{"id":21083,"date":"2023-01-28T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=21083"},"modified":"2023-01-26T19:12:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T19:12:44","slug":"the-stranglers-release-40th-anniverary-feline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=21083","title":{"rendered":"The Stranglers release 40th Anniverary ‘Feline’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

FELINE<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

40<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong> ANNIVERSARY EDITON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0REMASTERED LIMITED EDITION\u00a0GATEFOLD DOUBLE VINYL<\/strong> &<\/strong> DELUXE CD<\/strong> EACH FORMAT FEATURES NINE BONUS TRACKS – Released on BMG<\/strong> – Pre Order Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On 3rd<\/sup> MarchBMG<\/strong> release The STRANGLERS<\/strong>\u2019 40<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong> Anniversary Edition <\/strong>of FELINE<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FELINE <\/strong>will be available as a limited double album on remastered 180g Heavyweight transparent pink and red vinyl, <\/strong>housed in a newly created inner bags. <\/strong>The 2CD digipackfeatures exclusive booklet artwork and a new appreciation by the band\u2019s biographer and journalist, Chris Twomey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally released in January 1983, FELINE<\/strong> is The STRANGLERS<\/strong>\u2019 seventh studio LP and was their first for then-new label, Epic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1982 had proved to be a very good year for the band. The last three singles released for former label EMI had been more gentle and of a mellower-nature than anything their audience had been previously accustomed to. So when FELINE<\/strong> landed, it perhaps shouldn\u2019t have been such a surprise to both fans and critics alike that there was such a perceived musical shift. Hugh<\/strong> & JJ<\/strong>\u2019s acquisition of acoustic guitars from a now world-renowned guitar maker in Bristol helped shape FELINE<\/strong> into becoming possibly the nearest thing to an \u201cunplugged\u201d studio album the band have yet made. Gone were the powerful, sinister, throbbing melodies of their New Wave sound and in came an extraordinary and, at that time, hitherto-unheard mix of acoustic and electronic delights. Having said that, from the black panther on the sleeve to the underlying melodies of the record, underpinned by that unmistakable growling bass, the band still managed to convey their dark, menacing, moody, slightly unsettling and quietly threatening no-nonsense persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of FELINE<\/strong> was written at Jet<\/strong>\u2019s house – a disused railway station in Gloucestershire – and as soon as the band were free from the shackles of EMI, Epic arranged for them to decamp to ICP Studios in Brussels for all of September, 1982 to record it. It was produced there by the band with Steve Churchyard<\/strong> (Big Country, INXS, Taylor Swift) and mixed by Tony Visconti<\/strong> (Bowie, T-Rex).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album was preceded by the gloriously-beautiful and breathy JJ<\/strong>-sung EUROPEAN FEMALE<\/strong>, which immediately fired the band back into the UK\u2019s Top 10 Singles Chart.  As the single peaked, the album crashed into the UK charts at number 4 and neither they nor the suits at Epic could have imagined a much better start to life at their new label. In fact it got better, as this new mellow sound struck a chord with European audiences, particularly in France, where FELINE<\/strong> effectively broke them to a much bigger audience; one they still enjoy to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two further singles were released from FELINE<\/strong>. The mighty album opener, MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM<\/strong>, a melody of JJ<\/strong>\u2019s with intoned dead-pan lyrics from Hugh<\/strong>, following a grand symphonic opening from Dave<\/strong>, was released in late February 1983. Both the 7\u201d Edit<\/strong> and the magnificent 10\u00bd minute Special 12\u201d Mix<\/strong> feature amongst the tracks on the bonus LP\/CD that comes with this 40<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong> Anniversary release<\/strong>. At the end of July \u201883, PARADISE<\/strong> was released. Again sung by JJ<\/strong>, he wrote it after an uncomfortable holiday he\u2019d hated in the Seychelles because of his discomfort with the poverty that surrounded the luxury in which he was staying. Fact fans: it is the only STRANGLERS<\/strong>\u2019 single that features voices from beyond the band, as backing vocals were provided by JJ<\/strong>\u2019s then-girlfriend Anna von Stern and France L\u2019Hermitte (of Belgian band Polyphonic Size). The 7\u201d Edit<\/strong> that appears on Side 3 is surprisingly scarce and has only once previously appeared on vinyl. It has only otherwise been commercially available on The Hit Men<\/em><\/strong> 2CD compilation from 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both the bonus LP and bonus CD on this 40<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong> Anniversary release<\/strong> feature the same tracks; a mix of B-sides and rarities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bonus tracks start by gathering the three<\/strong> 7\u201d single edits<\/strong> and a couple of B-sides<\/strong> from the period. The EUROPEAN FEMALE<\/strong> Radio Edit<\/strong> was a surprising find, in as much as it was only re-discovered in 2018. Other than providing the 7\u201d radio promo serviced from late 1982, the tape had lain gathering dust in Sony\u2019s vaults, overlooked by all previous compilers, until then. P\u00c3WSH\u0112R<\/strong> and PERMISSION<\/strong> were, respectively, the B-side and the 12\u201d bonus track for the PARADISE<\/strong> single. They are the two tracks within this collection that were recorded outside of the main sessions. The former, a mysterious single-word-repeated song, was recorded in New York in April, 1983; the latter, in London, two months later.  Typically Strangler-esque, it sounds bright and summery, yet in fact chronicles the dark antics of the notorious French CRS riot police\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Side 4 of the LP and continuing on the bonus CD is SAVAGE BREAST<\/strong>. Originally intended as an album track, it was left off at the last minute only to re-surface before the album\u2019s release as the B-side of EUROPEAN FEMALE<\/strong>. Hugh<\/strong>\u2019s career-long love of film and theatre combined with his twisting of well-established names and phrases ran overboard on FELINE<\/strong>, with SAVAGE BREAST<\/strong>, MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM<\/strong> and LET\u2019S TANGO IN PARIS<\/strong> completing his trio of word-play titles for 1983. In fact, so many of the song titles on FELINE<\/strong> are familiar phrases – IT\u2019S A SMALL WORLD<\/strong>; SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT<\/strong>; ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME<\/strong>; NEVER SAY GOODBYE<\/strong> – that there was clearly an unconscious pattern developing during the song writing.  Rounding off this collection are a couple of tongue-in-cheek curios that well support the band\u2019s sense of fun. VLADIMIR & OLGA <\/strong>is akin to a modern-day Russian folk song based on a fictional couple in (then) Soviet-era Ukraine. It is the first in what became a quirky and much-loved series of adventures that were to recur over the next decade. The initial pressings of the original LP of FELINE<\/strong> included a free bonus one-sided 7\u201d called AURAL SCULPTURE<\/strong>. It also featured on initial copies of the original FELINE<\/strong> cassette. It was a sarcastic rant against the death of music in general and song-writing in particular. If you got it, it was both barbed and hilarious. Subsequently, the theme was carried on, with the title becoming that of the band\u2019s next album, so the track was from there-on re-titled AURAL SCULPTURE MANIFESTO<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst The STRANGLERS<\/strong> have suffered the recent dreadful losses of both the uniquely-talented Dave GREENFIELD<\/strong> (May 2020) and their founder and driving force, Jet BLACK<\/strong> (December, 2022), they continue to tour. From 3rd<\/sup> to 18th<\/sup> March 2023, they are playing three dates in SPAIN<\/strong>, followed by nine in FRANCE<\/strong>, including PARIS<\/strong> L\u2019Olympia<\/strong> on 11th<\/sup>. Then in April they head Down Under between the 13th<\/sup> and 23rd<\/sup> for three dates in NEW ZEALAND<\/strong> and five in AUSTRALIA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The line-up is JJ BURNEL<\/strong> (bass and vocals); Baz WARNE<\/strong> (guitar and vocals); Jim MACAULAY<\/strong> (drums, percussion and backing vocals) and Toby HOUNSHAM <\/strong>(keyboards and backing vocals).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To pre-order the\u00a040th<\/sup>\u00a0Anniversary Edition\u00a0<\/strong>of\u00a0FELINE<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0BMG\u00a0<\/strong>go to:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/the-stranglers.lnk.to\/feline<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

LIMITED EDITION GATEFOLD DOUBLE ALBUM on REMASTERED 180g HEAVYWEIGHT  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRANSPARENT PINK and RED VINYL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ORIGINAL LP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIDE 1: <\/strong>1.<\/strong> MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM  <\/strong>2.<\/strong> IT\u2019S A SMALL WORLD <\/strong>3.<\/strong> SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong> THE EUROPEAN FEMALE (IN CELEBRATION OF)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIDE 2: <\/strong>1.<\/strong> LET\u2019S TANGO IN PARIS  <\/strong>2.<\/strong> PARADISE  <\/strong>3.<\/strong> ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME  <\/strong>4.<\/strong> BLUE SISTER  <\/strong>5.<\/strong> NEVER SAY GOODBYE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BONUS VINYL LP:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIDE 3:\u00a01.\u00a0EUROPEAN FEMALE (RADIO EDIT)\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM (SPECIAL SINGLE MIX)\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0PARADISE (RADIO EDIT)\u00a0<\/strong> 4.\u00a0P\u00c3WSH\u0112R\u00a0\u00a05.\u00a0PERMISSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIDE 4: <\/strong>1.<\/strong> MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM (SPECIAL 12\u201d MIX)  <\/strong>2<\/strong>.<\/strong> SAVAGE BREAST  <\/strong>3.<\/strong> VLADIMIR & OLGA  <\/strong>4.<\/strong> AURAL SCULPTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LIMITED EDITION 2CD DIGIPACK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ORIGINAL ALBUM <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CD 1:1.\u00a0MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0IT\u2019S A SMALL WORLD\u00a03.\u00a0SHIPS THAT<\/strong> PASS IN THE NIGHT\u00a04.\u00a0THE EUROPEAN FEMALE (IN CELEBRATION OF)\u00a0\u00a05.\u00a0LET\u2019S TANGO IN PARIS\u00a0\u00a06.\u00a0PARADISE\u00a0\u00a07.\u00a0ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME\u00a0\u00a08.\u00a0BLUE SISTER\u00a0\u00a09.\u00a0NEVER SAY GOODBYE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BONUS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CD 2:\u00a01.\u00a0EUROPEAN FEMALE (RADIO EDIT)\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM (SPECIAL SINGLE MIX)\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0PARADISE (RADIO EDIT)\u00a04.\u00a0P\u00c3WSH\u0112R\u00a0\u00a05.\u00a0PERMISSION6.\u00a0MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM (SPECIAL 12\u201d MIX)\u00a0\u00a07.\u00a0SAVAGE BREAST\u00a0\u00a08.\u00a0VLADIMIR & OLGA\u00a0\u00a09.\u00a0AURAL SCULPTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EACH FORMAT FEATURES NINE BONUS TRACKS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FELINE 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITON \u00a0REMASTERED LIMITED EDITION\u00a0GATEFOLD DOUBLE VINYL & DELUXE CD EACH FORMAT FEATURES NINE BONUS TRACKS – Released on BMG – Pre Order Here On 3rd MarchBMG release The STRANGLERS\u2019 40th Anniversary Edition of FELINE. FELINE will be available as a limited double album on remastered 180g Heavyweight transparent pink and red vinyl, housed in a newly created inner bags. The 2CD digipackfeatures exclusive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[8119,8118,1787,978,1681,1680,2052],"class_list":["post-21083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-40th-anniversary","tag-feline","tag-its-a-revolution","tag-rock-n-roll","tag-rpmnews1","tag-rpmonline","tag-vinyl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21088,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21083\/revisions\/21088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}