The Stranglers - The Men in Black

After starting on the pub rock scene in England, the core line-up of The Stranglers would form in 1975, and they would release their debut album in 1977 during the British punk explosion.  During the band's early years, the aggressive and uncompromising approach of The Stranglers would result in the press and critics grouping them with the emerging UK punk rock scene. 

However The Stranglers, beyond dressing in all black outfits, were different. After the first two albums and over the following years the sound of the band would gradually shift through various genres and styles as the music matured and became more refined. 

Throughout the band’s history, The Stranglers have had multiple hit singles while releasing 18 studio albums, of which the first ten albums hit top 20 on the UK top album charts. The Stranglers are amongst the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the British punk scene, and one of the most commercially successful band from the UK punk era. 

This episode tells the story of the band through the first six albums, all by 1981 over a 4 and a half year span, including The Raven, Black and White, and The Gospel According to Meninblack.