La Folie

La Folie is the sixth studio album by The Stranglers, marking a significant stylistic shift toward a more commercial, 'baroque-pop' sound. Following the experimental and commercially disappointing 'The Gospel According to the Meninblack', the band was pressured by EMI to produce hits. They enlisted Tony Visconti, known for his work with David Bowie, to provide a polished, radio-friendly sheen. Conceptually, the album is a 'thematic' exploration of love in its various, often destructive forms, ranging from the metaphorical heroin addiction of 'Golden Brown' to the true-story cannibalism of the title track. Despite the label's demands, the album remains quintessentially Stranglers, featuring Jean-Jacques Burnel's melodic lead bass and Dave Greenfield's intricate, rapid-fire keyboard runs. It famously contains 'Golden Brown', a 6/8 and 7/8 time-signature anomaly that became their biggest commercial success. Critics often view this album as the bridge between their aggressive punk roots and their later, more melodic European pop phase.