Golden Brown by The Stranglers : Progressive?

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   Jean and I consider The Stranglers to be prog, simply because they often use real polyphony which is rare in prog even (Gentle Giant are a band that often use it). Any band that uses this highly advanced compositional technique should be considered as prog.

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BaldFriede Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: June 02 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10266	Post Options Post Reply Quote BaldFriede Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 14 2020 at 02:02
	Jean and I consider The Stranglers to be prog, simply because they often use real polyphony which is rare in prog even (Gentle Giant are a band that often use it). Any band that uses this highly advanced compositional technique should be considered as prog.
	BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.

chopper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 13 2005 Location: Essex, UK Status: Offline Points: 20035	Post Options Post Reply Quote chopper Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 14 2020 at 01:46
	Interestingly there was something about this in the latest edition of Prog where they interviewed Rick Wakeman and JJ Burnel. From memory 2 of them went to the pub and left Dave Greenfield and Jet Black to write something and when they came back they'd come up with a sort of "prog" suite and the only bit they liked became "Golden Brown". Sorry typing this from memory as I can't find my copy of Prog at the moment.

Blacksword Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: June 22 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 16130	Post Options Post Reply Quote Blacksword Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 14 2020 at 01:45
	It's proggy, but no, not really. It is what it is, an excellent song which happens to have a harpsichord in it, and happens to be in 13/8 time. The recurring "are the Stranglers prog rock?" debate will now ensue (again) Golden Brown is one of the greatest hit singles ever written by any band, of any genre IMO.
	Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!

Mortte Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 11 2016 Location: Finland Status: Offline Points: 5538	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mortte Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 14 2020 at 01:14
	Golden Brown is not UFO track in Stranglers Discography, it fits really well into La Folie-album where it is, although I think it´s greatest song in that album. Stranglers were the ones in seventies some journalists blamed not to be punk, because some members were too old and also many of them were great musicians. I would call them post-punk from the beginning but everybody can call them whatever they like. Not my most fav post-punk band, but like them anyway quite much!

richardh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29684	Post Options Post Reply Quote richardh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 14 2020 at 00:36
	Very clearly is prog but not everything they did was. Stuff like 5 Minutes and No More Heroes still fall under New Wave rather than prog. 'The British Doors' was apparently what someone once called them.

AFlowerKingCrimson Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 02 2016 Location: Philly burbs Status: Online Points: 19034	Post Options Post Reply Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 13 2020 at 23:15
	Listening to the song now on youtube. Nope not prog. If it is then Belle and Sebastian would have to be prog too.

dr wu23 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20671	Post Options Post Reply Quote dr wu23 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 13 2020 at 22:24
	Some of the Stranglers songs were brilliant imho but I wouldn't call that track prog, but this lp is surely out there and parts are proggier than many bands on PA. Weird and bizarre to say the least....and it's one of my favorite strange lp's. 2 tracks.....
	One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin

Hrychu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 03 2013 Location: poland? Status: Offline Points: 5743	Post Options Post Reply Quote Hrychu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 13 2020 at 20:35
	Nope. It's not prog rock but it's cool nonetheless.


Hercules Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: June 14 2007 Location: Near York UK Status: Offline Points: 7024	Post Options Post Reply Quote Hercules Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 13 2020 at 17:15
	The Stranglers were always an anachronism amongst bands that were close to the punk scene. They were one of the few bands with a keyboard player - and a good one at that - and they went far beyond the punk norm in terms of experimentation. I felt they exploited the punk scene rather than were ever truly part of it. And they do have undoubted prog influences, even though they were never a prog band. Big Country also came out of the punk scene (the Skids) but made music with strong prog influences whilst never actually being prog. They're one of my favourite bands.
	A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.

Gentle and Giant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 24 2019 Location: Blackpool Status: Offline Points: 4662	Post Options Post Reply Quote Gentle and Giant Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 13 2020 at 14:36
	Great song, never prog though and never thought it as such.
	Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen

Psychedelic Paul Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Offline Points: 43953	Post Options Post Reply Quote Psychedelic Paul Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 13 2020 at 13:16
	Nope. The Stranglers "Golden Brown" is about as appealing to me as Gordon Brown.

softandwet Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: August 06 2019 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 211	Post Options Post Reply Quote softandwet Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August 13 2020 at 12:31
	This Stranglers song hit me earlier today on the radio : harpsichord, weird time signature, weird key signature, experimentation with multiplication of the lead singer voice, etc THIS IS PROG! I shouted. But then I look up the band on Wikipedia, and so progarchives, and discovered that it was, unfortunately, not a prog band at all. I was truly disappointed to understand that this song was a kind of a UFO in their discog. But how would you have react in this case? Would you have made the link between progressive music and this song, or would you have just ignored it?
	So don’t evade the surgeon’s blade Cos the answer could be in your mind Maybe one cut and we’ll find We’re just a wavelength behind But we are entwined And I know what you need