''The Stranglers and Friends: Live in Concert'' is a live album by English rock band

the Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1974. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 20 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the ...

, released in 1995 by Receiver Records. In 2002, the album was re-released on the

Castle Music Castle Communications, also known as Castle Music, was a British independent record label and home video distributor founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane, and Jon Beecher. Its video imprint was called Castle Vision. The label's producti ...

label, digitally remastered from the original master tapes with new artwork and sleeve notes.

Background

In early 1980, guitarist and singer

Hugh Cornwell Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock and new wave band the Stranglers The Stranglers are an English ro ...

was in

Pentonville Prison HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury ar ...

for drugs possession. With two gigs scheduled at the London Rainbow for 3 April and 4 April, the management decided to turn things around by approaching artists including

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...

, John Ellis,

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 ...

Peter Hammill Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer-songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...

and

Hazel O'Connor Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", " D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Caree ...

, to fill in for the absent Cornwell. ''The Stranglers and Friends: Live in Concert'' chronicles this event. At the time, it was planned to release a live album of the concerts, with all the proceeds going to the drug rehabilitation organisation Cure. The album never materialised as the band nearly went bankrupt shortly after the concerts, and it was forgotten about.

Track listing

* A 1997 release of this recording by

Hallmark Records Hallmark Records is a British record label. History Hallmark Records was founded in the 1960s and was the first budget label in the United Kingdom. The revived company has since become a major publisher of budget CDs in the UK, issuing both pub ...

contains the same tracks (not in the same order), except "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)", "Hanging Around", "Bear Cage" and "Peaches".

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes. ;The Stranglers *

Jean-Jacques Burnel Jean-Jacques Burnel (born 21 February 1952) is an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist with the punk rock band the Stranglers. He is the only original member to remain in the band. Life and career Burnel perf ...

– bass, vocals *

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 *

Jet Black Brian John Duffy (26 August 1938 – 6 December 2022), known professionally 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 ...

– drums ;Friends * John Ellis – guitar on all tracks * Steve Nisbett – rhythmic drum patterns * Robert Smith – guitar on 2, 3 *

– guitar on 4–6 * Basil Gabbidon – guitar on 7, 9 *

Wilko Johnson John Andrew Wilkinson (12 July 1947 – 21 November 2022), better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in ...

– guitar on 8, 10 * John Turnbull – guitar on 11, 12 *

Larry Wallis Larry Wallis (19 May 1949 – 19 September 2019) was a British rock guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead. Biography Early bands In 1968, he formed a band calle ...

– guitar on 15 *

Steve Hillage Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo sound recording and reprodu ...

– guitar on 16, 17 *

Matthieu Hartley Matthieu Hartley (born 4 February 1960) is an English musician, best known as the keyboardist for The Cure from 1979-1980. Biography Hartley was born in Smallfield, England, near Crawley, and was a childhood friend of future bandmate Simon Gal ...

– keyboards on 12 *

Nik Turner Nicholas Robert Turner (26 August 1940 – 10 November 2022) was an English musician best known as a member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner played saxophone and flute, as well as being a vocalist and composer. While with Hawkwind, Tur ...

– saxophone on 9 *

Davey Payne David Stanley Payne (born 11 August 1944) is an English saxophonist best known as a member of Ian Dury's backing band The Blockheads, and for his twin saxophone solo on their 1978 UK No. 1 single "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick". He also appeare ...

– saxophone on 11, 12 *

– vocals on 2, 3 *

– vocals on 4, 7 *

Phil Daniels Philip William Daniels (born 25 October 1958) is an English actor, musician and singer, most noted for film and television roles playing Londoners, such as the lead role of Jimmy Cooper in ''Quadrophenia'', Richards in '' Scum'', Stewart in '' T ...

– vocals on 6, 8 *

Nicky Tesco Nick Lightowlers (1955 – 26 February 2022) was a British performer, lyricist, producer, and music industry professional better known to many by his stage name Nick Tesco, the lead singer of The Members. Career As a founding member and co-son ...

– vocals on 9 * Richard Jobson – vocals on 10, 14, 15 *

– vocals on 13, 16, backing vocals on 11, 12 *

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk rock, punk and new wave music, new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Kilburn ...

– vocals on 11, 12 *

Jake Burns John "Jake" Burns (born 21 February 1958) is a singer and guitarist, and is best known as the frontman of Stiff Little Fingers, although he has also recorded with Jake Burns and the Big Wheel, 3 Men + Black, and as a solo artist. Early life ...

– vocals on 17 ;Technical * Mark Brennan – sleeve notes * Robert Fairclough – sleeve notes, design, picture research (2002 reissue) * Giovanni Scatola – remastering (2002 reissue)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stranglers and Friends Live In Concert 1995 live albums The Stranglers live albums