No More Heroes (album)

No More Heroes
Studio album by the Stranglers
Released	23 September 1977
Recorded	January–February 1977, June–July 1977[1][2]
Studio	T.W. Studios (Fulham)
Genre	Punk rock new wave post-punk
Length	38:01
Label	United Artists (UK) A&M (US)
Producer	Martin Rushent
The Stranglers chronology
Rattus Norvegicus (1977) No More Heroes (1977) Black and White (1978)
Singles from No More Heroes
"Something Better Change" Released: 22 July 1977 "No More Heroes" Released: 16 September 1977

No More Heroes is the second studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 23 September 1977,^[3] through record label United Artists in most of the world and A&M in the United States, five months after their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus.

Background

No More Heroes was produced by Martin Rushent. The album consists of new material with four songs left over from the Rattus Norvegicus sessions ("Something Better Change", "Bitching", "Peasant in the Big Shitty" and "School Mam").^[4]

The album cover features a photo of a wreath placed on a coffin with the tails of several rats (the Stranglers' trademark). The brass plaque on the album cover was engraved by Steven Stapleton of Nurse with Wound.^[5]

Two singles were released from the album: the title track, and a double A-side of "Something Better Change" and the non-album track "Straighten Out".

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
The Great Rock Discography	7/10[8]
Record Collector	[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]

The Oakland Tribune likened the band to "Capt. Beefheart backed by the Ramones."^[11] The Guardian noted that "a good organ sound and distinctive vocal tricks [keep] off the encroaching monotony."^[12]

AllMusic called No More Heroes "faster, nastier and better [than Rattus Norvegicus]. "At this point the Stranglers were on top of their game, and the ferocity and anger that suffuses this record would never be repeated."^[6] Trouser Press wrote that No More Heroes "continues in the same vein [as Rattus Norvegicus], but drops whatever hint of restraint may have been in force the first time around. Rude words and adult themes abound, with no punches pulled, from the blatant sexism of "Bring on the Nubiles" to the sarcastic attack on racism ("I Feel Like a Wog") to the suicide of a friend ("Dagenham Dave"). Despite the increased virulence, the music is even better than on the debut, introducing pop stylings that would later become a more common aspect of the Stranglers' character," finishing the review with "No More Heroes is easily [the Stranglers'] best album."^[13]

In 2000 it was voted number 427 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.^[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by the Stranglers (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black)

Side A

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"I Feel Like a Wog"	Hugh Cornwell	3:16
2.	"Bitching"	Jean-Jacques Burnel	4:25
3.	"Dead Ringer"	Dave Greenfield	2:46
4.	"Dagenham Dave"	Burnel	3:18
5.	"Bring on the Nubiles"	Cornwell	2:15
6.	"Something Better Change"	Burnel	3:35

Side B

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
7.	"No More Heroes"	Cornwell	3:27
8.	"Peasant in the Big Shitty"	Greenfield	3:25
9.	"Burning Up Time"	Burnel	2:25
10.	"English Towns"	Cornwell	2:13
11.	"School Mam"	Cornwell	6:52
Total length:			38:01

1987 CD reissue bonus track (EMI)

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
12.	"5 Minutes" (Non-album single, 1978)	Burnel	3:18
Total length:			41:19

1996 CD reissue bonus disc (EMI)

• Disc one as per original album

Disc two

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Straighten Out" (Double A-side with "Something Better Change")	Cornwell	2:46
2.	"5 Minutes"		3:18
3.	"Rok It to the Moon" (B-side to "5 Minutes")	Cornwell	2:47
Total length:			8:51

2001 CD reissue bonus tracks (EMI)

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Straighten Out"	2:46
13.	"5 Minutes"	3:18
14.	"Rok It to the Moon"	2:47
Total length:		47:09

2018 CD reissue bonus tracks (Parlophone)

(Associated recordings)

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
12.	"Straighten Out"		2:46
13.	"In the Shadows" (B-side to "No More Heroes")	Cornwell	4:37
14.	"5 Minutes"		3:17
15.	"Rok It to the Moon"		2:47
16.	"No More Heroes" (Promo single edit)		2:56
Total length:			54:52

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart	Peak Position	Certifications (sales thresholds)
UK Albums Chart[15]	2	UK: Gold[16]
Australian Charts	79
Dutch Charts[17]	20

Year-end charts

Chart (1977)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)[18]	32

Singles

Single	Chart	Peak Position
"Something Better Change"	UK singles chart[19]	9
	Irish Charts	29
"No More Heroes"	UK singles chart	8
	Dutch Charts[20]	25

Personnel

The Stranglers Hugh Cornwell – guitars, lead and backing vocals Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals Dave Greenfield – keyboards (Hammond L100 Organ, Hohner Cembalet electric piano, Minimoog synthesizer), lead and backing vocals Jet Black – drums, percussion

Technical personnel Martin Rushent – production Alan Winstanley – engineering Nigel Brooke-Harte – mixing, engineering assistance Doug Bennett – mixing JONZ (John Dent) – mastering Paul Henry – sleeve design, art direction Trevor Rogers – sleeve photography Eamonn O'Keefe – sleeve photography solarisation The Red Room – artwork design (2001 reissue)

In popular culture

The popular hack and slash video game series No More Heroes by Grasshopper Manufacture got its name from the album.^[21]

References

1. Robert Endeacott (1 July 2014). Peaches: A Chronicle Of The Stranglers 1974-1990. Soundcheck Books. pp. 19, 32–33. ISBN 978-0-9575700-4-7.
2. Carne, Owen (3 January 2018). "40th anniversary of 1977 – part 2". thestranglers.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
3. Robert Endeacott (1 July 2014). Peaches: A Chronicle Of The Stranglers 1974-1990. Soundcheck Books. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-9575700-4-7.
4. Robert Endeacott (1 July 2014). Peaches: A Chronicle Of The Stranglers 1974-1990. Soundcheck Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-9575700-4-7.
5. The Freakier Zone. 29 September 2012. BBC 6.
6. Dougan, John. "No More Heroes – The Stranglers". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
7. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Stranglers". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
8. Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography (6th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1012. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
9. Peacock, Tim (April 2018). "The Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes, Black And White, Live (X Cert), The Raven, The Gospel According to the Meninblack, La Folie". Record Collector. No. 478. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
10. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 677.
11. "Rock & Jazz". Oakland Tribune. 13 November 1977. p. 16E.
12. Denselow, Robin (11 October 1977). "New punk for old". The Guardian. p. 8.
13. Robbins, Ira. "Stranglers". Trouser Press. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
14. Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 157. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
15. "Rattus Norvegicus". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
16. "Stranglers – No More Heroes". bpi. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
17. "The Stranglers". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
18. "Top Albums 1977" (PDF). Music Week. 24 December 1977. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
19. "Stranglers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
20. "The Stranglers". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
21. "What is No More Heroes based on?". Vintageisthenewold.com. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2024.

External links

• No More Heroes at Discogs (list of releases)