About Time (The Stranglers album)

About Time is the twelfth studio album from the Stranglers and the second one from the Black, Burnel, Greenfield, Roberts and Ellis line-up. The album was released in 1995 through the When! label. It was co-produced, engineered and mixed by Alan Winstanley, who had worked with the Stranglers on their first four albums (as the engineer on Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes and Black and White and producer on The Raven). Nigel Kennedy plays electric violin on "Face", and a string-quartet is used on three of the eleven tracks ("Face", "Still Life" and "Sinister").

"Lies and Deception" was the only single released from the album, reaching No. 94 on the UK Singles Chart, and is one of the few Stranglers songs solely written by drummer Jet Black. Released as a two-CD set, CD1 of "Lies and Deception" was backed with non-album tracks "Swim" and "Cool Danny", CD2 was backed with non-album tracks "Kiss the World Goodbye" and "Bed of Nails".

The album peaked at No. 31 in the UK Albums Chart in May 1995.

Critical reception

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that About Time is a "competent but unexceptional record" that contains "a couple of tough, catchy songs" in "Lies and Deception" and "Golden Boy", but is "largely bogged down by tepid songwriting and undistinguished performances."

Track listing

Personnel

The Stranglers

• Paul Roberts – lead vocals, percussion, production
• Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass, vocals, production
• John Ellis – guitar, vocals, production
• Dave Greenfield – keyboards, vocals, production
• Jet Black – drums, production

Additional musicians

• Nigel Kennedy – violin on track 3
• Susie Elliott – vocals on track 4 and 11
• Chris Winter – harmonica on track 1
• Gavyn Wright and Wilfred Gibson – violin on track 3, 4 and 6
• Bob Smissen – viola on track 3, 4 and 6
• Caroline Dale – cello on track 3, 4 and 6
• Alex Christaki – string arrangements on track 3, 4 and 6

Technical

• Alan Winstanley – production, engineering, mixing
• Simon Dawson – engineering assistance (Rockfield Studios)
• Andrea Wright – engineering assistance (Parr Street Studios)
• Lee Phillips – engineering assistance (Westside Studios)
• Tim Young – mastering
• Trevor Dawkins – technical assistance, crowd vocal
• Ray Palmer – front cover image, photography
• Michel Tcherevkoff – front cover image
• Castle Communications PLC – design
• Hugh Gilmour – illustrations

References

1. The Stranglers
2. Feline (The Stranglers album)
3. About Time
4. The Stranglers discography
5. 10 (The Stranglers album)
6. Giants (The Stranglers album)
7. No More Heroes (The Stranglers song)
8. Golden Brown
9. Norfolk Coast (album)
10. Stranglers in the Night
11. Nosferatu (Hugh Cornwell and Robert Williams album)
12. Hugh Cornwell
13. The Stranglers and Friends – Live in Concert
14. Aural Sculpture
15. Boston Strangler
16. Jet Black
17. Hanging Around (The Stranglers song)
18. Totem and Taboo (album)
19. Suite XVI
20. Written in Red