The Gospel According to the Meninblack
Encyclopedia
The Gospel According to The Meninblack (or sometimes referred to as just The Meninblack) is an esoteric concept album
made by The Stranglers
and released in 1981. The album deals with conspiratorial ideas surrounding alien visitations
to Earth, the sinister governmental Men in Black
, and the involvement of these elements in well-known biblical
narratives. It is not the first time The Stranglers
had used this concept, Meninblack on the earlier The Raven album and subsequent 1980 single-release Who wants the World? had also explored it, though not to the same level.
The album is an elaboration of concepts first introduced by the band on the before mentioned track from their preceding LP
, The Raven
. The Meninblack showcases the ideas and moods of the band when they had creative and intellectual freedom gained from the commercial success of their previous releases. The music is progressive, macabre and abstract, powered by hypnotic drum and synthesiser loops — while the lyrical content is dark and witty. Some see it as one of the earliest albums in the birth of goth rock. The original gatefold
LP release features as its inside artwork a reproduction of The Last Supper, altered to depict a solemn Maninblack standing watchfully to Jesus' left, in place of Philip
.
Hugh Cornwell
, former singer-songwriter and guitarist with the group, has stated his belief that the album is the pinnacle of The Stranglers' artistic and creative output, and he cites it as his favourite album by the band. The Stranglers' bassist, Jean Jacques Burnel, regards the album as often techno
in essence, though The Meninblack pre-dates the emergence of that genre by some years.
In the UK, the choice of single releases from the album reflected its experimental flavour, and sales were poor. Their next album (La Folie
) was decidedly more commercial, heralding another radical change in musical direction.
The single releases from the album were 'Thrown Away' (UK chart position 42) & 'Just Like Nothing On Earth' (UK chart position 81).
Despite the band's enthusiasm and drive, the utilisation of multiple producers and the most expensive studios in Europe, the album was ultimately only a standard selling product. On its original release the album only sold around 50,000 copies (extremely disappointing sales considering the band's previous success). However, it still managed to break the top ten, peaking at no.8 on the UK album chart, although it only spent 5 weeks on the listings.
Parts of the distinctive opening instrumental "Waltzinblack" were later used as the theme music for Keith Floyd's
BBC TV series, Floyd on Food. The Stranglers developed a tradition of opening their live performances with recorded excerpts of "Waltzinblack".
Side Two
CD bonus tracks
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
made by The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
and released in 1981. The album deals with conspiratorial ideas surrounding alien visitations
UFO conspiracy theory
A UFO conspiracy theory is any one of many often overlapping conspiracy theories which argue that evidence of the reality of unidentified flying objects is being suppressed by various governments around the world...
to Earth, the sinister governmental Men in Black
Men in Black
Men in Black , in American popular culture and in UFO conspiracy theories, are men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents who harass or threaten UFO witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. It is sometimes implied that they may be aliens themselves...
, and the involvement of these elements in well-known biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
narratives. It is not the first time The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
had used this concept, Meninblack on the earlier The Raven album and subsequent 1980 single-release Who wants the World? had also explored it, though not to the same level.
The album is an elaboration of concepts first introduced by the band on the before mentioned track from their preceding LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, The Raven
The Raven (The Stranglers album)
The Raven is an album by The Stranglers, released in 1979. The album was originally released with a limited edition 3-D cover. Another limited edition was inadvertently created when the band was forced to remove an image of Joh Bjelke-Petersen from the inner sleeve artwork...
. The Meninblack showcases the ideas and moods of the band when they had creative and intellectual freedom gained from the commercial success of their previous releases. The music is progressive, macabre and abstract, powered by hypnotic drum and synthesiser loops — while the lyrical content is dark and witty. Some see it as one of the earliest albums in the birth of goth rock. The original gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
LP release features as its inside artwork a reproduction of The Last Supper, altered to depict a solemn Maninblack standing watchfully to Jesus' left, in place of Philip
Philip the Apostle
Philip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia....
.
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
, former singer-songwriter and guitarist with the group, has stated his belief that the album is the pinnacle of The Stranglers' artistic and creative output, and he cites it as his favourite album by the band. The Stranglers' bassist, Jean Jacques Burnel, regards the album as often techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
in essence, though The Meninblack pre-dates the emergence of that genre by some years.
In the UK, the choice of single releases from the album reflected its experimental flavour, and sales were poor. Their next album (La Folie
La Folie (album)
La Folie is an album by The Stranglers, recorded and released in 1981.The Stranglers had initially been the most commercially successful band of the punk/new-wave period in Britain, but by 1981, their success had waned noticeably. The La Folie album was a conscious attempt to deliver a more...
) was decidedly more commercial, heralding another radical change in musical direction.
The single releases from the album were 'Thrown Away' (UK chart position 42) & 'Just Like Nothing On Earth' (UK chart position 81).
Despite the band's enthusiasm and drive, the utilisation of multiple producers and the most expensive studios in Europe, the album was ultimately only a standard selling product. On its original release the album only sold around 50,000 copies (extremely disappointing sales considering the band's previous success). However, it still managed to break the top ten, peaking at no.8 on the UK album chart, although it only spent 5 weeks on the listings.
Parts of the distinctive opening instrumental "Waltzinblack" were later used as the theme music for Keith Floyd's
Keith Floyd
Keith Floyd was a British celebrity chef, television personality and restaurateur, who hosted cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel...
BBC TV series, Floyd on Food. The Stranglers developed a tradition of opening their live performances with recorded excerpts of "Waltzinblack".
Track listing
Side One- "Waltzinblack" 3:38
- "Just Like Nothing on Earth" 3:55
- "Second Coming" 4:22
- "Waiting for the Meninblack" 3:44
- "Turn the Centuries, Turn" 4:35
Side Two
- "Two Sunspots" 2:32
- "Four Horsemen" 3:40
- "Thrown Away" 3:30
- "Manna Machine" 3:17
- "Hallow to Our Men" 7:26
CD bonus tracks
- "Top Secret" 3:27 (1988/2001 CD bonus track)
- "Maninwhite" 4:27 (1988/2001 CD bonus track)
- "Tomorrow Was Hereafter" 4:01 (2001 CD bonus track)