Project 1001: Rattus Norvegicus by the Stranglers; June 20, 2024
Looks like I'm gonna be stuck here the whole summer / Well, what a bummer / I can think of a lot worse places to be
Punk wasn’t really my thing back in the late 70s. I’ve since come around to appreciate the genre, if not the lifestyle ethos. I always felt the outrageousness wasn’t genuine. I never understood what they were all complaining about. Things didn’t seem as bad as they all claimed. Anyway, I’d heard of The Stranglers, yet I can’t recall ever listening to them ever before.
Good energy throughout. All the songs have a certain pop. But none of them really grab me.
My Rating:
The album made the top ten of NME’s albums of the year.1
Writing for AllMusic David Cleary described Rattus Norvegicus as, “solid and worthwhile, a rewarding listen”.2
Record Collector describes the record thusly: “Rattus Norvegicus ranks highly among the Class Of ’77’s premier platters. Sometimes, Ugly and the ultra-lairy Peaches quickly established their thug-rock credentials, though the imperiously bluesy Princess Of The Streets and the exhilarating, suite-like finale, Down In The Sewer, defiantly paraded Cornwell and company’s virtuosity despite punk’s prevailing demands to dumb things down.”3
Charts
Rattus Norvegicus did not crack the US charts. However, it reached number 4 in the UK.4
Released on April 15, 1977. Here’s what else was happening:
Perhaps most significantly, I turned 11!
Pop Culture
• Number one song: Dancing Queen by Abba5
• Number one album: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac6
• Number one movie: Rocky by John G. Avildson7
• Most watched TV program: Happy Days8
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Oliver’s Story by Eric Segal9
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Roots by Alex Haley10
Other albums released that month
• Even in the Quietest Moments by Supertramp
• The Clash by The Clash
• Sin After Sin by Judas Priest
• Love You by The Beach Boys
• Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins
• Lace and Whiskey by Alice Cooper
• Caught Live + 5 by The Moody Blues
• Future Games by Spirit
• Get It by Dave Edmunds
• Izitso by Cat Stevens
• Ol' Waylon by Waylon Jennings
• Over by Peter Hammill
• A Period of Transition by Van Morrison
• VSOP by Herbie Hancock
Sport
• Apr 2 Montreal Canadiens rout the Washington Capitals, 11-0 at the Montreal • Forum to set an NHL record of 34 straight home games without a loss.
• Apr 6 Kingdome opens, Seattle Mariners 1st game, loses to Angels 7-0.
• Apr 7 MLB Toronto Blue Jays 1st game, they beat Chicago 9-5.
• Apr 10 Tom Watson wins The Masters.
• Apr 15 1st baseball game at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.
• Apr 23 Czech chess master Vlastimil Hort plays 201 games simultaneously & only loses 10.
Notable Births
• Apr 2 Michael Fassbender, Irish-German actor (Shame: X-Men), born in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg.
• Apr 2 Sascha Gerstner, German heavy metal guitarist (Freedom Call; Helloween, 2002-present), born in Stuttgart, West Germany.
• Apr 4 Adam Dutkiewicz, American guitarist (Killswitch Engage), born in Westhampton, Massachusetts.
• Apr 9 Gerard Way, American singer-songwriter (My Chemical Romance - "Welcome To The Black Parade"), born in Summit, New Jersey
• Apr 12 Jordana Spiro, American actress, born in Manhattan, New York.
• Apr 14 Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress (Kendall-All My Children, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), born in New York City.
• Apr 22 Aaron Fink, American guitarist (Breaking Benjamin, 2002-11), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
• Apr 23 Andruw Jones, Curaçaoan baseball player, born in Willemstad, Curaçao.
• Apr 23 John Cena, American professional wrestler, rapper and actor (The Marine), born in West Newbury, Massachusetts.
• Apr 23 John Oliver, English comedian (The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver), born in Birmingham, West Midlands.
• Apr 23 Kal Penn, American actor (Dr. Lawrence Kutner-House, The Namesake) and civil servant, born in Montclair, New Jersey.
• Apr 24 Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican baseball player, born in Manatí, Puerto Rico.
• Apr 24 Eric Balfour, American actor (What Women Want), born in Los Angeles, California.
Notable Deaths
• Apr 12 Philip K Wrigley, American baseball executive (owner Chicago Cubs 1932-77), dies of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at 82.
• Apr 21 Milton "Gummo" Marx, American comic (Marx Brothers), dies at 84.
• Apr 27 Stanley Adams, American character actor (Star Trek - "Cyrano Jones"; Breakfast at Tiffany's; Lilies of the Field), commits suicide at 62.
• Apr 28 Ricardo Cortez [Jacob Krantz], American actor and director (The Maltese Falcon), dies at 76.
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
All video versions: You're Welcome 103; Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers
Prime version: 103. Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers
Ibid.