No More Heroes is the second album by English rock 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. It reached number 2 in the UK Album Charts[4] and was certified gold there.
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").[6]Cornell said "It helped having songs that were hanging over from Rattus, they felt just as good. Add a few more and then suddenly, hey presto, you’ve got the second album.” The opening track "I Feel Like a Wog" was controversial for its reference to golliwogs which Cornell used “for shock effect, but it was to put across a feeling." and despite lots of people "misunderstanding it" he said "a couple of black guys came back after one show and said: ‘We get it.’ That made me feel good.”. He admitted that the band deliberately tried "to wind people up", particularly with the track "Bring on the Nubiles", which is known for its sexual nature. He said the band found "it was entertaining [...], fun and really harmless. People might say: ‘How can you say that’s harmless?’ But we weren’t trying to upset people. We were in the sweet shop and we were helping ourselves. We’d realised that we could upset people, so let’s go to town, let’s really upset them.” He also felt that they "definitely couldn’t get away with that now." saying "We got away with murder.”[7]
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.[8]This cover was rushed as it was a last minute choice, with the original sleeve allegedly depicting Jean-Jacques Burnell alone on the tomb of Leon Trotsky, which was abandoned due to the other members' dissatisfaction of it not featuring the whole band.[7]
Contemporary reception was largely positive, with many finding it to be an improvement over their debut.
The Oakland Tribune likened the band to "Capt. Beefheart backed by the Ramones."[14]The Guardian noted that "a good organ sound and distinctive vocal tricks [keep] off the encroaching monotony."[15]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."[16]
John Dougan of 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."[9]Record Collector praised the album, calling" the adrenalised anti-racist message of I Feel Like A Wog and its timeless titular song" the highlights, and said the album had an "essential status" but found it to be "hobbled by the puerile Bring On The Nubiles and Cornwell’s tedious School Mam".[17]
↑ "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.
↑ "Stranglers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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