The Raven 1979 Album

The Stranglers

After three successful releases in their native UK this was supposed to be the record that put them in the big time, but the cover alone suggests a darker corner has been turned. What I found fascinating about early Stranglers efforts is the interplay between Dave Greenfield’s tricky keyboard work and the working class take on punk rock from the rest of the guys in the band, many of whom had been professional musicians for years before punk rock even was a thought in people’s minds. But The Raven is a different animal altogether. Certainly, the only “punk” element left might be some of the political commentary, but even then, the Stranglers choose to stay in their observational lane, more often than not. Greenfield has traded his keyboard for video game sound-a-like synths and even a piano in one particular case. The end result is still fascinating, albeit in a decadent, blissfully drugged out kind of fashion. It’s clear the band wanted nothing to do with us foolish Americans, judging by “Dead Loss Angeles” and the incredulous “Shah Shah a Go Go”, and the fact that the record was not released in the US originally. Actually, on the average, this purportedly big market product is much the opposite of what an executive’s dream album would be subject matter-wise. The band would follow along this line undeterred with a follow-up album, which would sell far less units than this one. In the very least, The Raven did hit Top 5 in the UK and there was still enough normalcy for a catchy tune like “Duchess” to keep old time fans coming back.