Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The reissue has become one of celebrity fashion, and for the lover, the admirer, the enthusiast, they are moments released once more in time that showcase the need to pay attention to what is being played out in front of you; for in the initial release you are listening to the statement put out by all concerned, studio, management, public relations, and the band, but it could be argued that the re-release, the box set, the first time on vinyl is done by the band only…others may find their input heeded, but the band, the group, if we avoid the notion of lucre playing its part, want you to hear their full and non-edited feelings…they want the unabridged sigh of contentment to be immersive, to be unshackled.
Suite XVI by The Stranglers is a reissue that perhaps lands unexpectedly on the conscious of the dedicated fan, released initially only on CD, the album, which was the first without Paul Roberts on vocals since taking over at the front of the band when Hugh Cornwell departed to forge his own solo career, was huge and immense, it followed up the superb Norfolk Coast with biting wit and charm, a truth of offering brought on by the tremendous spirit of Baz Warne stepping up to the plate and complimenting J.J. Burnell in a way that the band had arguably not felt since The Raven in 1979.
Suite XVI is a fresh start, the page being turned over…indeed not even a new chapter, but a brand-new book by an author of repute finding that the world has rediscovered them, and an album that is electric, driven, fierce, and one that announces itself from the opening treasured notes.
A reissue without the extra additional material has to be sure of itself, it has to exude confidence that the album will be heard and not just spirited away by the collector, taken out occasionally by Golom like fingers and proclaimed as a precious, and Suite XVI does not only exude confidence, it the punk examination of dignity, the sangfroid under pressure that leads to greatness and respect.
Though the songs for the fan are obviously familiar, the meat on the joint is one that satisfies the hunger of a ravenous lion, a feline stalking the memories of a well-stocked savannah and finding nourishment and beauty in equal balance. Those songs, such as She’s Slipping Away, the fantastic Bless You (Save You, Spare You, Damn You), A Soldier’s Diary, the extraordinary I Hate You, and the finale of Relentless combine to make the re-release one of majesty, the band that never went away restored to the kings of their frontier, and music without border, music that strides purposefully and with conviction.
Suite XVI, music so sweet, so brutal, so damned near perfect that it deserves once more to be opened, examined, and played as if it was the first time ever. Ian D. Hall