{"id":47560,"date":"2014-12-24T08:25:07","date_gmt":"2014-12-24T13:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=47560"},"modified":"2014-12-24T08:25:07","modified_gmt":"2014-12-24T13:25:07","slug":"robert-endeacott-peaches-a-chronicle-of-the-stranglers-1974-1990-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/robert-endeacott-peaches-a-chronicle-of-the-stranglers-1974-1990-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Endeacott | Peaches: A Chronicle of the Stranglers: 1974\u20131990<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Stranglers-cover\"Although an English author Robert Endeacott is mostly known for his semi-autobiographical books on the West Yorkshire\u2019s football club Leeds United, it seems he finds a common point between the struggles of a football club and the struggles of a music band! At least that\u2019s what one could have concluded, guessing by the fact that in 2014 \u2013 after a football-themed book series \u2013 he started to explore a different literary genre, this of music biographies. It\u2019s also 2014 when Endeacott-penned biography on the English punk\/new wave band The Stranglers saw the light of day. Entitled Peaches: A Chronicle of the Stranglers: 1974\u20131990<\/em>, the book was released via Soundcheck Books in July. <\/p>\n

The specificity of Peaches is that it doesn\u2019t cover the so-called post-Cornwall era in the Stranglers\u2019 history, that is \u2013 the period after the departure of the group\u2019s founding member \u2013 guitarist\/singer Hugh Cornwall. On the other hand, it\u2019s this \u2018classic\u2019 period of the band that\u2019s the most prolific and important, what somewhat explains the author\u2019s probable intentions. With such an approach, the quality of selectiveness to the book is hardly a drawback.<\/p>\n

The book itself is also amazingly concise as for its quality of covering a span of long 16 years \u2013 from 1974 to 1990. It\u2019s mostly due to its format \u2013 not as much of a typical story but a month-by-month report\/diary that leads a reader throughout the band\u2019s \u2018classic\u2019 period from one important date to another. Hence, the subtitle \u201cchronicles\u201d is certainly not an accidental one as the book chronicles the Stranglers\u2019 dynamic history from 1974 to 1990 in its slightest detail indeed. However, the narration somehow contradicts the format, the author occasionally getting personal in his commentary and presenting a hardly unbiased fan\u2019s viewpoint that is to be sensed by the reader quite clearly throughout the whole book. The other \u2018voices\u2019 in the book are these of the band themselves, their co-workers, reviewers and fans, all frequently quoted especially in the sections devoted to concert coverage. Even the particularly controversial opinions are quoted, what altogether adds much authenticity to the entire report.<\/p>\n

Apart from the detailed chronicles of the band\u2019s ups and downs, the book focuses on the vague place the Stranglers\u2019 occupied in a history of music \u2013 a band perhaps a bit too sublime to be classified as regular representatives of punk and dubbed \u2018Punk Floyd\u2019 in their early press coverage not without a reason. The author juxtaposes the Stranglers with other bands of the era, Sex Pistols for instance, so as to point out to the difference between the uniqueness of the former and the manufactured, product-like quality of the latter. A reader is therefore given an interesting insight into the punk\/new wave\/alternative rock scene of the \u201870s and \u201880s as well as punk-ish concert practices rather unknown to a person who\u2019s not a part of the subculture. Many a reader may therefore raise an eyebrow at the gigs embroidered with ripping out the seats or the ritual of spitting at the band members \u2013 to the point of wondering if it was all unfair to associate punk with aggression and riots among the audience? Discussions aside, also the less known, behind-the-scenes kind of stories from the Stranglers\u2019 history are brought to light, from their pretty straightforward ways of dealing with troublesome gig participants and their conflicts with the law to their love-hate (more emphasis on \u2018hate\u2019) relationship with the press. <\/p>\n

Of course, there is much of space devoted to each and every album released between the 1977 and 1990, when the key member Hugh Cornwall left the group thus ending the period Endeacott focuses on. Every album release is followed by an author\u2019s track-by-track summary often delivered in a bit mischievous manner and a \u2018proper\u2019 review provided by either a fan or a music journalist. Another asset to the book is the author\u2019s meticulousness in describing various details related to the band\u2019s studio work and live performances, from the improvised changes in live renditions of their songs (especially the titled song \u201cPeaches\u201d) to the comprehensive write-ups on songs not included on the regular vinyl releases but widely known among the group\u2019s fan-base.<\/p>\n

What is also striking about Peaches is the overall scarcity of graphic embellishments, the book\u2019s content printed in the typewriter font against the inclusion of few black-and-white photos portraying band members at various stages of their career, live and backstage. It somewhat resembles in its graphic form what is perhaps the most genuine one in rock writing and also, primarily associated with the punk scene itself rather than any else \u2013 the DIY underground fanzines printed on photocopied black and white paper. It also corresponds with the Stranglers\u2019 famous \u2018meninblack\u2019 attire and their manifested lack of interest in the rock\u2019n\u2019roll glamour of any kind.<\/p>\n

Peaches: A Chronicle of the Stranglers: 1974\u20131990<\/em> is obviously a must-have for any Stranglers fan, but with its exhaustiveness and interesting format it guarantees an enjoyable reading for any open-minded rock listener even not necessarily being into punk\/new wave kind of thing. The book chronicles a birth of the genre that was breakthrough in many respects, with its main protagonists portrayed as the particularly exceptional individuals who valued their originality more than anything else, much more than fitting the audience\u2019s tastes and conforming to the rules of the music industry. Recommended.<\/p>\n

ISBN: 9780957570047<\/p>\n

Publisher: Soundcheck Books<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.soundcheckbooks.co.uk\/peaches\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Senior Columnist — Although an English author Robert Endeacott is mostly known for his semi-autobiographical books on the West Yorkshire\u2019s football club Leeds United, it seems he finds a common point […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":47561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[10451,10450,10059,10452],"class_list":{"0":"post-47560","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-peaches-a-chronicle-of-the-stranglers-1974-1990","9":"tag-robert-endeacott","10":"tag-soundcheck-books","11":"tag-the-stranglers"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}