"...1992 saw the release of a classic 1977 live show, Live at the Hope & Anchor....Further live albums have since appeared, as has a remarkable document of the band's three BBC sessions, from 1977 and 1982.
That it is those earliest years that remain the Stranglers' most popular is not surprising — from bad-mannered yobs to purveyors of supreme pop delicacies, the group was responsible for music that may have been ugly and might have been crude — but it was never, ever boring. That people are still offended by it only adds to its delight — if rock & roll (especially punk rock & roll) was meant to be pleasant, it would never have changed the world, after all. The fact that much of the Stranglers' message was actually hysterically funny — as they themselves intended it to be — only adds to their modern appeal. And the fact that their fans are still called upon to defend them only proves what humorless zeroes their foes really were." (Dave Thompson, allmusic.com)