Classic albums No. 8: Rattus Norvegicus
Middle-aged punks stood in the fading light of a clapped-out streetlamp. Each one of them had seemingly prised themselves into black jeans and black leather jackets. Beer bellies hung over their Wranglers.
My mate Tim Smale and I had come to see Hugh Cornwell in concert. He had left The Stranglers and was pursuing a solo career. That night he had returned to his old band’s haunt in the sleepy village of Chiddingfold.
When he appeared on stage at the country club (?), he looked as if hardly a day had passed since his punk years. Still in good shape and good voice, Cornwell had a very tight band backing him, too. And they delivered one of the loudest rocking sets I’ve ever heard in my entire life. The old hits sounded as fresh as ever. There really were ‘no more heroes anymore’. And my ears were ringing for weeks afterwards.
Rewind to this debut album from The Stranglers…the one with the dark, disturbing cover, carrying the Latin name for the common rat. Who on earth were these guys? They weren’t exactly kids, like some of the other punk bands of the 70s. But they weren’t exactly your uncles, either. They were simply unsettling. With those swirling keyboards and gritty bass, they were a New Wave version of The Doors. But even more controversial.
Some of the statements on Rattus Norvegicus appeared downright sexist and violent, opening with the declaration, ‘Some day I’m gonna smack your face’ (Sometimes). And despite the rude words and female anatomical detail in Peaches, that song’s riff was utterly irresistible. Were they being provocative for the sake of it, or making a comment on society, portraying us all as rats in a sewer? Whatever they were doing, there was clearly some outrageous humour going on, amid the dodgy lyrics. You couldn’t play this LP if your grandmother was round for tea.
For those of us who couldn’t get into some of the completely tuneless punk around at the time, The Stranglers offered plenty of melodic hooks, without forsaking their ragged, jagged edge. Theirs was a dark soundscape. But the idea was not to look at it too seriously. And only after Granny had gone home.
