No More Heroes (album)
| No More Heroes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 September 1977 | |||
| Recorded | July 1977 | |||
| Studio | T.W. Studios, Fulham, England | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, new wave, post-punk | |||
| Length | 43:04[1] | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Producer | Martin Rushent | |||
| The Stranglers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from No More Heroes | ||||
| ||||
No More Heroes is the second studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 23 September 1977, through record label United Artists, five months after their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus.
Background
No More Heroes was produced by Martin Rushent. The album consists of new material with three songs left over from the Rattus Norvegicus sessions ("Something Better Change", "Bitching" and "Peasant in the Big Shitty").
The album cover features a photo of a wreath placed on a coffin with the tails of several rats (the Stranglers' trademark). The brass plaque on the album cover was engraved by Steven Stapleton of Nurse with Wound.[2]
Two singles were released from the album: "No More Heroes", and a double A-side of "Something Better Change" and the non-album track "Straighten Out". A further non-album single was released later that year: "5 Minutes".
Track listing
All tracks are written by the Stranglers (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black)
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Feel Like a Wog" | Hugh Cornwell | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Bitching" | Jean-Jacques Burnel | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Dead Ringer" | Dave Greenfield | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Dagenham Dave" | Jean-Jacques Burnel | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Bring on the Nubiles" | Hugh Cornwell | 2:15 |
| 6. | "Something Better Change" | Jean-Jacques Burnel | 3:35 |
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No More Heroes" | Hugh Cornwell | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Peasant in the Big Shitty" | Dave Greenfield | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Burning Up Time" | Jean-Jacques Burnel | 2:25 |
| 4. | "English Towns" | Hugh Cornwell | 2:13 |
| 5. | "School Mam" | Hugh Cornwell | 6:52 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Straighten Out" | 2:46 |
| 13. | "5 Minutes" | 3:18 |
| 14. | "Rok It to the Moon" | 2:47 |
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
No More Heroes has been praised by retrospective critics. AllMusic called No More Heroes "faster, nastier and better [than Rattus Norvegicus]. "At this point the Stranglers were on top of their game, and the ferocity and anger that suffuses this record would never be repeated."[3] Trouser Press wrote that No More Heroes "continues in the same vein [as Rattus Norvegicus], but drops whatever hint of restraint may have been in force the first time around. Rude words and adult themes abound, with no punches pulled, from the blatant sexism of "Bring on the Nubiles" to the sarcastic attack on racism ("I Feel Like a Wog") to the suicide of a friend ("Dagenham Dave"). Despite the increased virulence, the music is even better than on the debut, introducing pop stylings that would later become a more common aspect of the Stranglers' character", finishing the review with "No More Heroes is easily [the Stranglers'] best album."[5]
In 2000 it was voted number 427 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[6]
Charts and certifications
| Chart | Peak
Position |
Certifications
(sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 2 | UK: Gold[8] |
| Australian Charts | 79 | |
| Dutch Charts[9] | 20 |
| Single | Chart | Peak
Position |
Certifications
(sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Something Better Change" | UK Singles Chart[10] | 9 | |
| Irish Charts | 29 | ||
| "No More Heroes" | UK Singles Chart | 8 | UK: Silver[11] |
| Dutch Charts[12] | 25 |
Personnel
|
|
References
- ^ Album page on Allmusic.com
- ^ Freakier Zone. 29 September 2012. BBC 6.
- ^ a b Dougan, John. "No More Heroes – The Stranglers". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Stranglers". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 157. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- ^ "Rattus Norvegicus". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Stranglers - No More Heroes". bpi. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "The Stranglers". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Stranglers". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Stranglers - Peaches". bpi. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "The Stranglers". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
External links
- No More Heroes at Discogs (list of releases)