The Gospel According to the Meninblack
The Gospel According to the Meninblack | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by the Stranglers | ||||
Released | 9 February 1981 | |||
Recorded | January–August 1980 ("Two Sunspots", May 1979)[1] | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre |
| |||
Length | 40:28 | |||
Label | Liberty | |||
Producer | The Stranglers | |||
the Stranglers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Gospel According to the Meninblack | ||||
| ||||
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Great Rock Discography | 5/10[9] |
The Gospel According to the Meninblack (sometimes referred to as just The Meninblack) is the fifth album by English rock band the Stranglers, an esoteric concept album released 9 February 1981[10][11] on the Liberty label. The album deals with conspiratorial ideas surrounding alien visitations to Earth, the sinister governmental men in black, and the involvement of these elements in well-known biblical narratives. This was not the first time the Stranglers had used this concept; "Meninblack" on the earlier The Raven album and subsequent 1980 single-release "Who Wants the World?" had also explored it.
History
The album is an elaboration of concepts first introduced by the band on the aforementioned track from their preceding album, The Raven. Hugh Cornwell, former singer-songwriter and guitarist with the group, has stated his belief that the album is the pinnacle of the Stranglers' artistic and creative output, and he cites it as his favourite album by the band.[12] In a 2022 interview promoting his solo release Moments of Madness Cornwell reiterated this position saying "I think that we were all at the top of our game when we made ‘Men in Black’ and it comes through."[13] The Stranglers' bassist, Jean-Jacques Burnel, shares this opinion, stating in a 2014 interview "It was a bit of a low point when The Meninblack came out and it wasn’t regarded as the masterpiece that I thought it was."[14] Burnel regards the album as often techno in essence,[5] though The Meninblack predates the emergence of that genre by some years.
The single releases from the album were "Thrown Away", which reached UK chart position 42[15] and "Just Like Nothing on Earth", their first single to miss the top 50.[10]
The opening instrumental "Waltzinblack" was originally intended to be the second single release from the album, but was withdrawn by Liberty, which deemed it "unrepresentative".[10] It was later used as the theme music for Keith Floyd's BBC TV series. The band developed a tradition of using the track to open their live performances.
The album initially sold around 50,000 copies, their worst-selling UK album to date,[10] peaking at number eight on the UK Albums Chart; it spent five weeks in the listings.[15]
In a 2015 interview on British TV, Burnel stated that the band experimented with heroin to help their creative process, and this album was the result.[16]
Track listing
All tracks written and arranged by the Stranglers.
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Waltzinblack" | Instrumental | 3:38 |
2. | "Just Like Nothing on Earth" | Hugh Cornwell | 3:55 |
3. | "Second Coming" | Cornwell | 4:22 |
4. | "Waiting for the Meninblack" | Cornwell | 3:44 |
5. | "Turn the Centuries, Turn" | Instrumental | 4:35 |
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Two Sunspots" | Cornwell | 2:32 |
7. | "Four Horsemen" | Dave Greenfield | 3:40 |
8. | "Thrown Away" | Jean-Jacques Burnel | 3:30 |
9. | "Manna Machine" | Cornwell | 3:17 |
10. | "Hallow to Our Men" | Cornwell | 7:26 |
Total length: | 40:28 |
No. | Title | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Top Secret" | "Thrown Away" single | 3:27 |
12. | "Maninwhite" | "Just Like Nothing on Earth" single | 4:27 |
13. | "Tomorrow Was the Hereafter" | Non-album single, 1980 [n 1][17] | 4:01 |
Total length: | 52:33 |
No. | Title | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Who Wants the World?" | Non-album single, 1980 | 3:14 |
12. | "The Meninblack (Waiting for 'Em)" | "Who Wants the World?" single | 3:36 |
13. | "Top Secret" | "Thrown Away" single | 3:28 |
14. | "Maninwhite" | "Just Like Nothing on Earth" single | 4:26 |
15. | "Vietnamerica" | IV, 1980 | 4:03 |
16. | "Tomorrow Was the Hereafter" | Non-album single | 4:02 |
17. | "G.m.B.H" (extended album version) | IV | 3:51 |
Total length: | 67:08 |
2018 expanded vinyl edition
Self-released by the Stranglers, The Gospel According to the Meninblack received a deluxe vinyl reissue in 2018, limited to 1000 numbered copies. The original 10-track album is coupled with a bonus 12-track album, entitled The Meninblack - Revelations, which features non-album singles, associated B-sides, demos, alternate versions, live tracks, and the brass band reworking "Marchinblack".[18]
- Side one and two as per original vinyl edition
- Themeninblack - Revelations
No. | Title | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Who Wants the World?" | Non-album single | |
2. | "Bear Cage" (7" single edit) | Non-album single | |
3. | "Top Secret" | "Thrown Away" single | |
4. | "Maninwhite" | "Just Like Nothing on Earth" single | |
5. | "The Meninblack (Waiting for 'Em)" | "Who Wants the World?" single | |
6. | "The Freezer" | Previously unreleased [n 2] |
No. | Title | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "Who Wants the World?" (demo) | Previously unreleased | |
8. | "Two Sunspots" (demo) | Previously unreleased | |
9. | "Thrown Away" (live in Paris, April 2014) | Previously unreleased | |
10. | "Justlikenothingonearth" (live at Brixton Academy, London, March 2018) | Previously unreleased | |
11. | "Bear Cage" (live at Brixton Academy, London, March 2018) | Previously unreleased | |
12. | "Marchinblack" | Previously unreleased [n 3][19] |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album liner notes, except where noted.[20]
- The Stranglers
- Hugh Cornwell ("Hughinblack") – guitar, vocals, concept
- Dave Greenfield ("Daveinblack") – keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Jacques Burnel ("JJinblack") – bass, vocals
- Jet Black ("Jetinblack") – drums, vocals, percussion[21]
- Technical
- The Stranglers - producer
- Steve Churchyard – engineer, mixing
- Alan Winstanley – engineer ("Waiting for the Meninblack" and "Two Sunspots")
- Aldo Bocca – engineer ("Just Like Nothing on Earth" and "Turn the Centuries, Turn")
- Laurence Diana – engineer ("Waltzinblack" and "Four Horsemen")
- Leonardo da Vinci – original gatefold sleeve painting[10]
- John Pasche – art direction, design
- Jim Gibson – calligraphy
- Bonus tracks
- Baz Warne - guitar, vocals (2014 and 2018 live tracks)
- Jim Macaulay - drums (2014 and 2018 live tracks)
- The Stranglers - producer (all tracks, except 2014 and 2018 live tracks and "Marchinblack")[22]
- Alan Winstanley – producer ("Bear Cage" and "The Meninblack (Waiting for 'Em)"), engineer ("Bear Cage")[22]
- Gary Edwards – engineer ("Who Wants the World")[23]
- Laurence Diana – engineer ("Who Wants the World")[23]
- Steve Churchyard – producer ("G.m.B.H")[23], engineer ("Top Secret", "Maninwhite", "Vietnamerica",[23] "G.m.B.H", "The Meninblack (Waiting for 'Em)", "Bear Cage")[22]
- Louie Nicastro – producer, mixing (2014 and 2018 live tracks and "Marchinblack")[22]
Notes
- ^ "Tomorrow Was the Hereafter" was released by S.I.S., the official Stranglers fan club, available via mail order throughout the 1980s. The track was recorded in March 1976 at Foel Studio, Wales.
- ^ "The Freezer" is an early instrumental version of the album track "Manna Machine".
- ^ "Marchinblack" is a remix of "Waltzinblack", produced for the intro music to the Stranglers' 2016 "March On Tour".
References
- ^ Endeacott, Robert (2014). Peaches: A Chronicle of The Stranglers 1974-1990. Soundcheck Books. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-9575700-4-7.
- ^ Pilgrim, Dom (June 2006). "The Burning Up Times (Issue 2). JJ Burnel: And the gods made love" (PDF). strangled.co.uk. p. 32. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers: Song by Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. pp. 161–173. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
- ^ Knight, Phil (2015). Strangled: Identity, Status, Structure and The Stranglers. Zero Books. ISBN 978-1-78279-797-5.
- ^ a b Buckley, David (1997) : "No Mercy" (official biography of the Stranglers). Coronet books.
- ^ "The Stranglers - Discography (UK)". 45cat.com. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Ogg, Alex. "The Stranglers: The Meninblack" at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Stranglers". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography (6th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1012. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
- ^ a b c d e Twomey, Chris (1992). The Stranglers - The Men They Love To Hate. EMI Records Ltd. pp. 102–104.
- ^ Burbeck, Rodney, ed. (24 January 1981). "Stranglers' LP and tour" (PDF). Music Week. London, England, UK: Music Week Ltd.: 3. ISSN 0144-5782. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
The Stranglers release their sixth album for Liberty Records on February 9.
- ^ "The Meninblack". Hugh Cornwell in the Torture Garden. HughCornwell.com. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ Watson, Denzil. "Hugh Cornwell - Interview". www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Never To Look Back-JJ interview – The Stranglers (Official Site)". thestranglers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "The Stranglers BBC Breakfast 2015". BBC. January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
"We thought it would help the creative process and the end result was an album that I'm personally still very proud of, which was The Gospel According to the Meninblack.
- ^ "Burning Up Time - 1976". themeninblack.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Gospel According To The Meninblack limited vinyl reissue". thestranglers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "stranglers.tmstor.es - (The Gospel According To) The Meninblack Double Vinyl LP". strenglers.wordpress.com. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ The Stranglers (1981). The Gospel According to the Meninblack (LP sleeve). Liberty Records. LBG 30313.
- ^ "The Stranglers - The Gospel According To The Meninblack". Discogs.
- ^ a b c d The Stranglers (2018). The Gospel According to the Meninblack (LP sleeve). Not On Label. CGLP6.
- ^ a b c d "IV". Discogs. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
External links
- Online magazine devoted to The Stranglers' fifth album: JJ Burnel and Hugh Cornwell interviewed, along with producers, engineers and management
- v
- t
- e
- Jean-Jacques Burnel
- Baz Warne
- Jim Macaulay
- Toby Hounsham
- Jet Black
- Hugh Cornwell
- Hans Wärmling
- Dave Greenfield
- John Ellis
- Paul Roberts
- Rattus Norvegicus
- No More Heroes
- Black and White
- The Raven
- The Gospel According to the Meninblack
- La folie
- Feline
- Aural Sculpture
- Dreamtime
- 10
- Stranglers in the Night
- About Time
- Written in Red
- Coup de Grace
- Norfolk Coast
- Suite XVI
- Giants
- Dark Matters
- Live at the Hope and Anchor
- Live (X Cert)
- All Live and All of the Night
- Saturday Night, Sunday Morning
- The Stranglers and Friends – Live in Concert
- Friday the Thirteenth
- Live at the Hammersmith Odeon '81
- Live at the Apollo
- Apollo Revisited
- Coast to Coast: Live on Tour
- Live at the Apollo 2010 (DVD & CD)
- IV
- The Collection 1977–1982
- Off the Beaten Track
- Singles (The UA Years)
- Greatest Hits 1977–1990
- The Early Years '74 '75 '76 Rare Live and Unreleased
- Strangled from Birth and Beyond
- The Sessions
- The Hit Men
- Collection
- The Stranglers
- The Masters
- Lies and Deception
- Peaches: The Very Best of The Stranglers
- Rarities (2002)
- Out of the Black
- Sweet Smell of Success – Best of the Epic Years
- Live 'n' Sleazy
- Gold
- The Very Best of The Stranglers
- Decades Apart
- "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)"
- "Peaches"
- "Something Better Change"
- "No More Heroes"
- "5 Minutes"
- "Nice 'n' Sleazy"
- "Walk On By"
- "Duchess"
- "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)"
- "Bear Cage"
- "Who Wants the World?"
- "Thrown Away"
- "Let Me Introduce You to the Family"
- "Golden Brown"
- "La Folie"
- "Strange Little Girl"
- "European Female"
- "Skin Deep"
- "No Mercy"
- "Always the Sun"
- "All Day and All of the Night"
- "96 Tears"
- "Always the Sun (Sunny Side Up Mix)"
- "Golden Brown" (Re-issue)
- "Lies and Deception"
- "Big Thing Coming"
- "Spectre of Love"
- "Goodbye Toulouse"
- "Hanging Around"
- "Tramp"