No More Heroes (album)

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, five months after their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus.

No More Heroes
Studio album by The Stranglers
Released	23 September 1977
Recorded	July 1977
Studio	T.W. Studios, Fulham, England
Genre	Punk rock, new wave, post-punk
Length	43:04[1]
Label	United Artists
Producer	Martin Rushent
The Stranglers chronology
Rattus Norvegicus (1977) No More Heroes (1977) Black and White (1978)
Singles from No More Heroes
"No More Heroes" Released: 1977 "Something Better Change" Released: 22 July 1977

Background

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

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.[2]

Two singles were released from the album: "No More Heroes", and a double A-side of "Something Better Change" and the non-album track "Straighten Out". A further non-album single was released later that year: "5 Minutes".

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"	Jean-Jacques Burnel	3:18
5.	"Bring on the Nubiles"	Hugh Cornwell	2:15
6.	"Something Better Change"	Jean-Jacques Burnel	3:35

Side B

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"No More Heroes"	Hugh Cornwell	3:27
2.	"Peasant in the Big Shitty"	Dave Greenfield	3:25
3.	"Burning Up Time"	Jean-Jacques Burnel	2:25
4.	"English Towns"	Hugh Cornwell	2:13
5.	"School Mam"	Hugh Cornwell	6:52

2001 reissue bonus tracks

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

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]

No More Heroes has been praised by retrospective critics. 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."[3] 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."[5]

In 2000 it was voted number 427 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[6]

Charts and certifications

Chart	Peak Position	Certifications (sales thresholds)
UK Albums Chart[7]	2	UK: Gold[8]
Australian Charts	79
Dutch Charts[9]	20

Single	Chart	Peak Position	Certifications (sales thresholds)
"Something Better Change"	UK Singles Chart[10]	9
	Irish Charts	29
"No More Heroes"	UK Singles Chart	8	UK: Silver[11]
	Dutch Charts[12]	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 Eamonn O'Keefe – sleeve photography solarisation Trevor Rogers – sleeve photography The Red Room – artwork design Paul Henry – sleeve design and art direction

References

1. Album page on Allmusic.com
2. Freakier Zone. 29 September 2012. BBC 6.
3. Dougan, John. "No More Heroes – The Stranglers". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
4. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
5. Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Stranglers". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
6. Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 157. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
7. "Rattus Norvegicus". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
8. "Stranglers - No More Heroes". bpi. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
9. "The Stranglers". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
10. "Stranglers". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
11. "Stranglers - Peaches". bpi. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
12. "The Stranglers". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

External links

• No More Heroes at Discogs (list of releases)