No More Heroes

The former had plenty to complain about. Elderly aunts all across the land must have fainted the day an unwitting DJ played "I Feel Like a Wog" ("out on the dirty shitty jobs") on Britain's state-sponsored Radio One, so it's probably just as well they never got to hear the teacher-pupil relationship smut of "School Ma'm" or the infamously rude "Bring on the Nubiles," which was chanted like testosterone-charged Daleks and featured the word "f***" eight times. Musically, the Stranglers were on a roll--Dave Greenfield's use of Hammond organ and Moog synth coupled with Burnel's sonorous belch of a bass and Hugh Cornwell's not-bothered vocal made them instantly recognizable. And at least half of No More Heroes is every bit as good as Rattus Norvegicus (in fact, most of the album was recorded at the same time). It's also the only Stranglers album to spawn two Top 10 singles, namely the guttural call-to-arms of "Something Better Change" and the iconoclastic title track--a genuine rock classic. --Kevin Maidment