Black and White (The Stranglers album)
Encyclopedia
Black and White is The Stranglers
third studio album and was recorded within 18 months of their debut Rattus Norvegicus
. Produced by Martin Rushent
and engineered by Alan Winstanley
, the album is divided into the Black side and White side, each nominally characterised by the style and mood of the songs which they contain. This release sees The Stranglers adopting a more experimental approach to song structures and time signatures (for example, "Curfew" features 7/4 time).
The band recorded a version of "Sweden" sung in Swedish
and released this in Sweden
. (The song was inspired by Cornwell's PhD placement at Lund University
in the mid 1970s). The song title "Death and Night And Blood" is taken from a line from Yukio Mishima
's novel Confessions of a Mask.
When released in 1978, on the United Artists label, the first 75,000 LPs came with a free white vinyl 7" – Walk On By / Mean To Me / Tits. "Walk on By" was their cover of the Bacharach
and David
song written for (and originally recorded by) Dionne Warwick
. "Mean to Me" was a Stranglers vocal version of the song the band had previously recorded along with a cover of "Mony Mony
", both with a female singer, Celia Golin, released under the moniker "Celia and the Mutations". United Artists released this as a single in November 1978 but it failed to chart. "Tits" is a tongue-in-cheek live recording from "The Front Row Festival" at the Hope and Anchor. The cassette version included "Mean to Me" on the White side, between "Outside Tokyo" and "Sweden".
The US version of the album, on the A&M label, was pressed on black & white marbled vinyl, but came without the EP.
Singles from the album were: "Nice 'n' Sleazy
" (B-side: "Shut Up"), and an EP containing "Walk on By", "Tank" and "Old Codger". "Old Codger" featured a guest vocal from jazz singer George Melly
. An edited version of "Walk on By" with "Tank" was also pressed as a double A-side radio-play single.
Most of these tracks were included in the remastered 2001 CD re-issue of the album.
The album peaked at no. 2 on the album chart in 1978, spending 18 weeks on the chart.
Black And White was the last Stranglers album in which Dave Greenfield used the Hammond L-100 organ.
The above track listing is as per the original vinyl LP release (both the UK United Artists and US A&M versions).
The CD changed the running order, moving "Hey" to before "Sweden" and "In The Shadows" to before "Do You Wanna".
All tracks by The Stranglers
, except "Walk On By" by Burt Bacharach
/Hal David
.
CD reissue
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...
third studio album and was recorded within 18 months of their debut Rattus Norvegicus
Rattus Norvegicus (album)
Rattus Norvegicus is the first studio album by The Stranglers, released on 17 April 1977. The album was originally to be entitled "Dead on Arrival" but was changed at the last minute...
. Produced by Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
and engineered by Alan Winstanley
Alan Winstanley
Alan Kenneth Winstanley is a British record producer active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.-Notable studio albums produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer:* One Step Beyond... – Madness...
, the album is divided into the Black side and White side, each nominally characterised by the style and mood of the songs which they contain. This release sees The Stranglers adopting a more experimental approach to song structures and time signatures (for example, "Curfew" features 7/4 time).
The band recorded a version of "Sweden" sung in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
and released this in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. (The song was inspired by Cornwell's PhD placement at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
in the mid 1970s). The song title "Death and Night And Blood" is taken from a line from Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...
's novel Confessions of a Mask.
When released in 1978, on the United Artists label, the first 75,000 LPs came with a free white vinyl 7" – Walk On By / Mean To Me / Tits. "Walk on By" was their cover of the Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
song written for (and originally recorded by) Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
. "Mean to Me" was a Stranglers vocal version of the song the band had previously recorded along with a cover of "Mony Mony
Mony Mony
"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by Tommy James & the Shondells, that reached #1 in the UK charts.-History:"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The hook in the song is said to have been inspired by James' view of a MONY sign atop the Mutual of New York...
", both with a female singer, Celia Golin, released under the moniker "Celia and the Mutations". United Artists released this as a single in November 1978 but it failed to chart. "Tits" is a tongue-in-cheek live recording from "The Front Row Festival" at the Hope and Anchor. The cassette version included "Mean to Me" on the White side, between "Outside Tokyo" and "Sweden".
The US version of the album, on the A&M label, was pressed on black & white marbled vinyl, but came without the EP.
Singles from the album were: "Nice 'n' Sleazy
Nice 'n' Sleazy
Nice 'n' Sleazy is a single by The Stranglers from their 1978 album Black and White. The song featured on the 'White' side of the album, and reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. The single cover featured a picture of a victim of The Boston Strangler.- External links :* [] Allmusic review...
" (B-side: "Shut Up"), and an EP containing "Walk on By", "Tank" and "Old Codger". "Old Codger" featured a guest vocal from jazz singer George Melly
George Melly
Alan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
. An edited version of "Walk on By" with "Tank" was also pressed as a double A-side radio-play single.
Most of these tracks were included in the remastered 2001 CD re-issue of the album.
The album peaked at no. 2 on the album chart in 1978, spending 18 weeks on the chart.
Black And White was the last Stranglers album in which Dave Greenfield used the Hammond L-100 organ.
White side
- "Tank"† (2:54)
- "Nice 'N' SleazyNice 'n' SleazyNice 'n' Sleazy is a single by The Stranglers from their 1978 album Black and White. The song featured on the 'White' side of the album, and reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. The single cover featured a picture of a victim of The Boston Strangler.- External links :* [] Allmusic review...
"† (3:11) - "Outside Tokyo"† (2:06)
- "Sweden (All Quiet on the Eastern Front)"† (2:47)
- "Hey! (Rise of the Robots)"† (2:13)
- "Toiler on the Sea"† (5:23)
Black side
- "Curfew"‡(3:10)
- "Threatened"‡ (3:30)
- "Do You Wanna"§/"Death and Night and Blood (Yukio)"‡ (5:25)
- "In the Shadows"† (4:15)
- "Enough Time"† (4:16)
2001 CD Bonus Tracks
- "Mean to Me"† (1:55)*
- "Walk On By"† (6:22)*
- "Shut Up"‡ (1:07)
- "Sverige"† (2:49)
- "Old Codger" (2:49)
- "Tits"† (5:25)
The above track listing is as per the original vinyl LP release (both the UK United Artists and US A&M versions).
The CD changed the running order, moving "Hey" to before "Sweden" and "In The Shadows" to before "Do You Wanna".
All tracks by The Stranglers
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...
, except "Walk On By" by Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
/Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
.
The Stranglers
- Hugh CornwellHugh CornwellHugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
: guitars, lead† and backing vocals - J.J. BurnelJean-Jacques BurnelJ. J. Burnel , is a Franco-English musician producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist with the British rock band The Stranglers.-Life and career:...
: bass guitar, lead‡ and backing vocals - Dave GreenfieldDave GreenfieldDave Greenfield is the keyboard player with English rock band, The Stranglers.-Biography:He is noted for his trademark style of playing rapid arpeggios...
: keyboardsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
(Hammond L100 OrganHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, HohnerHohnerHohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
Cembalet electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, MinimoogMinimoogThe Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
synthesizer), lead§ & backing vocals - Jet BlackJet BlackJet Black is an English drummer and founder member of punk rock / new wave band The Stranglers.-Early years:...
: drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Lora LogicLora LogicLora Logic is a British saxophonist and singer. She was briefly a member of the band X Ray Spex, although she had been sacked from that group by the time they recorded their first album, which nevertheless used her saxophone arrangements. A year later she formed Essential Logic...
(of Essential LogicEssential LogicEssential Logic was a UK post-punk band formed by saxophonist Lora Logic after leaving X-Ray Spex.The band initially consisted of Lora Logic on saxophone and vocals, Phil Legg on guitar and vocals, William Bennett on guitar, Mark Turner on bass guitar, Rich Tea on drums, and Dave Wright on saxophone...
and X-Ray SpexX-Ray SpexX-Ray Spex were an English punk band from London that formed in 1976.During their first incarnation , X-Ray Spex were “deliberate underachievers” and only managed to release five singles and one album...
): guest saxophoneSaxophoneThe 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...
on "Hey!" - George MellyGeorge MellyAlan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
: guest vocals on "Old Codger" - Lew LewisLew LewisLew Lewis is a "Little Walter-influenced" harmonica player and vocalist who was a member of Eddie and the Hot Rods before forming his own bands, and guesting on albums by The Stranglers, The Clash and others.-Career:...
: harmonica on "Old Codger"
Production
Original album- Recorded February/March 1978
- Martin RushentMartin RushentMartin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
: Producer - Alan WinstanleyAlan WinstanleyAlan Kenneth Winstanley is a British record producer active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.-Notable studio albums produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer:* One Step Beyond... – Madness...
: Engineer - Kevin Sparrow: Sleeve Design
- Ruan O'Lochlainn: Cover Photography
CD reissue
- Alan ParkerAlan ParkerSir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
: idea and concept, sleeve notes - Steve Woof: 'our man at EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
' - Nick ReynoldsNick ReynoldsNick Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.- Early life :Growing up in Coronado, California, his...
: reissue art design - Rob Green: reissue art design