''About Time'' is the twelfth studio album from

the Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origin ...

and the second one from the

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, Burnel, Greenfield, Roberts and

Ellis Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis. Surname A * Abe Ellis (Stargate), a fictional character in the TV series ' ...

line-up. The album was released in 1995 through the When! label. It was co-produced, engineered and mixed by

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on albu ...

, who had worked with the Stranglers on their first four albums (as the engineer on ''

Rattus Norvegicus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'') ...

'', '' No More Heroes'' and '' Black and White'' and producer on ''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myst ...

'').

Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and he has since expanded into jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and background Kenn ...

plays electric violin on "Face", and a string-quartet is used on three of the eleven tracks ("Face", "Still Life" and "Sinister"). "Lies and Deception" was the only single released from the album, reaching No. 94 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and is one of the few Stranglers songs solely written by drummer

Jet Black Brian John Duffy (26 August 1938 – 6 December 2022), professionally known as Jet Black, was an English drummer and founding member of punk rock/ new wave band The Stranglers. He last performed with the band in 2015, and officially retired in ...

. Released as a two-CD set, CD1 of "Lies and Deception" was backed with non-album tracks "Swim" and "Cool Danny", CD2 was backed with non-album tracks "Kiss the World Goodbye" and "Bed of Nails". The album peaked at No. 31 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

in May 1995.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that ''About Time'' is a "competent but unexceptional record" that contains "a couple of tough, catchy songs" in "Lies and Deception" and "Golden Boy", but is "largely bogged down by tepid songwriting and undistinguished performances."

Track listing

Personnel

; The Stranglers * Paul Roberts – lead vocals, percussion, production *

Jean-Jacques Burnel Jean-Jacques Burnel (born 21 February 1952) is an English musician, producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist with the English rock band The Stranglers. He is the last founding member to remain in the band. ...

– bass, vocals, production * John Ellis – guitar, vocals, production *

Dave Greenfield David Paul Greenfield (29 March 1949 – 3 May 2020) was an English keyboardist, singer and songwriter who was a member of rock band The Stranglers. He joined the band in 1975, within a year of its formation, and played with them for 45 years ...

– keyboards, vocals, production *

– drums, production ; Additional musicians *

– violin on track 3 * Susie Elliott – vocals on track 4 and 11 * Chris Winter – harmonica on track 1 * Gavyn Wright – violin on track 3, 4 and 6 *

Wilfred Gibson Wilfred Gibson (28 February 1942 — 21 October 2014) was an English violinist, session musician, and early member of the Electric Light Orchestra. Early life Wilfred Gibson was born on 28 February 1942 in Dilston, Northumberland. He received ...

– violin on track 3, 4 and 6 * Bob Smissen – viola on track 3, 4 and 6 *

Caroline Dale Caroline Dale (born 1965) is a widely recorded British cellist who currently plays principal cello for the English Chamber Orchestra and London Metropolitan Orchestra. She has also performed music for numerous films and played with a wide range ...

– cello on track 3, 4 and 6 * Alex Christaki – string arrangements on track 3, 4 and 6 ; Technical *

– production, engineering, mixing * Simon Dawson – engineering assistance (Rockfield Studios) * Andrea Wright – engineering assistance (Parr Street Studios) * Lee Phillips – engineering assistance (Westside Studios) * Tim Young – mastering * Trevor Dawkins – technical assistance, crowd vocal * Ray Palmer – front cover image, photography *

Michel Tcherevkoff Michel Tcherevkoff is a commercial photographer. Working as the creative eye for important clients, Tcherevkoff has created a dress made from toothbrushes for Johnson & Johnson, a massive "sensorium" where visitors could experience fragrance visua ...

– front cover image * Castle Communications PLC – design * Hugh Gilmour – illustrations

References

1995 albums The Stranglers albums Albums produced by Alan Winstanley Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios {{1990s-punk-album-stub