The Stranglers - Prog?

richardh wrote: Certif1ed wrote: The Stranglers aren't the only "interesting" punk band - the Damned had an incredibly varied and often psychedelia-influenced output too... I'll put a mention in for Siouxsie And The Banshees as well.There were some decent punk bands ..pity they had such a crappy attitude

Yes, some good stuff there, too. Echo and the Bunnymen were another fave of mine.

If the Stranglers were in, many others of the era would have to be as well, IMO.

I would hazard to guess that a lot of the apparent "attitude" of such bands of that era was "affected" (ie, manufactured) at the urging of the industry, and also by the artists, to give them "cred" and thereby enhance sales.

In any case, I just listen to the music -- I didn't regularly read any music press/mags then, and still don't (not as a matter of policy or anything, but good music mags are not found around here, and, in any case, most artists aren't so interesting when off stage, to me).

Certif1ed wrote: Peter wrote: richardh wrote: Certif1ed wrote: The Stranglers aren't the only "interesting" punk band - the Damned had an incredibly varied and often psychedelia-influenced output too... I'll put a mention in for Siouxsie And The Banshees as well.There were some decent punk bands ..pity they had such a crappy attitude Yes, some good stuff there, too. Echo and the Bunnymen were another fave of mine. If the Stranglers were in, many others of the era would have to be as well, IMO. I would hazard to guess that a lot of the apparent "attitude" of such bands of that era was "affected" (ie, manufactured) at the urging of the industry, and also by the artists, to give them "cred" and thereby enhance sales. In any case, I just listen to the music -- I didn't regularly read any music press/mags then, and still don't (not as a matter of policy or anything, but good music mags are not found around here, and, in any case, most artists aren't so interesting when off stage, to me). One of the really odd things about the Stranglers is the kind of "etching" they can leave behind in the bit of your brain that remembers music... I always remember the music as being fantastic, and Burnel's bass lines especially run through my head whenever I think about their music... but I listened to "No More Heroes" (the album) tonight, and it was so much better than I remembered it being... Did I ever mention that I met Ian McCulloch (singer of Echo and the Bunnymen) one morning as I was enjoying a nice cup of tea and a sit down at Barriemore Barlowe's kitchen table? I'll get me coat...

When it comes to Punk, I can only recommend Inner City Unit again; their albums "Pass Out", "Punkadelic" and "The President Tapes" were excellent; "New Anatomy" and "The Maximum Effect" are not quite as good, in my opinion, though they have their moments (the song about Elivs Presley on "The Maximum Effect" always makes me smile). Inner City Unit are "progressive punk", in my opinion.


Edited by BaldFriede

BaldFriede wrote: When it comes to Punk, I can only recommend Inner City Unit again; their albums "Pass Out", "Punkadelic" and "The President Tapes" were excellent; "New Anatomy" and "The Maximum Effect" are not quite as good, in my opinion, though they have their moments (the song about Elivs Presley on "The Maximum Effect" always makes me smile). Inner City Unit are "progressive punk", in my opinion.

Indeed - "Punkadelic" has some fantastic (and quite a few rambling) moments, and is Prog related. I particularly like "Space Invaders" and "Watching the Grass Grow". 

I think that "Progressive Punk" is a bit of a dangerous term, though - I don't think I'd like to see Green Day, Gang Green, Killing Joke or Black Flag in the archives. However, it'd be cool to see bands like Culture Shock here along with the Stranglers.

 

Peter:

I only know a few of Echo and the Bunnymen's singles - can you recommend any of their albums as being particularly "progressive" or of interest to Prog heads?