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The Raven | 
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| Artist: Stranglers
Label: EMI
Category: Music
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £4.50
You Save: £4.49 (50%)
New (29) Used (4) Collectible (1) from £3.93
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 22921
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 34689
UPC: 724353468927
EAN: 0724353468927
ASIN: B00005MAGD
Release Date: August 20, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Longships | | • | Raven | | • | Dead Loss Angeles | | • | Ice | | • | Baroque Bordello | | • | Nuclear Device | | • | Shah Shah A Go Go | | • | Don't Bring Harry | | • | Duchess | | • | Meninblack | | • | Genetix | | • | Bear Cage | | • | Fools Rush Out | | • | N'emmenes Pas Harry | | • | Yellowcake UFO |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Cruelly denied the Number One slot when an administrative cock-up at the UK chart returns office credited thousands of album sales to The Police, 1979's The Raven--now re-issued with bonus tracks--found tuneful toughnuts The Stranglers striding purposefully away from the faltering punk scene with a renewed artistic agenda and a head full of hard drugs. A new direction and an overhauled musical vocabulary (gone was the growly bass and the organ, in came futuristic keyboard sounds, odd time signatures, intricate arrangements and extended instrumental passages) The Raven--as perennially acknowledged by the band's large and dutifully black-garbed cult following--is The Stranglers magnum opus. From the epic title-track--a questing, valorous Norse saga adorned by Dave Greenfield's wuthering Artic synths and sung in breathless fashion by JJ Burnel--to the quirky prog-rock science of "Genetix" (on which former biochemist Hugh Cornwell got to show-off his knowledge of pioneering 19th-century Austrian geneticist Gregor Mendel). The Raven was--and remains--enthrallingly fresh, musically daring and downright ominous. Paranoia abounds--there's the grimly pretty (but rather hypocritical) anti-heroin lament "Don't Bring Harry" and the helium-inhaling vocal freakinessof "Meninblack", a portentous slab of psychedelic lethargy detailing the existence of a black-suited extraterrestrial mafia. But there's pop too--"Duchess" (a Top 20 UK hit later covered by My Life Story) and the doleful "Baroque Bordello", a song almost compassionate and empathic compared to the leerier lyricisations of old but also featuring a keyboard intro which seemed to be cribbed from--of all things--"Inchworm" from the Danny Kaye film Hans Christian Anderson. Blame the drugs? Whatever reason, The Raven is The Stranglers' finest achievement. --Kevin Maidment
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Fly Straight with Perfection November 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
With their 1979 album 'The Raven' the Stranglers produced what has to be regarded a true masterpiece which sounds as original and brilliant today as it did when first released: the mature sound they'd developed by the time they recorded this album is nothing short of astonishing, JJ Burnel's powerful, sinewy bass and Cornwell's wiry and intricate guitar-lines enveloped by Greenfield's arch and swirling keyboard and synth, underpinned by the solid but never ostentatious drumming of Jet Black. It's not often one can say that an album has been recorded on which every track is a jewel but with 'The Raven' that is undoubtedly the case; the diversity of mood from the menacing to the ironic and the downright strange, with themes ranging from ancient Norse seafaring to the turmoil of the Shah's fall and revolutionary Iran of the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 and exploring extra-terrestrials and baroque bordellos along the way, continues to compel and delight. Post-punk rarely sounded as good as this. So vastly superior to the absurd bluster or vapid, over-produced flab and impoverished blandness which the unfortunate youth of today are burdened with, here The Stranglers reached an incredible high-water mark of power and imagination which has not been surpassed.
Breathtaking and original October 15, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Stranglers made so many fine albums that it's impossible to single one out as being their definitive effort. 'The Raven' is certainly my favourite, though. Their debut is on a similar level, but this album sees the band maturing with some finesse. It is the culmination of the experimentation which begins on the similarly-acclaimed 'Black And White' but boasts a little more polish and greater consistency. The homage of the exhilarating title track is juxtaposed against the more characteristic hatchet jobs which follow. No longer so concerned with misanthropy, The Stranglers continue the international put-downs begun on 'Black And White' with attacks aimed at the USA, Australia and Iran, all of them cutting to the bone.
'Nuclear Device' harks back to the band's earlier recordings as it derides the Australian nation, while the title track and 'Duchess' also provide conventional pop moments. Elsewhere, the music is accessible, yet with an oddball element. The intros to songs tend to be lengthy and catchy, yet give way to unusual arrangements. 'Don't Bring Harry' is striking for its use of piano instead of organ.
They keep the two most chilling tracks for the end, however. The helium-voiced 'Meninblack' is a piece of genius ('Human flesh is porky meat, tee hee') which would be developed across the whole of the next album, while 'Genetix' is a disturbing reminder of science going too far.
Of the bonus tracks, 'Bear Cage' is the stand-out, a minor hit, if I remember correctly. 'The Raven' is a must for anyone who likes this band.
 the raven - stranglers June 24, 2007
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
i should nt really moan about this band , after all most punk, and bands that came out of punk could only manage one maybe two classic albums (stiff little fingers , clash , pistols , banshees stand up please ) but this album was and still is a big let down for me . with the loss half way through recording of producer martin rushent , arguably the man who honed the stranglers early sound the band totally lost their edge .
the album starts off brightly enough and there are certanly some good tracks on here but the production is so weak its heart breaking
worth having if only as a what could have been album ..........certanly no more heros after this
FIND ME A NEW DIRECTION May 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The first STRANGLERS album I bought rather than borrowed. But where to start? Right at the beginning, I suppose.
(DEEP BREATH) I first saw them in 1980 at Leeds University during The Raven tour. Halfway through the set there was a power cut, so when they eventually returned to the stage, the band (like us) were Seriously Pissed Off and what should have been the remaining thirty minutes were thrashed out in less than twenty. I don't even think there was an encore, although that may be down to the don't-give-a-damn punk ethic of the times. But still I loved the gig and still I love the album. And here's why:
Following on from BLACK AND WHITE, 1979's THE RAVEN was like a breath of fresh air to my ears. The sound is more thoughtful and the instruments easier to differentiate and place, with a production designed to emphasise the gaps, so to speak, yet being far from spartan as a whole. And even though the theme of the album (Viking/Nordic symbolism) peters out after only two tracks, there's still a cohesion that insists you play these songs in order.
It's roughly 50/50 in the writing and performance stakes on THE RAVEN and at this point neither HUGH CORNWELL nor JEAN JACQUES BURNEL are significantly dominant or more accomplished than each other as songsmiths. But it doesn't matter anyway, because each song compliments the next and so on. Highlights include the title track, DEAD LOSS ANGELES, DON'T BRING HARRY (with a beautiful guitar solo), MENINBLACK and GENETIX (DAVE GREENFIELD providing his usual ought-to-belong-on-some-kind-of-creepy-register vocals). Even the bonus tracks are a delight, especially BEAR CAGE, a dinky little number with a typically flat (again, of the time) Cornwell delivery. Marvellous stuff.
And another point worth mentioning: after all these years, there's still nothing to compare in sound or texture to THE RAVEN (if you're in any doubt about that, just listen to the extraordinary SHAH SHAH A GO GO). Timeless? Maybe not. But unique? In spades.
So, a few reasons why the album is worth owning. You'll no doubt discover the rest for yourself.
Oh, and finally: In 1979 I was lucky enough to buy one of the first 10,000 copies of THE RAVEN featuring a 3D hologram stuck over the standard LP cover. So, what do I go and do? Needing some cash, I sell it to a schoolfriend for [...], having played it to death and figuring that I'll buy another copy before too long. Of course, the utter stupidity of that decision only hits home a few weeks later when I'm in the Bradford branch of Boots the Chemist, face as long as a fallpipe, about to pay [...] for the non-limited edition. Then, as I prepare to hand over the cash, another assistant walks up and asks if I'd I prefer a 3D copy, SHE THINKS THERE'S ONE LEFT IN THE BACK SOMEWHERE(!!!)
Confirmation in my book that there is indeed a God.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
 stranglers classic March 23, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
this is a great stranglers album, i would have give it five stars but i dont think all the songs on here are great. but obviously, i had to give it four stars! AT LEAST. because there really are classics on here.
the raven, nuclear device, dont bring harry, longships, to name some really brilliant songs on this album.
if your a fan of the stranglers, (im a HUUUUGE FAN!)then you must get this album, as your collection is not complete without it! the stranglers music was changing at this time, but theres still punk on this album.
the stranglers are a band that were punk but went on to change to a different music style, but the music stayed great as they produced great albums like la folie, aural sculpture, and feline (you should buy all of them to!). buy the raven, ITS GREAT!
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