| La folie | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 9 November 1981 | |||
| Recorded | August–September 1981 [1] | |||
| Studio | The Manor Studio (Shipton-on-Cherwell) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:27 | |||
| Label | Liberty | |||
| Producer |
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| The Stranglers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from La folie | ||||
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La folie is the sixth studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 9 November 1981, through the EMI record label Liberty.
The Stranglers had initially been the most commercially successful band of the punk/new wave period in Britain, but by 1981, their success had waned noticeably. La folie was a conscious attempt to deliver a more commercial product. [3] It is co-produced by the band with engineer Steve Churchyard and mixed by Tony Visconti. [4] [5] The band's record company, EMI, gave Visconti a brief to mix each song as a potential single. [3]
The album's French language title (pronounced [la fɔ.li] ) literally translates to "madness". In various interviews, the band related that this referred to "The Madness of Love" and that conceptually, each of the songs on the album was intended to explore a different kind or aspect of "love". [6] The title track is based upon the story of Issei Sagawa. [3] Guitarist Hugh Cornwell related in his 2001 book The Stranglers – Song by Song that the correct title of the album's opening track was "Non Stop Nun", and he apparently had been unaware that the record company had printed it as simply "Non Stop". [7]
The lyrics to "Ain't Nothin' to It" are credited to American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist Mezz Mezzrow. The band compiled expressions from Mezzrow's autobiography Really the Blues, which contains many passages of jive talk, and used them for the lyrics of the song. [8]
There has been much controversy surrounding the lyrics to "Golden Brown". In The Stranglers – Song by Song, Cornwell states, ""Golden Brown" works on two levels. It's about heroin and also about a girl". Essentially, the lyrics describe how "both provided me with pleasurable times". [9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 7/10 [12] |
| Record Collector | [13] |
| Rock 82 | (favorable) [14] |
La folie was preceded by the release of the album's first single, "Let Me Introduce You to the Family", released on 7 November 1981 [3] and reaching No. 42 in the UK Singles Chart. [15] La folie was released two days later. [3]
Upon its release, La folie looked set to be the band's lowest-charting album, but, buoyed by the success of the album's second single, "Golden Brown", released 10 January 1982 and reaching No. 2 in the singles chart, [15] the album eventually peaked at No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart, spending eighteen weeks in the chart. [15] The single would go on to become EMI's highest-selling single for many years. One more single was released from the album, the album's title track "La folie", on 20 April 1982, which reached No. 47. [15]
Trouser Press wrote of the album: "Subtle, effective, mature and energetic – but no outstanding songs." [16] AllMusic called it a fine and welcome album in the Stranglers' body of work, describing it as "mainly a collection of tight, punchy songs that often suggest the forthright approach of American new wave bands." [10]
All tracks are written and arranged by the Stranglers (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield and Jet Black), except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Non Stop" | 2:29 | |
| 2. | "Everybody Loves You When You're Dead" | 2:41 | |
| 3. | "Tramp" | 3:04 | |
| 4. | "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" | 3:07 | |
| 5. | "Ain't Nothin' to It" | Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow | 3:56 |
| 6. | "The Man They Love to Hate" | 4:22 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Pin Up" | 2:46 |
| 8. | "It Only Takes Two to Tango" | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Golden Brown" | 3:28 |
| 10. | "How to Find True Love and Happiness in the Present Day" | 3:04 |
| 11. | "La folie" | 6:04 |
| Total length: | 41:27 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Cruel Garden" | B-side of "Strange Little Girl" | 2:14 | |
| 13. | "Cocktail Nubiles a " | The Stranglers, Johnny Richards, Carolyn Leigh [17] | B-side of "Tomorrow Was the Hereafter", 1980 | 7:08 |
| 14. | "Vietnamerica" | B-side of "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" b | 4:01 | |
| 15. | "Love 30" | B-side of "Golden Brown" | 3:55 | |
| 16. | "You Hold the Key to My Love in Your Hands" (1981 demo) | Hits and Heroes, 1999 | 2:40 | |
| 17. | "Strange Little Girl" | Black, Burnel, Cornwell, Greenfield, Hans Wärmling | Non-album single, 1982 | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 56:17 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Vietnamerica" | B-side of "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" | 4:01 | |
| 13. | "Love 30" | B-side of "Golden Brown" | 3:55 | |
| 14. | "Waltzinblack" | B-side of "La folie" c | 3:39 | |
| 15. | "Strange Little Girl" | Black, Burnel, Cornwell, Greenfield, Wärmling | Non-album single | 2:40 |
| 16. | "Cruel Garden" | B-side of "Strange Little Girl" | 2:14 | |
| 17. | "You Hold the Key to My Love in Your Hands" (1981 demo) | Hits and Heroes | 2:40 | |
| 18. | "La folie" (edit) | DJ-edit release | 3:45 | |
| Total length: | 62:14 | |||
Self-released by the Stranglers, La folie received a deluxe vinyl reissue in 2018, limited to 1000 numbered copies. The original 11-track album is coupled with a bonus 12-track album, entitled Extra Texture, the first side of which features non-album single "Strange Little Girl", associated B-sides, a radio edit, a demo, and a BBC radio session track. The second side collects 6 La folie tracks recorded live by the BBC on the La folie tour at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 8 February 1982. [19]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Man They Love to Hate" (BBC Radio 1 session, 24 January 1982 d ) | The Radio 1 Sessions - The Evening Show, 1989 [20] | 3:45 | |
| 2. | "Strange Little Girl" | Black, Burnel, Cornwell, Greenfield, Wärmling | Non-album single | 2:40 |
| 3. | "Cruel Garden" | B-side of "Strange Little Girl" | 2:14 | |
| 4. | "Love 30" | B-side of "Golden Brown" | 3:55 | |
| 5. | "La folie" (single edit) | Promo single, 1982 | 3:30 | |
| 6. | "You Hold the Key to My Love in Your Hands" (demo) | Hits and Heroes | 2:40 |
| No. | Title | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Non Stop" (live) | In Concert, 1982 [21] | 2:27 |
| 8. | "The Man They Love to Hate" (live) | In Concert | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Golden Brown" (live) | In Concert | 3:40 |
| 10. | "How to Find True Love and Happiness in the Present Day" (live) | In Concert | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" (live) | In Concert | 3:05 |
| 12. | "Tramp" (live) | In Concert | 2:55 |
The Stranglers
Technical
Bonus tracks
| Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart [23] | 11 |
| Dutch Albums Chart [24] | 13 |
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 originated in the UK punk scene.
"Golden Brown" is a song by the English rock band the Stranglers released as a 7-inch single on EMI's Liberty label in 1982, noted for its distinctive harpsichord instrumentation. It was the second single released from the band's sixth studio album La folie (1981) and peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, the band's highest ever placing in that chart. It has also been recorded by many other artists.
No More Heroes is the second studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 23 September 1977, 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.
The Raven is the fourth studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers, released on 15 September 1979, through record label United Artists.
Rattus Norvegicus is the debut studio album by the Stranglers, released on 15 April 1977.
Black and White is the third studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 12 May 1978, through record label United Artists in most of the world and A&M in America.
Live (X Cert) is the first live album by the Stranglers, released in February 1979 by United Artists. It contains tracks recorded at The Roundhouse in June and November 1977 and at Battersea Park in September 1978.
The Gospel According to the Meninblack is the fifth album by English rock band the Stranglers, an esoteric concept album released in 1981 on the Liberty label. The album deals with conspiratorial ideas surrounding alien visitations to Earth, the sinister governmental men in black, and the involvement of these elements in well-known biblical narratives. This was not the first time the Stranglers had used this concept; "Meninblack" on the earlier The Raven album and subsequent 1980 single-release "Who Wants the World?" had also explored it.
Feline is the seventh studio album by the Stranglers and was released on 14 January 1983 on the Epic record label, their first for the label. The first edition came with a free one-sided 7" single "Aural Sculpture Manifesto". Feline drew heavily on two of the dominant musical influences in Europe of the time, by using primarily acoustic guitars and electronic drums as well as Dave Greenfield's synthesizers. The American edition of the album included the British hit single "Golden Brown" as the closing track on side one of the original vinyl.
Greatest Hits 1977–1990 is a compilation album by the Stranglers, released in November 1990 by Epic Records. It contains hit singles selected from their back catalogue from both EMI and Epic Records.
Dreamtime is the ninth studio album by the Stranglers, released in 1986 by Epic Records. The title track was inspired by a belief of the aboriginal peoples of Australia called Dreamtime.
10 is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Stranglers, released in March 1990 by Epic Records. It was the last to feature guitarist/lead singer Hugh Cornwell. 10 peaked at No. 15 and spent four weeks in the UK Albums Chart.
The Collection 1977–1982 is a compilation album by The Stranglers. It was released to complete their contract with EMI, who had acquired the band's back catalogue on the United Artists and Liberty labels. It peaked at No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart in 1982.
Aural Sculpture is the eighth studio album by the Stranglers, released in November 1984 by Epic Records. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline album in 1983. The "Aural Sculpture Manifesto" on the 7" single was played before the Stranglers appeared on stage during concerts during both the 1983 "Feline" tour and the 1985 "Aural Sculpture" tour.
David Paul Greenfield 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 until his death.
"Tramp" is a song included as a track on the Stranglers' sixth studio album, La Folie. "Tramp" was originally thought to be the ideal follow-up to their Top Ten hit single, "Golden Brown". However, Jean-Jacques Burnel convinced fellow band members that the album title track, "La Folie" was a much better choice. This backfired when "La Folie" only peaked at No. 47 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" is a 1979 single by British band The Stranglers. The second single from their album The Raven, it peaked at No. 36 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Who Wants the World?" is a 1980 single by The Stranglers. The song, about alien visitation to Earth, is regarded as a precursor to The Gospel According to the Meninblack album - which explored similar concepts in more depth. Like the band's previous single, "Bear Cage", it was a non-album track. "Who Wants the World?" peaked at No. 39 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Let Me Introduce You to the Family" is a 1981 song by English rock band The Stranglers. The first single released from La Folie, it peaked at number 42 in the UK Singles Chart.
"La Folie" is a 1981 song by The Stranglers. The title track from La Folie, it was released as the follow-up to "Golden Brown" in April 1982, and peaked at number 47 in the UK Singles Chart. Sung in French by bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel, it was Burnel who convinced his bandmates of the song's potential as a single, despite Hugh Cornwell feeling that "Tramp" was the better choice. The song makes allusions to Japanese necrophiliac murderer and cannibal Issei Sagawa.
