RIP Dave ‘Strangler’ Greenfield (1949 – 2020)

Dave Greenfield was an English composer and musician, known as the keyboard player of The Stranglers.

Everyone is familiar with their song “Golden Brown” (1982) but few are aware that is actually a waltz.

Next to “Golden Brown”, The Stranglers wrote a couple of enduring compositions. There is “Peaches” (1977), a sleazy track which features the word clitoris and which for that reason had to be re-recorded in order for the BBC to play it.

There is “No More Heroes” (1977), the refrain of which has a childish quality that I find hard to swallow. “Always the Sun” (1986) however, works for me. It has that dreaminess also present in “Midsummer Night Dream” (1983) and of course in “Golden Brown”.

And then there is “Nice ‘n’ Sleazy” (1978), a track which is also dance-able. It’s on YouTube in a Top of the Pops live version and if you wait until 1:29 you see the keyboard solo of Greenfield.

“Nice ‘n’ Sleazy” is at 33:10

That track is also on the marvelous compilation How to Kill the DJ Part 2 (2004) out on Tigersushi Records.