“Peaches” was The Stranglers second single and it features the subterranean bass of J.J. Burnel taking on all comers. The lyrics had to be changed for airplay since naughty words like “cli-taurus” and “bummer” were deemed offensive to Auntie Beeb. The edited version of the song is available on the “rarities” album but it was mastered from vinyl since the master used to make the commercial single was lost in the UA archives. It was money well spent, since the track was a big hit for the band. The song seems to be cast in the Randy Newman “first person narrative” style, with vocalist Hugh Cornwell taking on the persona of a sexist lout cruising the seashore taking in the “sights,” but with this band one can never be too certain of when their tongue is in their cheek or not.  In any case, I would imagine that when the proposal to synchronize the track in “Sexy Beast” crossed the band’s desk, it was certainly perceived as a one-in-a-million example of being extremely appropriate for a change.

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