La folie (album)

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.

La folie
Studio album by
the Stranglers
Released9 November 1981
RecordedAugust–September 1981[1]
StudioThe Manor Studio (Shipton-on-Cherwell)
Genre
Length41:27
LabelLiberty
Producer
The Stranglers chronology
The Gospel According to the Meninblack
(1981)		 La folie
(1981)		 Feline
(1983)
Singles from La folie
  1. "Let Me Introduce You to the Family"
    Released: 2 November 1981
  2. "Golden Brown"
    Released: 10 January 1982
  3. "La folie"
    Released: 20 April 1982

Background

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]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[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]

Track listing

All tracks are written and arranged by the Stranglers (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield and Jet Black), except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLyricsLength
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" Mezzrow3:56
6."The Man They Love to Hate" 4:22
Side two
No.TitleLength
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
2001 CD reissue bonus tracks (EMI)
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
12."Cruel Garden" B-side of "Strange Little Girl"2:14
13."Cocktail Nubilesa"The Stranglers, Johnny Richards, Carolyn Leigh[17]B-side of "Tomorrow Was the Hereafter", 19807:08
14."Vietnamerica" B-side of "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" b4:01
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, 19992:40
17."Strange Little Girl"Black, Burnel, Cornwell, Greenfield, Hans WärmlingNon-album single, 19822:40
Total length:56:17
2018 CD reissue bonus tracks (Parlophone)
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
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" c3:39
15."Strange Little Girl"Black, Burnel, Cornwell, Greenfield, WärmlingNon-album single2:40
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 Heroes2:40
18."La folie" (edit) DJ-edit release3:45
Total length:62:14
  • ^c Originally from The Gospel According to the Meninblack.

2018 expanded vinyl edition

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]

  • Side one and two as per original vinyl edition
Extra Texture
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."The Man They Love to Hate" (BBC Radio 1 session, 24 January 1982d) The Radio 1 Sessions - The Evening Show, 1989[20]3:45
2."Strange Little Girl"Black, Burnel, Cornwell, Greenfield, WärmlingNon-album single2:40
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, 19823:30
6."You Hold the Key to My Love in Your Hands" (demo) Hits and Heroes2:40
  • ^d First transmitted on 11 February 1982 on the David Jensen Evening Show.
Live at Hammersmith Odeon
Side four
No.TitleOriginLength
7."Non Stop" (live)In Concert, 1982[21]2:27
8."The Man They Love to Hate" (live)In Concert4:45
9."Golden Brown" (live)In Concert3:40
10."How to Find True Love and Happiness in the Present Day" (live)In Concert4:05
11."Let Me Introduce You to the Family" (live)In Concert3:05
12."Tramp" (live)In Concert2:55

Personnel

The Stranglers

Technical

  • The Stranglers – producer, cover concept
  • Steve Churchyard – producer, engineer
  • Tony Visconti – mixing
  • Jay Pee – art direction
  • Phil Jude – front cover photography
  • Ava Carrier – back cover photography
  • Shoot That Tiger! – liner sleeve [22]

Bonus tracks

  • Dale Griffin – producer on "The Man They Love to Hate"" (BBC radio session)
  • The Stranglers – producer on "Vietnamerica" and "Waltzinblack"
  • Tony Visconti – producer on "You Hold the Key to My Love in Your Hands"
  • Steve Churchyard – mixing on "Love 30"

Charts
Chart Peak

Position

UK Albums Chart[23] 11
Dutch Albums Chart[24] 13

References
  1. Robert Endeacott (2014). Peaches: A Chronicle Of The Stranglers 1974-1990. Soundcheck Books. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-9575700-4-7.
  2. "Warner Music Australasia". Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  3. Twomey, Chris (1992). The Stranglers - The Men They Love To Hate. EMI Records Ltd. pp. 105–106.
  4. White, Paul (October 1985). "Tony Visconti". Home & Studio Recording (Oct 1985): 54–58. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  5. Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers Song By Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. p. 191. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
  6. Buckley, David (1997). No Mercy: The Authorised and Uncensored Biography of The Stranglers. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-68062-9.
  7. Cornwell, Hugh (2001). The Stranglers: Song by Song. London: Sanctuary. ISBN 978-1-86074-362-7.
  8. Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers Song By Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. p. 203. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
  9. Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers Song By Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
  10. Cleary, David. "La folie – The Stranglers : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  11. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Stranglers". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  12. Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography (6th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1012. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  13. Peacock, Tim (April 2018). "The Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes, Black And White, Live (X Cert), The Raven, The Gospel According To The Meninblack, La Folie". Record Collector. No. 478. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  14. Vesić, Dušan. "La Folie, The Stranglers". Rock 82 (in Serbian). Belgrade: NIP Politika (13): 7.
  15. "Stranglers | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  16. Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Stranglers". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  17. "The Stranglers – Tomorrow Was The Hereafter". Discogs. 31 August 1980. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  18. "40 Years After: The Stranglers – "Tomorrow was the Hereafter"". Songsmiths. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  19. "La Folie limited vinyl reissue". thestranglers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  20. "The Radio 1 Sessions - The Evening Show". Discogs. 1989. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  21. "In Concert-276". Discogs. 10 May 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  22. "The Stranglers – la Folie (1981, LP)". Discogs. 1981.
  23. "Stranglers | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  24. "The Stranglers - La folie". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
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