The Stranglers
Decades Apart
4/5
EMI

When The Stranglers titled their latest compilation, an almost complete chronological retrospective of their discography, Decades Apart, it’s probable they didn’t realise just how accurate they were.

Not one’s for sticking to the sub-genre’s they’re assigned, this double disc takes you from punk to new wave, stopping off at hard rock on the way. The first disc includes the majority of the classics. Particular highlights being ‘Peaches’, ‘No More Heroes’, ‘Waltzinblack’ and ‘Golden Brown’, but they were always destined to be. Hidden gems are a-plenty. Recommended are ‘Something Better Change’, which is one of the better songs you’re likely to hear with synthesizers and ‘Strange Little Girl’, a particularly haunting number. The problem is though, these are all first disc songs. Whilst the second disc isn’t bad, the only brilliant song is ‘All Day and All of the Night’, a Kinks cover, so it’s destined to be the least played of both discs. Still, remember that once in a while, it is worth that play.

Whilst this is certainly an essential purchase on the strength of the earlier material, it isn’t going to fool anybody into thinking the Guildford rockers are still at their recording peak.