The Best of Baz

[toilerinblack]

It was Louie that suggested it to the band. He recorded the original.
It's a great song and the band's version is impressive but when a band can write crackers on their own, it's disappointing in a sense.
Baz wrote Spectre and I think that is one of the most "Stranglers" of songs.
More like that please!

Oh was it ok then Louie suggested it thanks for that info I didn't know that and it was a good suggestion too I think it certainly turned out to be a right song for the band overall.

[jetblacksdad]

The Last Men On The Moon - thoroughly enjoying recent listens to this track

Sir I agree,you know it's a good song when it's inside your head,I was singing it earlier or trying to,Baz can certainly write a good song IMHO,but others obviously disagree and it would be boring if we all agreed,but the question arises,how many times does someone need to say that everything Baz has written since he joined the band is sub standard? Does Baz care? I doubt it,he's to busy actually being in a band called the Stranglers. Major Kudu.

Frankly, anyone who says that "everything Baz had written is substandard" is educationally subnormal and deserves correcting with a 1000volts through their genitalia.

[StanInBlack]

Oh yes, forgot about Spectre but that is a great song. Absolutely.

Stan will be along in a minute to tell us that it isn't.

I'd file it in the "solid but unspectacular" category. There's nothing wrong with it per se., but it's not up to the standard of Black/Burnel/Cornwell/Greenfield at their finest.

[toilerinblack]

The Last Men On The Moon - thoroughly enjoying recent listens to this track

Sir I agree,you know it's a good song when it's inside your head,I was singing it earlier or trying to,Baz can certainly write a good song IMHO,but others obviously disagree and it would be boring if we all agreed,but the question arises,how many times does someone need to say that everything Baz has written since he joined the band is sub standard? Does Baz care? I doubt it,he's to busy actually being in a band called the Stranglers. Major Kudu.

Frankly, anyone who says that "everything Baz had written is substandard" is educationally subnormal and deserves correcting with a 1000volts through their genitalia.

Again it's each to their own which sounds boring saying that now it but it is true even though like or loathe him it can't be denied that he can play a good song,sing a good song and write a good song.
I've known plenty of good musicians who were in crap bands and have all probably written and played crap or cheesy songs that's how you start,learn and progress,succeed with determination and experiance that's life in music,jobs or anything you set yourself to do to progress and finally succeed to bigger and better things with some luck too some great talents never get that break or chance,so skill and luck is needed and Baz has done just that with determination and experiance in my opinion who also gives a dam good solo gig too.....but again it's only my view we all differ.
The Stranglers gave him a chance and boy he toke it worked hard within the band and 20 odd years later he's fronting the band who from the outside who started more in the side wings as guitarist witn the band knew for me after Paul just what was needed and missing for the better to make this band sound for their loyal fans something more what they once sounded like and loved.
I think when i was looking back and listening to some of his past solo acoustic gigs and career doing his poem sometime back i was quite stunned on his vocals and beautiful acoustic guitar work and how he gave such a nice solo gig for those who went.
The best of Baz for me has probably been some of his past live solo acoustic songs away from the Stranglers which is why I have enjoyed in the Stranglers songs like Dutch Moon acoustically and the DM sessions of if Something's gonna kill me because for that is Baz's strengths he seems to be at his best for me under those conditions of sitting on a stool with his acoustic more than the more hard edged electric songs with vocal aggression where he also can be good too,but for me only I see two different sides to him as a musician the electric within the band frontman/guitarist to the one I prefer singing a beautiful ballad with his acoustic on a chair.
Again my view....we all differ.

[Greatkudu]

Oh yes, forgot about Spectre but that is a great song. Absolutely.

Stan will be along in a minute to tell us that it isn't.

I'd file it in the "solid but unspectacular" category. There's nothing wrong with it per se., but it's not up to the standard of Black/Burnel/Cornwell/Greenfield at their finest.

Nothing is but it's still a good song IMHO,I can't think of any band from the Stranglers era that produce as high quality material as their earlier Material ie The Damned good new songs but lacking compared to their earlier Material IMHO.Major Kudu.

[toilerinblack]

Stan will be along in a minute to tell us that it isn't.

I'd file it in the "solid but unspectacular" category. There's nothing wrong with it per se., but it's not up to the standard of Black/Burnel/Cornwell/Greenfield at their finest.

Nothing is but it's still a good song IMHO,I can't think of any band from the Stranglers era that produce as high quality material as their earlier Material ie The Damned good new songs but lacking compared to their earlier Material IMHO.Major Kudu.

Yep I agree.
I've always liked the Damned and whenever i've seen them back in the day they were just great live and yes I really like their new material too,I'll always remember them doing such a great curtain call live love that song so much.
Yes this current line up are still producing a high level of quality material like or loathe the current line up or members that is totally irrelevant to the material itself which tbh I can't think of many bands that can say that especially nearly 50 years in the making now next year....quite incredible.
Somyes i agree too.

[ThinkTank]

I'd file it in the "solid but unspectacular" category. There's nothing wrong with it per se., but it's not up to the standard of Black/Burnel/Cornwell/Greenfield at their finest.

Nothing is but it's still a good song IMHO,I can't think of any band from the Stranglers era that produce as high quality material as their earlier Material ie The Damned good new songs but lacking compared to their earlier Material IMHO.Major Kudu.

Yep I agree.
I've always liked the Damned and whenever i've seen them back in the day they were just great live and yes I really like their new material too,I'll always remember them doing such a great curtain call live love that song so much.
Yes this current line up are still producing a high level of quality material like or loathe the current line up or members that is totally irrelevant to the material itself which tbh I can't think of many bands that can say that especially nearly 50 years in the making now next year....quite incredible.
Somyes i agree too.

Its weird i always thought i should like the Damned especially as they did have a close connection with the band but they just never did it for me. I really love Smash it up but the rest of the songs on the album didn't have the same effect on me and neither songs after. They were great to watch but their music never quite hit the spot maybe i should have another listen

[toilerinblack]

Nothing is but it's still a good song IMHO,I can't think of any band from the Stranglers era that produce as high quality material as their earlier Material ie The Damned good new songs but lacking compared to their earlier Material IMHO.Major Kudu.

Yep I agree.
I've always liked the Damned and whenever i've seen them back in the day they were just great live and yes I really like their new material too,I'll always remember them doing such a great curtain call live love that song so much.
Yes this current line up are still producing a high level of quality material like or loathe the current line up or members that is totally irrelevant to the material itself which tbh I can't think of many bands that can say that especially nearly 50 years in the making now next year....quite incredible.
Somyes i agree too.

Its weird i always thought i should like the Damned especially as they did have a close connection with the band but they just never did it for me. I really love Smash it up but the rest of the songs on the album didn't have the same effect on me and neither songs after. They were great to watch but their music never quite hit the spot maybe i should have another listen

Yep can agree with what you are saying for me I like the Damned from those times as I saw many other punk/new wave bands around that time as did many other fans on here probably did too none of whom quite hit the spot or was as good musically or the sheer uniqueness of sound the Stranglers had for me nobody else came close or had that long lasting effect on me which is why in 2023 I'm still on this bands forum that's the long life effect their music had on me.
Back in the day I saw bands with mates which were OK bands that went with the times going to live gigs regularly so much for a good night out lol
I like the Damned on some of their material and not others so I get what your saying and that's what I mean about the Stranglers and their professionalism to be able to consistently keep bringing out decade after decade of good quality albums not just a few good ones on an albums worth like most I could name but with the likes of Dreamtime as a good example or La Folie say that was just a total faultless album.
So the best description of praise overall I can say about the Stranglers career is.....Consistency.

[StanInBlack]

Nothing is but it's still a good song IMHO,I can't think of any band from the Stranglers era that produce as high quality material as their earlier Material ie The Damned good new songs but lacking compared to their earlier Material IMHO.Major Kudu.

Yep I agree.
I've always liked the Damned and whenever i've seen them back in the day they were just great live and yes I really like their new material too,I'll always remember them doing such a great curtain call live love that song so much.
Yes this current line up are still producing a high level of quality material like or loathe the current line up or members that is totally irrelevant to the material itself which tbh I can't think of many bands that can say that especially nearly 50 years in the making now next year....quite incredible.
Somyes i agree too.

Its weird i always thought i should like the Damned especially as they did have a close connection with the band but they just never did it for me. I really love Smash it up but the rest of the songs on the album didn't have the same effect on me and neither songs after. They were great to watch but their music never quite hit the spot maybe i should have another listen

Strawberries is my favourite, with The Black Album in second place. I'm not interested in anything after Phantasmagoria (apart from "Eloise") or anything before Machine Gun Etiquette (apart from "New Rose")

[Ruby]

Its weird i always thought i should like the Damned especially as they did have a close connection with the band but they just never did it for me. I really love Smash it up but the rest of the songs on the album didn't have the same effect on me and neither songs after. They were great to watch but their music never quite hit the spot maybe i should have another listen

Same here.They looked like my kind of band but I could never quite get into them,apart from a few songs.I've tried but it doesn't happen.

[jetblacksdad]

I'm a big fan, Darkadelic, the new album, is full of great tunes.
Like the Stranglers, they have evolved over the years and straddled the genres.

And like The Stranglers gone are the mad rushes of Love Song, Blackout into more mature but cleverly written songs.
Varying lineups but the key remain s is that Vanian has been a constant and that, I believe, brings a different level of perception of them as band.

[toilerinblack]

Yep I agree.
I've always liked the Damned and whenever i've seen them back in the day they were just great live and yes I really like their new material too,I'll always remember them doing such a great curtain call live love that song so much.
Yes this current line up are still producing a high level of quality material like or loathe the current line up or members that is totally irrelevant to the material itself which tbh I can't think of many bands that can say that especially nearly 50 years in the making now next year....quite incredible.
Somyes i agree too.

Its weird i always thought i should like the Damned especially as they did have a close connection with the band but they just never did it for me. I really love Smash it up but the rest of the songs on the album didn't have the same effect on me and neither songs after. They were great to watch but their music never quite hit the spot maybe i should have another listen

Strawberries is my favourite, with The Black Album in second place. I'm not interested in anything after Phantasmagoria (apart from "Eloise") or anything before Machine Gun Etiquette (apart from "New Rose")

Yep I agree too about the Black album too and the one track I wore the vinyl groves out on was "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" so love that track ,good albums named by you .
Again for me I wouldn't say I liked all their stuff because for me their material quality wise was a bit hit or miss or up and down but whenever I saw them they were bloody good with a very lively crowd to say the least lol
Also fair play to the damned as their new stuff too is pretty good after all these years who still put a lot of effort into their stage set atrworks who too like the Stranglers are still a band full of high energy they don't stop on stage and the vocals still sound bloody good too.....credit given where credits due and they like the Stranglers deserve just that for me only.
But yes two great albums named by you.... agreed.