The Stranglers / Giants and Gems 11CD anniversary box set

The Parlophone Label Group (now part of Warner Music) will issue a 40th Anniversary Stranglers box set called Giants and Gems: An Album Collection.

This set includes the six studios albums issued in the UA/Liberty Records era, plus live albums Live (X Cert) and Live at the Hope and Anchor. 1986 B-sides compilation Off The Beaten Track also makes an appearance with The Stranglers two most recent albums Suite XVI (2006) and Giants (2012) making up discs 10 and 11.

There is nothing unreleased in this set and it conveniently ties in with the band’s Ruby Anniversary World Tour which starts at the end of this month. We expect the packaging to be the usual clamshell box with card wallets for the CDs.

In other Stranglers news, Culture Factory in the US are issuing the Epic/Sony albums in ‘paper sleeve’ vinyl reissues. They look great, but there are no extra tracks and beware, because that label do not have a great reputation when it comes to mastering and sound quality – see this damning verdict on their Robert Palmer reissues.

Giants and Gems is out on 24 March 2014.

• • UK Pre-order: Giants And Gems: An Album Collection
• • Canada Pre-order: Giants & Gems: An Album Collection
• • GERMANY Pre-order: Giants and Gems:An Album Collection
• • FRANCE Pre-order: Giants & Gems: An Album Collection

Giants and Gems Tracklisting

Disc 1 – Rattus Norvegicus (Stranglers IV)
Sometimes – Goodbye Toulouse – London Lady – Princess Of The Streets – Hanging Around – Peaches – (Get A) Grip (On Yourself) – Ugly – Down In The Sewer; Falling; Down In The Sewer; Trying To Get Out Again; Rats Rally

Disc 2 – No More Heroes
I Feel Like A Wog – Bitching – Dead Ringer – Dagenham Dave – Bring On The Nubiles – Something Better Change – No More Heroes – Peasant In The Big Shitty – Burning Up Time – English Towns – School Mam

Disc 3 – Black And White
Tank – Nice N’ Sleazy – Outside Tokyo – Sweden (All Quiet On The Eastern Front) – Hey! (Rise Of The Robots) – Toiler On The Sea – Curfew – Threatened – In The Shadows – Do You Wanna – Death And Night And Blood (Yukio) – Enough Time

Disc 4 – Live X-Cert
(Get A) Grip (On Yourself) – Dagenham Dave – Burning Up Time – Dead Ringer – Hanging Around – I Feel Like A Wog – Straighten Out – Curfew – Do You Wanna? Death And Night And Blood (Yukio) – 5 Minutes – Go Buddy Go

Disc 5 – The Raven
Longships – The Raven – Dead Loss Angeles – Ice – Baroque Bordello – Nuclear Device – Shah Shah A Go Go – Don’t Bring Harry – Duchess – Meninblack – Genetix

Disc 6 – The Gospel According To The Meninblack
Waltzinblack – Just Like Nothing On Earth – Second Coming – Waiting For The Meninblack – Turn The Centuries, Turn – Two Sunspots – Four Horsemen – Thrown Away – Manna Machine – Hallow To Our Men

Disc 7 – La Folie
Non Stop – Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead – Tramp – Let Me Introduce You To The Family – Ain’t Nothin’ To It – The Men They Love To Hate – Pin Up – It Only Takes Two To Tango – Golden Brown – How To Find True Love And Happiness  In The Present Day – La Folie

Disc 8 – Live At The Hope And Anchor
Tits – Choosey Susie – Goodbye Toulouse – Bitching – Mean To Me – School Mam – Peasant In The Big Shitty – In The Shadows – Walk On By – Princess Of The Streets – Go Buddy Go – No More Heroes – Straighten Out – Peaches – Hanging Around – Dagenham Dave – Sometimes – Bring On The Nubiles – London Lady

Disc 9 – Off The Beaten Track
Go Buddy Go – Top Secret – Old Codger – Man In White – Rok It To The Moon – Love 30 – Shut Up – Walk On By (Full length version) – Vietnamerica – Mean To Me – Cruel Garden – Yellowcake UF6 – 5 Minutes

Disc 10 – Suite XVI
Unbroken – Spectre Of Love – She’s Slipping Away – Summat Outanowt – Anything Can Happen – See Me Coming – Bless You (Save You, Spare You, Damn You) – A Soldier’s Diary – Barbara (Shangri-La) – I Hate You – Relentless

Disc 11 – Giants
Another Camden Afternoon – Freedom Is Insane – Giants – Lowlands – Boom Boom – My Fickle Resolve – Time Was Once On My Side – Mercury Rising – Adios (Tango) – 15 Steps