuff like "Sweden", "Hey! (Rise of the Robots)", and the ominous album ender "Enough Time" typify this bleak yet thrilling effort. And so does the stark cover art, too. Not enough is going to fall in love with it, but for my money they hit a definite peak on this record.