Aural Sculpture
Encyclopedia
Aural Sculpture is an album recorded by The Stranglers
. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline
album in 1983. The "Aural Sculpture Manifesto" on the 7" single was played before The Stranglers appeared on stage during concerts during both the 1983 "Feline" Tour and the 1985 "Aural Sculpture" Tour.
The album featured acoustic guitar as well as a three-piece horn section (trumpet
, trombone
and saxophone
).
Aural Sculpture reached number 14 in the U.K. album charts in November 1984. There were three singles released from the album: "Skin Deep" (No. 15 in the UK singles chart), "No Mercy" (No. 37) and "Let Me Down Easy" (No. 48). All were accompanied by 12" single versions, while "No Mercy" had a further two format releases in picture disc and EP.
Bonus Tracks on the 2001 CD release:
12. "Here and There"
13. "In One Door"
14. "Head on the Line"
15. "Achilles Heel"
16. "Hot Club" (Riot Mix)
17. "Place de Victoires"
18. "Vladimir and the Beast (part 3)"
19. "Vladimir Goes to Havana"
The tape version of the album had a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer programme called Aural Quest at the end of the tape. The programme could be loaded and run on the Spectrum using the usual tape loading method. The programme was an adventure game written using a framework called The Quill
. Preceding the programme itself on the tape was a short explanation of the following squeal, and was voiced by the band members themselves.
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline
Feline (album)
Feline was the seventh studio album by The Stranglers and was released in the new year of 1983 . The first edition came with a free one-sided 7" single "Aural Sculpture Manifesto"...
album in 1983. The "Aural Sculpture Manifesto" on the 7" single was played before The Stranglers appeared on stage during concerts during both the 1983 "Feline" Tour and the 1985 "Aural Sculpture" Tour.
The album featured acoustic guitar as well as a three-piece horn section (trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
).
Aural Sculpture reached number 14 in the U.K. album charts in November 1984. There were three singles released from the album: "Skin Deep" (No. 15 in the UK singles chart), "No Mercy" (No. 37) and "Let Me Down Easy" (No. 48). All were accompanied by 12" single versions, while "No Mercy" had a further two format releases in picture disc and EP.
Track listing
- "Ice Queen" - 4:01
- "Skin Deep" - 3:53
- "Let Me Down Easy" - 4:10
- "No Mercy" - 3:38
- "North Winds" - 4:03
- "Uptown" - 2:57
- "Punch & Judy" - 3:46
- "Spain" - 4:13
- "Laughing" - 4:12
- "Souls" - 2:41
- "Mad Hatter" - 4:00
Bonus Tracks on the 2001 CD release:
12. "Here and There"
13. "In One Door"
14. "Head on the Line"
15. "Achilles Heel"
16. "Hot Club" (Riot Mix)
17. "Place de Victoires"
18. "Vladimir and the Beast (part 3)"
19. "Vladimir Goes to Havana"
The tape version of the album had a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer programme called Aural Quest at the end of the tape. The programme could be loaded and run on the Spectrum using the usual tape loading method. The programme was an adventure game written using a framework called The Quill
The Quill
The Quill is a program to write home computer adventure games. Written by Graeme Yeandle, it was published on the ZX Spectrum by Gilsoft in December 1983...
. Preceding the programme itself on the tape was a short explanation of the following squeal, and was voiced by the band members themselves.