No More Heroes (album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
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]
Release
Released on 23 September 1977, No More Heroes became one of the band's highest charting releases, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, and staying in the chart for eighteen weeks.[3]
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" b/w "Rok It to the Moon".
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [5] |
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."[4] 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."[6]
Reissue
No More Heroes was remastered and reissued in 2001, including the additional tracks from the singles.
Track listing
All tracks are written by the Stranglers (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Feel Like a Wog" | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Bitching" | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Dead Ringer" | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Dagenham Dave" | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Bring on the Nubiles" | 2:15 |
| 6. | "Something Better Change" | 3:35 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No More Heroes" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Peasant in the Big Shitty" | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Burning Up Time" | 2:25 |
| 4. | "English Towns" | 2:13 |
| 5. | "School Mam" | 6:52 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Straighten Out" | 2:46) |
| 13. | "Five Minutes" | 3:18) |
| 14. | "Rok It to the Moon" | 2:47 |
Personnel
- The Stranglers
- Hugh Cornwell – guitars, lead† and backing vocals
- Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Dave Greenfield – keyboards (Hammond L100 Organ, Hohner Cembalet electric piano, Minimoog synthesizer), lead and backing vocals
- Jet Black – drums, percussion
- Technical
- Martin Rushent – production
- Alan Winstanley – engineering
- Nigel Brooke-Harte – mixing, engineering assistance
- Doug Bennett – mixing
- JONZ (John Dent) – mastering
- Eamonn O'Keefe – sleeve photography solarisation
- Trevor Rogers – sleeve photography
- The Red Room – artwork design
- Paul Henry – sleeve design and art direction
References
- ^ Album page on Allmusic.com
- ^ Freakier Zone. 29 September 2012. BBC 6.
- ^ "Stranglers | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ 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.
External links
- No More Heroes at Discogs (list of releases)