Aural Sculpture

Aural Sculpture is the eighth studio album by English rock band The Stranglers. It was released on 5 November, 1984 through Epic Records. It went to number 14 in the United Kingdom, number 37 in Sweden, number 31 in the Netherlands, number 17 in Germany, number 38 in Australia and number 13 in New Zealand.

Aural Sculpture
Studio album by
The Stranglers
Released5 November 1984[1]
Recorded1984[2]
StudioICP Recording Studios, Brussels
Genre
Length43:10
LabelEpic
Producer
  • Laurie Latham
  • The Stranglers
The Stranglers chronology
Feline
(1983)		 Aural Sculpture
(1984)		 Dreamtime
(1986)
Singles from Aural Sculpture
  1. "Skin Deep"
    Released: September 1984[1]
  2. "No Mercy"
    Released: November 1984[3]
  3. "Let Me Down Easy"
    Released: February 1985[3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars [4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music3/5 stars[5]
The Great Rock Discography6/10[6]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by the Stranglers. 

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Ice Queen"   4:01
2. "Skin Deep"   3:53
3. "Let Me Down Easy"   4:10
4. "No Mercy"   3:38
5. "North Winds"   4:03
Side two
No. Title Length
6. "Uptown"   2:57
7. "Punch and Judy"   3:46
8. "Spain"   4:13
9. "Laughing"   4:12
10. "Souls"   2:41
11. "Mad Hatter"   4:00
Total length:
 43:10

2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
No. TitleOrigin Length
12. "Here and There"  "Skin Deep" 7" 4:21
13. "In One Door"  "No Mercy" 7" 2:53
14. "Head on the Line"  "No Mercy" EP 3:08
15. "Achilles Heel"  "Let Me Down Easy" 7" 2:54
16. "Hot Club" (Riot Mix)"No Mercy" EP 3:04
17. "Place de Victoiresa"  "Let Me Down Easy" 12" 4:09
18. "Vladimir and the Beast (part 3)b"  "Skin Deep" 12" 3:56
19. "Vladimir Goes to Havanab"  "Let Me Down Easy" 12" Collectors Edition 5:28
Total length:
 72:04
  • ^a Instrumental version of "Let Me Down Easy".[7]
  • ^b Parts 3 and 4 of the "Vladimir" series. The 5th part, "Viva Vlad!", appears as the B-side of the cover single "All Day and All of the Night".[8]

2011 expanded vinyl edition

The original 11-track album is coupled with a bonus 10-track album, which features B-sides and extended 12" mixes.

  • Side one and two as per original vinyl edition
Side three
No. TitleOrigin Length
1. "Skin Deep" (Extended Mix)"Skin Deep" 12" 7:12
2. "Here and There"  "Skin Deep" 7" 4:21
3. "In One Door"  "No Mercy" 7" 2:55
4. "No Mercy" (Cement Mix)"No Mercy" 12" 6:47
5. "Vladimir and the Beast"  "Skin Deep" 12" 3:53
Side four
No. TitleOrigin Length
6. "Let Me Down Easy" (Extended Mix)"Let Me Down Easy" 12" 6:33
7. "Head on the Line"  "No Mercy" EP 4:53
8. "Achilles Heel"  "Let Me Down Easy" 7" 2:55
9. "Place de Victoires"  "Let Me Down Easy" 12" 4:10
10. "Vladimir Goes to Havana"  "Let Me Down Easy" 12" Collectors Edition 5:28
Total length:
 91:26

2019 expanded vinyl edition

The original 11-track album is coupled with a bonus 14-track album, entitled Shrouded in Black, which features B-sides plus 9 live tracks, most of which are previously unreleased.[9]

  • Side one and two as per original vinyl edition
Shrouded in Black
Side three
No. TitleOrigin Length
1. "No Mercy" (live at Zurich Volkhaus, Switzerland, 14 April 1985)Previously unreleased  
2. "Souls" (live at Zurich Volkhaus, Switzerland, 14 April 1985)Previously unreleased  
3. "Let Me Down Easy" (live at Zurich Volkhaus, Switzerland, 14 April 1985)Previously unreleased  
4. "Punch and Judy" (live at Zurich Volkhaus, Switzerland, 14 April 1985)Previously unreleased  
5. "Spain" (live at Reading Festival 30 August 1987)All Live and All of the Night, 1988  
6. "Here and There"  "Skin Deep" 7"  
7. "Hot Club" (Instrumental)"No Mercy" 12"  
Side four
No. TitleOrigin Length
8. "In One Door"  "No Mercy" 7"  
9. "Head on the Line"  "No Mercy" EP  
10. "Achilles Heel"  "Let Me Down Easy" 7"  
11. "North Winds" (acoustic version) (live at Stadsschouwburg Cultuurcentrum, Brugge, 23 November 2007)Themeninblackinbrugge, 2008  
12. "Skin Deep" (live at Hammersmith Apollo, London, 19 March 2010)Live at the Apollo 2010, 2010  
13. "Ice Queen" (live at Brighton Dome, Brighton, 26 March 2019)Previously unreleased  
14. "Uptown" (live at Bristol Academy, Bristol, 26 March 2019)Previously unreleased  

[10]

References
  1. "Melody Maker" (PDF). Melody Maker. 15 September 1984. p. 4. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  2. "History - Behold Aural Sculpture!". thestranglers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  3. "The Stranglers - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  4. Rabid, Jack. Aural Sculpture at AllMusic
  5. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Stranglers". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  6. Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography (6th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1012. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  7. Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers Song by Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
  8. "Vladimir Chronicles". www.stranglers.net. Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  9. "Aural Sculpture limited vinyl release". thestranglers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  10. "Stranglers Aural Sculpture Marble Stone/Black Double Vinyl". stranglers.tmstor.es. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
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