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Post by rfan8312 on May 28, 2021 20:22:45 GMT
This song may be one of the most memorable of my adult life. There's maybe a hundred 70's & 80's radio hits that I love dearly thanks to hearing them around the house when growing up.
But this one I discovered on my own during a scene of the Guy Ritchie film 'Snatch' about the fictional comical British gangs and their capers.
What's odd to me is that it reminds me the most of a city in the US called Lawrence, MA, where I spend most of my time, just north of Boston. Lawrence was once a very well known city because it and its sister city nearby, Lowell, were the textile capitals of the world at one point.
There's still plenty of industry here but not like before, the old mills are mostly for show now and and other ventures, with a mostly Hispanic population and a constant peppering of out of town, exclusively white, heroin addicts.
While visualizing on a drive here once, the music of the song and its overall effect on me all came together as sort of a mixture causing me to think of the history of the city as well as it's physical layout, while simultaneously the lyrics point to its current condition today as one of the heroin capitals of this region.
Wow all of these words just to try to convey that this one song instantly transports me to memories and visions of Lawrence even though it's written by a British rock band.
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Post by MartinT on May 28, 2021 20:35:56 GMT
Golden Brown takes me right back to my university days and is highly evocative of those troubled times. I distinctly remember the fall of the Shah of Iran and the Falklands war being the topics of conversation at the time. Memories of travelling to Whitechapel every day for my studies at Queen Mary and South Woodford to my halls of residence. Studying a degree in electronic engineering that almost destroyed my love of electronics, so dry, theory-heavy and lacking in any practical aspect was the course.
So this song harks back to a miserable period in my life. It improved as soon as I got my first job, servicing computer equipment.
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Post by Slinger on May 28, 2021 21:23:41 GMT
It's one of my favourites too. It holds no specific memories for me, it's just a top track. Mind you, I was already a Stranglers fan when it came out.
You might find this intersting, if you haven't already seen it...
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Post by ChrisB on May 28, 2021 22:58:14 GMT
1982 was my year in the Lower 6th Form.
I thought it was a very poor show!
At the time, my benchmark Stranglers song was the cover they had done of 'Walk On By'. As a huge Doors fan, this was right up my street and it's still my top pick from their catalogue.
I just couldn't understand how or why it was so different from everything I had heard from them before. Then it started to be played...and played again. And again. Until it became a big fat cliché.
I quite like it now, out of nostalgia for the time, but I think it still suffers from that oversaturation.
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Post by ChrisB on May 28, 2021 23:01:21 GMT
By the way, that's a great post, rfan8312 |
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Post by rfan8312 on May 28, 2021 23:13:56 GMT
Thanks so much man. It's very nice to see that this song is well known here on the forum.
Will follow up on the links provided as well. And will begin reading about the other songs in this new section of the forum.
It literally feels like a miracle to me, truly, for all of us here to live in a time when there is so much to enjoy and then discuss it.
Music has left a massive impact on all of our lives here it seems.
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Post by John on May 29, 2021 4:24:16 GMT
I saw the Stranglers live in 79 my very first gig. They played at Wembley with The Who AC/DC and Nils Lofgren The Stranglers were awful live I quite liked some of their songs at the time so was quite looking forward to seeing them, so ended up disappointed.
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Post by rfan8312 on May 29, 2021 4:28:03 GMT
I saw the Stranglers live in 79 my very first gig. They played at Wembley with The Who AC/DC and Nils Lofgren The Stranglers were awful live I quite liked some of their songs at the time so was quite looking forward to seeing them, so ended up disappointed. Did I understand correctly in another thread that you've been to 3000 concerts? |
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Post by John on May 29, 2021 4:30:07 GMT
Something like that I no idea of the amount but I been to a awful lot of concerts
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Post by rfan8312 on May 29, 2021 4:38:48 GMT
Haha wow man. I believe it. Even a few hundred is amazing. In the thousands is wild.
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Post by John on May 29, 2021 4:57:54 GMT
They were mostly small gigs at places like the Marquee I would usually go 2 or 3 times a week. Some great memories from all of that.
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Post by MartinT on May 29, 2021 7:27:36 GMT
Tha Marquee was so loud that I withstood only a few gigs there!
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Post by MikeMusic on May 29, 2021 10:49:09 GMT
My younger brother was keen on The Stranglers. Quite good I thought and listened to an album recently to confirm
Went to the Marquee every night one week when they had a Discover new artists on Charisma Records week
Genesis was one of them. Thought they were quite good.
Bell and Arc were another, forget the rest
Went to the Marquee many times/ Loved it
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Post by MartinT on May 29, 2021 11:12:37 GMT
I far preferred the Town & Country in Kentish Town as a venue. Saw many great performances there including Debbie Harry, Texas, The Proclaimers, Timbuk 3, Voice of the Beehive to name a few.
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Post by John on May 29, 2021 12:13:46 GMT
Good job you did not see Yngwie play at the Marquee loudest gig I ever been to only time I heard metal fans shout turn it down
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Post by user211 on May 29, 2021 12:27:38 GMT
1982 was my year in the Lower 6th Form. I thought it was a very poor show! At the time, my benchmark Stranglers song was the cover they had done of 'Walk On By'. As a huge Doors fan, this was right up my street and it's still my top pick from their catalogue. I just couldn't understand how or why it was so different from everything I had heard from them before. Then it started to be played...and played again. And again. Until it became a big fat cliché. I quite like it now, out of nostalgia for the time, but I think it still suffers from that oversaturation. I have Walk On By as the white vinyl single free with Black & White. The guitar solo on it is awesome. I don't think people realise Hugh is an amazing guitar player. Because he is. For my money although a cover it is better than Golden Brown. Which in itself is amazing, really. |
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Post by MikeMusic on May 29, 2021 14:36:19 GMT
I far preferred the Town & Country in Kentish Town as a venue. Saw many great performances there including Debbie Harry, Texas, The Proclaimers, Timbuk 3, Voice of the Beehive to name a few. Soho was my patch, twice so it was familiar territory. Not sure when Town and Country opened might have been too late for my gig going days |
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Post by MikeMusic on May 29, 2021 14:37:39 GMT
Good job you did not see Yngwie play at the Marquee loudest gig I ever been to only time I heard metal fans shout turn it down Even more not for me then. My loudest was Lifetime in Birmingham Too loud but such sweet pain  |
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