The Raven (The Stranglers album)

The Raven is the fourth studio album by English new wave band The Stranglers. It was released on 21 September 1979, through record label United Artists.

The Raven
Studio album by
The Stranglers
Released21 September 1979
RecordedJune 1979
StudioPathé Marconi Studios, Paris; AIR Studios, London
GenrePost-punk, new wave
Length41:11
LabelUnited Artists
ProducerAlan Winstanley and The Stranglers
The Stranglers chronology
Black and White
(1978)		 The Raven
(1979)		 The Gospel According to the Meninblack
(1981)
Singles from The Raven
  1. "Duchess"
    Released: 10 August 1979
  2. "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)"
    Released: 1979
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Record Collector[3]
Record Mirror[4]
Smash Hits6½/10[5]
Sounds[6]

Background

The first two songs, much of the artwork (the band is shown standing on the prow of a Viking longship) and the album title refer to Norse mythology. The album deals with a variety of issues, including Japanese ritual suicide ("Ice"), heroin use ("(Don't Bring) Harry"), the Iranian Revolution ("Shah Shah a Go Go") and genetic engineering ("Genetix").

Release

The Raven was released on 21 September 1979. It reached No. 4 in the UK albums chart, remaining in the chart for eight weeks.[7]

The album was originally released with a limited-edition 3D cover. Another limited edition had to be created when the band was forced to remove an image of Joh Bjelke-Petersen from the inner sleeve artwork. Bjelke-Petersen was the subject of the album's sixth track, "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)".

"Duchess" was the first and most successful single from the album, released on 10 August 1979 and reaching No. 14 on the UK singles chart.[7] "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" was the second single released; this reached No. 36 on the same chart.[7] An EP, Don't Bring Harry, was released in November, consisting of the title track, "Wired" (credited to Hugh Cornwell and Robert Williams), "Crabs (Live)" (credited to J.J. Burnel) and "In the Shadows (Live)". It reached No. 41.[7]

Track listing
  • All songs written by The Stranglers.

Side A:

  1. "Longships" – 1:10
  2. "The Raven" – 5:13
  3. "Dead Loss Angeles" – 2:24
  4. "Ice" – 3:26
  5. "Baroque Bordello" – 3:50
  6. "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" – 3:32

Side B:

  1. "Shah Shah a Go Go" – 4:50
  2. "(Don't Bring) Harry" – 4:09
  3. "Duchess" – 2:30
  4. "Meninblack" – 4:48
  5. "Genetix" – 5:16
2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Bear Cage"2:50
13."Fools Rush Out"2:09
14."N'Emmenes Pas Harry"4:14
15."Yellowcake UF6"2:55

Personnel
The Stranglers
Technical
  • Alan Winstanley – production, engineering, mixing
  • Steve Churchyard – mixing
  • Porky – mastering
  • BilBo – mastering
  • John Pasche – sleeve design
  • Shoot That Tiger! – sleeve design
  • Chris Ryan – sleeve photography
  • Toppan – sleeve photography
  • Paul Cox – sleeve photography
  • Allan Ballard – sleeve photography

References
  1. Cleary, David. "The Raven – The Stranglers". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Stranglers". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. Peacock, Tim (April 2018). "The Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes, Black And White, Live (X Cert), The Raven, The Gospel According To The Meninblack, La Folie". Record Collector. No. 478. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  4. Nicholls, Mike (15 September 1979). "Strangler Than Fiction". Record Mirror. p. 13.
  5. Starr, Red (18–31 October 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1 no. 23. p. 29.
  6. McCullough, Dave (1979). "The Stranglers: The Raven". Sounds.
  7. "Stranglers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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