The Stranglers - La Folie

Original Release Date

1981

Release Information

UK LP 1981 (Liberty - LBG 30342)

A1 Non Stop 2:30
A2 Everybody Loves You When You're Dead 2:42
A3 Tramp 3:05
A4 Let Me Introduce You To The Family 3:08
A5 Ain't Nothin' To It 3:56
A6 The Man They Love To Hate 4:23
B1 Pin Up 2:47
B2 It Only Takes Two To Tango 3:38
B3 Golden Brown 3:28
B4 How To Find True Love And Happiness In The Present Day 3:04
B5 La Folie 6:05

___________________________________________________

UK CD 2001 (EMI - 7243 5 34688 2 8)

1 Non Stop 2:30
2 Everybody Loves You When You're Dead 2:42
3 Tramp 3:05
4 Let Me Introduce You To The Family 3:08
5 Ain't Nothin' To It 3:56
6 The Men They Love To Hate 4:23
7 Pin Up 2:47
8 It Only Takes Two To Tango 3:38
9 Golden Brown 3:28
10 How To Find True Love And Happiness In The Present Day 3:04
11 La Folie 6:05
Bonus Tracks
12 Cruel Garden 2:14
13 Cocktail Nubiles 7:08
14 Vietnamerica 4:01
15 Love 30 3:55
16 You Hold The Key To My Love In Your Hands 2:40
17 Strange Little Girl 2:40

12, 17: Strange Little Girl 7", released July 1982
13: B-Side of Tomorrow Was The Hereafter fan club 7", released 1980
14: B-Side of Let Me Introduce You To The Family, released November 1981
15: B-Side of Golden Brown, released January 1982
16: Previously unreleased

Chart Placings

UK Chart Hit: 11, 18 wks

Credits

LP:

Engineer: Steve Churchyard.
Mixed by: Tony Visconti at Good Earth Studio.
Cover concept: The Stranglers.
Front cover photography: Phil Jude.
Back cover photography: Ava Carrier.
Inner sleeve: Shoot That Tiger!
Art direction: Jay Pee.

Hugh Cornwell - vocals and guitars.
Jean Jacques Burnel - bass guitar and vocals.
Dave Greenfield - keyboards.
Jet Black - drums and percussion.

Produced by The Stranglers and Steve Churchyard.

___________________________________________________

Additional CD Credits:

Liner notes: Alan Parker (The Gimmick) "Toying with the madness of love", June 2001
Idea and Concept: Alan Parker
Re-issue Art Design: Nick Reynolds & Rob Green
Our Man @ E.M.I.: Steve Woof

Additional Credits

Hugh Cornwell: lead vocals on all songs except:
Jean Jacques Burnel: 'The Man They Love To Hate', 'La Folie'
Hugh & Jean Jacques: harmony vocals on 'It Only Takes Two To Tango'

Reviews & Opinions

PETE SILVERTON, SMASH HITS, NOVEMBER 1981: An unexpected pleasure. The band have dropped their bully boy tone and replaced it with a delicacy and lightness that I thought I've never hear from the hectoring meninblack. The title, which refers to the whole madness of human life, is a strict guide to the record's contents - love, the family and the mental wraps they can produce. For once, a sharp intelligence has been wrapped around the Stranglers' loudly held opinions. (8 out of 10)

BARNEY HOSKYNS, 28TH NOVEMBER 1981: Black Black Always Black Black [read full review here]

IRA ROBBINS, TROUSER PRESS: Without abandoning their melodic pop explorations, the Stranglers returned to topicality and forthrightness on their next LP. La Folie offers a striking juxtaposition of attractive backing and scathing lyrics. Subtle, effective, mature and energetic — but no outstanding songs.

PUNKY GIBBON: A decidedly patchy affair, 'La Folie' marked a step towards orthodoxy, with lusher production and a few utterly trivial songs wrapped up in gorgeous melodies and some surprisingly uninteresting lyrics. Exceptions to this rule are the delightful 'Golden Brown', two Burnel showpieces (the 'The Man They Love To Hate' and 'La Folie', which is sung-spoken entirely in French, and Cornwell's semi-spikey 'Everybody Loves You When You're Dead'. Elsewhere there's vacuous fluff like 'Pin Up', 'Tramp' (which most of the band wanted as the follow-up to 'Golden Brown') and 'How To Find True Love And Happiness In The Present Day'.

Additional Notes

Not released in America until 1985 (EMI America, SQ-17207). Track A6 titled 'The Men They Love To Hate' on the CD.

Images

UK LP 1981 (Liberty - LBG 30342). Click here for more

UK CD 2001 (EMI - 7243 5 34688 2 8). Click here for more