Suite XVI
| Suite XVI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Stranglers | ||||
| Released | 18 September 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Studio | Charlton Farm Studios, Bath, UK | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, post-punk | |||
| Length | 40:27 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Louie Nicastro | |||
| The Stranglers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Suite XVI is the sixteenth studio album by The Stranglers, and saw the band return as a four-piece after the departure of Paul Roberts. Lead vocals are shared between guitarist Baz Warne and bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. The album was released on 18 September 2006 and was supported by an extensive UK tour by the band. The album peaked at number 89 in the UK Albums Chart.
The album continues, but also builds on, the shift to a more recognisable sound seen in the previous album, Norfolk Coast, with a sound much more akin to the band's earlier sound during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Tracks range from the aggression of "Summat Outanowt", through the catchy "She's Slipping Away" to the machine-gun punk delivery of "A Soldier's Diary" (which, according to drummer Jet Black, is the fastest track yet recorded by the band) and back to the melodic ballad of "Bless You (Save You, Spare You, Damn You)". There's a foray into country with the biting "I Hate You" and the album finishes off with "Relentless" — a sonically relentless exploration of the passing of time. "See Me Coming" was originally recorded by Jean-Jacques Burnel for the Japanese animated TV series Gankutsuou.
The album was released in Japan with two bonus tracks (taken from the B-side of the UK Single "Spectre of Love").
Track listing
All tracks written by Jet Black, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield and Baz Warne, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Unbroken" | Black, Burnel, Greenfield, Paul Roberts, Warne | 3:47 |
| 2. | "Spectre of Love" | 3:34 | |
| 3. | "She's Slipping Away" | Black, Burnel, Greenfield, Roberts, Warne | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Summat Outanowt" | 2:14 | |
| 5. | "Anything Can Happen" | 3:54 | |
| 6. | "See Me Coming" | Burnel | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Bless You (Save You, Spare You, Damn You)" | 5:35 | |
| 8. | "A Soldier's Diary" | 2:19 | |
| 9. | "Barbara (Shangri-La)" | 3:44 | |
| 10. | "I Hate You" | 2:58 | |
| 11. | "Relentless" | 5:02 |
| Japanese CD bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 12. | "Instead of This" (Live Acoustic) | Black, Burnel, Hugh Cornwell, Greenfield | 4:34 |
| 13. | "Death & Night & Blood (Yukio)" (Live) | Black, Burnel, Cornwell, Greenfield | 2:28 |
- Bonus tracks recorded live at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, 2 December 2005.
Singles
- "Spectre of Love" (released 11 September 2006) – #57, UK Singles Chart
Personnel
- The Stranglers
- Jet Black – drums, percussion
- Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass, vocals
- Dave Greenfield – keyboards, vocals
- Baz Warne – guitar, vocals
- Additional musicians
- Paul Roberts – percussion on track 5
- Lucy Lewry – backing vocals on track 7
- Technical
- Louie Nicastro – production, recorded by
- Matt Sweeting – photography
- Phil Johnson – artwork, design
References
- ↑ Deming, Mark. "The Stranglers: Suite XVI > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2011.