The Damned were one of the first British punk bands, right alongside the Sex
Pistols and Blur. Then, as they lost and gained new members, they slowly
turned into first a colorful pop/punk band, then a colorless goth band, then
back to one of the first British punk bands. But always, no matter WHAT
happened, they always had Dave Vanian singing for them, dressed in vampire
gear and wearing white makeup. And thank God for that, because they
wouldn't have been any good at all with Lefty McGarnigle singing for them.
Good old Lefty McGarnigle. He was a good man, that Lefty McGarnigle.
Remember that time he fucked your wife? That was awesome!
It seems like every rock record guide I read claims that this was the "first
punk rock album ever." I know you can easily trace the punk aesthetic back
to Iggy Storch and even the Standells and crap, but even sticking to modern-day punk rock, the first Ramones album came out in '76, and that one is a
hell of a lot punkier than this one, if you ask me. Not to say that this is
classic rock or anything. It's too messy and in-your-face! (There was originally a sperm joke here, but I decided that was too easy even for ME) Original guitarist Brian James wrote most of the songs
on this one, and he seems to have a fondness for Johnny Thunders-type leads
mixed with simplistic chord sequences, backed by a rough-and-tumble rhythm
section making the band sound a lot tougher and "street" than slicked-up NOFX/Bad Religion-type bands. Lots of "thumpa-thumpa" drumbeats, as opposed to the
"boompa-chicka boompa-chicka" type you'd find on most punk records. Blame
that on Rat Scabies, who apparently had no interest in being a generic 4/4
backbeat drummer, preferring to pound pound pound away on his instrument
like Lefty McGarnigle fucking your wife. It's not one of my favorite albums
ever, due to a few too many not-quite-there tunes (like "So Messed Up" --
songs that just seem to be a collection of 2 or 3 chords with no real reason
to exist), but it DOES have a ton of classics ("Neat Neat Neat," "New Rose,"
"See Her Tonite," to name just a few) and should be recognized as one of the
first records in this particular genre (country fusion). Gets a low 8 from
me - startlingly close to a 7 for a record that is so universally loved by
all others besides me. Do you give it a 10? Tell me why! And I'll tell
you why you're wrong, and then call you a stupid asshole!
Not exactly the best Damned album, but still fucking great. And maybe it s not that powerful compared to the intricate production of metal bands today,
but the Damned played with more rawness and energy than any of those bands ever had. Brian James is a guitar hero in his own right, but Vanian hadn t
yet developed the distinctive croon that graced Machine Gun Etiquitte. Rat Scabies is one of the best drummers to come out of the British punk era (or
any era). Brian James may have not had the melodic sensibilities that the other band members had, but he made up for it with finesse. New Rose and
Neat Neat Neat are two of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. The cover of the Stooges 1970 makes my car thump even without a subwoofer.
The only song that doesn t work is the sludgy Feel the Pain, but even that s better than what most goth bands could pull out of their ass. The chorus
on Stab Your Back is ridiculous, but the power of the music makes up for it. This is a must have for any punk collection.
Machine Gun Etiquette is my favorite album. Well top three anyway. It's up there with Wire's Pink Flag. Uh. Alot more variety and maturity in song writing. Although Sensible was NOT a better guitarist in my opinion he certainly made it up for brilliant style. Along with Rat Scabies and the new bass player Algy. It's a delightful experience to listen to.
Though I like every song here, "Neat Neat Neat" is my favorite, which really caught me by surprise. I first heard Elvis Costello's bluesy and heavier rendition of it on a reissue of his "This Years Model" album. Not only does his band not play it right, but his voice doesn't suit it either. But thankfully Elvis never got around to ruining other great ones like "New Rose" (which has the best riff on the album), "Fan Club" or "I Feel Alright" (I like this version better than the The Stooges). Sure, this isn't my "go to" album for The Damned, because it kind of gets overshadowed by what came after it (at least until "Strawberries" anyway). Although never again did The Damned do an album as fun or carefree as this. Even the filler here ("Stab Your Back", "Fish") is still good. Can't say that about later Damned albums though.
This one gets reamed by critics and fans left and right, but for my money,
it's more consistently catchy than the first one! Same style and energy
level, along with new guitarist Lu creating a cute little double guitar
attack (see "One Way Love," with its delightful country slide guitar atop
punk thrashin'!). Great tunes too! Not just punky thumpa ones, but some
mesmerizing slower tunes too, like the five-minute stomper "You Know," which
darn near out-Stooges Larry, Curly and ooo Same old Brian James Thundersisms, but for the last time. He was
gone after this album and The Damned could move on to Phase B! The crucial
one! Did I mention that Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason produced this
record? You would think that would be a hilarious joke because I'm a
hilarious man who makes everybody laugh with my hilarious laughter jokes of
funniness but I'm deathly serious. Because after all -- who was more
attuned to the feelings of anger and bitterness driving the British punk
rock movement than the man responsible for "The Grand Vizier's Garden
Party"?
Music For Pleasure is still full of great, fun songs though, with some
amazing standouts. I've never understood why this one has always gotten such
a bad rap (the band even hates it) and in my mind, it's one of the most
underrated rock albums, ever. I bought it a hundred years ago when I was
first listening to the Damned and punk rock, so I was completely unaware of
its bad reputation, and I immediately thought it was great.
This is the Damned album you want. Brian James is gone and former
bassist Captain Sensible has taken over lead guitarist duties to happy
effect. No longer are they a one-dimensional slop punk act. Now they're a
tight melodic uptempo pop rock group! I've tried really hard to hate this
album because they look so ugly in their band photos, but it's just
impossible. The melodies are too wonderful, from beginning to finish. If
you love pop music at all, you CAN'T hate this Damned record!!!!!! Great
energy and tough playing, just like before, but now all of a sudden, you're
hearing Beatle-quality vocal melodies and out-of-character (completely
NON-punk) guitar tunes like "Smash It Up (Part I)," which could just as easily
be by Jimmy Page or something. It's not that they've left their style of
punk completely behind (that would come later) - they've just added to it.
Made it better, you might say! Classics aplenty on this one too - "Love
Song," "I Just Can't Be Happy Today," "Melody Lee," "Noise Noise Noise" and
"Smash It Up (Part II)." Gotta love this album. You gotta! Come on, what
would you rather listen to, that new Geddy Lee solo album? Yes? Then
mister, come on over and bring the ass dildos! It's hard to say why I make
so many references to ass dildos. Most likely, I'm trying to be witty but
I'm just not smart enough. Oh well. You know what might make me
wittier? Some ASS DILDOS!!!!
This is the Damned at their absolute creative and sonic peak. With the controlling Brian James gone, the rest of the gang is free to explore beatle-esque
melodies and incorporate goth sensibilities and synths into the mix. Each song is irresistibly catchy and spunky, and has a dose of melody not seen on
previous Damned efforts. Dave Vanian is actually singing instead of shouting tuneless lines. Moving Captain Sensible to guitar was a wise decision, as
he clearly had more chops and melodic sensibilities than Brian James. It must have been a great relief for Sensible when he no longer had to be confined
to the drab, simple bass lines heard on their self-titled debut and Music For Pleasure. Speaking of bass, Algy Ward is one of the best bass guitarists
ever, although he left too soon after the recording was finished. This album is one punk gem after another and displays a consistency that their previous
two attempts lacked.
But sadly this was the last truly great album they ever made. The Black Album is spotty at best, alternating between great punk rock and bloated
quasi-prog rock. Everything else after that is a complete pile of shit. Enough said.
The CD I bought has 8 bonus tracks and the music video for Plan 9, Channel 7 which was nice to see.
Buy this record if you like good melodic punk, great band The Damned, can't say enough good things about this record.
Time to make the doughnuts! No, not really. This album is even more
melodic and diverse than the last one! Some of it's dark goth type music, a
lot is guitar/piano pop, there's a couple of punkers and even one really
long high-speed punker. And I'm not talking about dipshit melody,
like 'look at me I'm going "aaah!" and playing E-A-D.' I mean actual hit
single-quality, well-composed, arpeggiated, building, complex professional
rock music! With pinanners and funny instruments! In America, this was
released as a single album - that's the version I am reviewing. In Britain,
it was apparently a double album - that's not the version I am reviewing.
In Ecuador, it was a 75-CD 8-track tape - that's the version I watch on the
VCR. I'm tempted to give this one the 10, but I suspect that may be because
I like the album cover better than Mapeen Buns Etitits. This is dark
where that one is light. This one is moody where that one is jokey. This
one has the words "The Damned" on it where that one has the words "Lother
And The Hand People" on WAIT! WHAT THE HELL??? I REVIEWED THE WRONG
FUCKING ALBUM!!! Nah, just pulling your cervix for a second there. This
here Black Album is an excellent further extension of the poppy sound that
won the hearts of America with the last record. If you like that album, you
owe it to yourself, to The Damned and to all of England to run out, buy this
album and fly it like a kite on your turntable. But don't blame me if it pops you too hard; I'm just a gentle American lad with a yen
for Chinese money. HA HA AHHAHH!!! DO YOU GET IT????? DO YOU GET
IT????? You do, don't you? See, therein lies the problem.
I have never heard this album, but just thought you might want to know that. The only Damned album I have is "Damned Damned Damned."
Welcome to my blog! I was blogging before blogs existed! I'm a blog pioneer! I'm the kinf of Blog! Sorry, 'KING,' not 'kinf.' though I swear to God if that becomes a word meaning "kickass guy who rules," I'm gonna be pissed as shit that I denied my kinferism. The Damned recorded this bootleg in 1981, a year made famous by historical geographician John Lydon on his This Is What You Want...This Is A Pair Of Pants LP. It features three tracks from Damned Damned Damned Damned Damned, nothing from Pink Floyd's Nick Mason-produced Music For Pleasure (BEEP BEEP BEEP MISTAKE DETECTOR BEEP BEEP BEEP), (BEEP), 5 from (BEEP STILL BEEPING BEEP BEEPBV) MGE (Machine Gun Etiquette), 8000000 from Metallica's Black Album, and 1 Sweet cover. And if you think by "Sweet," I'm referring to a strawberry, One life I m gonna live it up
I m takin flight I said I ll never get enough
Stand tall I m young and kinda proud
I m on top as long as the music s loud
If you think I ll sit around as the world goes by
You re thinkin like a fool cause it s a case of do or die
Out there is a fortune waitin to be had
You think I ll let it go you re mad
You ve got another thing comin
That s right here s where the talkin ends
Well listen this night there ll be some action spent
Drive hard I m callin all the shots
I got an ace card comin down on the rocks
If you think I ll sit around while you chip away my brain
Listen I ain t foolin and you d better think again
Out there is a fortune waitin to be had
You think I ll let it go you re mad
You got another thing comin
In this world we re livin in we have our share of sorrow
Answer now is don t give in aim for a new tomorrow
Oh so hot no time to take a rest yeah
Act tough ain t room for second best
Real strong got me some security
Hey I m a big smash and I'm also gay and my drummer fucks little kids
If you think I ll sit around as the world goes by
You re thinkin like a fool cause it s a case of do or die
Out there is a fortune waitin to be had
You think I ll let it go you re mad
You ve got another thing comin. WHY DID THEY DO COVERS? THE COVerS sucK AND go on forever, and include the stooges, mc3 AND the weets.\ But they drag the songs on 4-eva. They should've not done covers. Because their original songs are so great - that's what I want to hear. It has bootleg level quality - all the instruments are smoooooooooooooooooooooooshed together. There is no power in the sound. "This one's for Lady Di! This one's for Lady Di, who's a fucking slut!" Funny stuff, Captain Sensible. Stick to "He said 'Captain,' I said, 'Wot?'" "Oh fuck off, you bunch of fucking shitbums!" The Sweet cover is just him cussing. I bet if I'd been there, I'd have laughed. But it's on a CD, with "Great Big Tits" replacing the chorus "Ballroom Blitz." That's not funny in CD form. Live, it may have been hilarious. But also they have great enertgbggy. But the guitar has too much chorus and tinniness. It's not at all heavy. It's very high-pitched and wimpy. The keyboard on that song with the keyboard is really tinny too. That's the thing about guitar tone. It matters. It took me forever as a performer and failed rock and roll star to realize that, but it really does. You can't go up there with a high-pitched chorusy tone and expect to play kickass punk rock. It's impossible when your swirly shittyass orange tone sounds like a pussy piece of pink pussy shit pussy pussy. You need a heavy tone. And someone should have told Captain Sensitive because his tone sucks donkey dicks on this recording. You believe in lies, but it did. I have the rare video, and about 90 donkeys went up to the stage for Captain Sensation's guitar tone to give them mo0utwise poelseauseeere jeezus where are my fingers going? I paid my taxes tonight. Do you think they'll give me back the 50 jabillion dollars I claimed they owe me?
Hilarious stuff.
A group of carefree counselors converge upon Camp Crystal Lake to prepare for the campers' arrival. Ignoring Crazy Bill's warning ("There's an EP out there that sounds like the 1960s! You're all Damned!"), they spend the day smoking grass, making love and playing Strip Monopoly. But then darkness descends.....
"Disco Man" is a delightfully poppy tune that sounds straight off an early Who record. Featuring one of Dave's most melodic vocal lines ever, this song is the reason to buy this record. And then KEVIN BACON HAS AN ARROW FORCED THROUGH HIS NECK!!!
The other three songs continue in this Summer of Love/Dukes of Stratosphear psych-pop direction, but aren't nearly as memorable. "Limit Club" enjoys a meaty organ, but sounds too much like the Low-Maintenance Perennials' "Here, Have A Jigsaw Puzzle" to be taken seriously as an original composition.And then CRISPIN GLOVER GETS A CORKSCREW THROUGH HIS HAND AND A MACHETE IN THE FACE!!!!
Next up is the busy-bass-bound "Billy Bad Breaks" boner, which is far too cheery for those of us who hate the world, but hey, who doesn't like that '60s organ there again? Certainly not RON PALILLO AS HE GETS HIS HEART PUNCHED OUT OF HIS BODY!!!!
Finally, the EP reaches cessation with an unimpressive, 'ting!'-less cover of the Rolling Stones' "Citadel" dumbed up with idiotic PsYcHeDeLiC effects. And COREY FELDMAN IS STILL ALIVE!!!!
More melody, Lee. Hmm. Yes then. Okay how. This is another poppy,
multicolored, fun, dark, handy-dandy, diverse, very well crafted,
well-written collection of wonderful guitar-, bass-, piano-, keyboard- and
vocal-driven songs by a band featuring Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies, Captain
Sensible and two other gentlemen. It's not as perfect start-to-fin as the
last couple, but it's still full of lovely riffs and raffs (one of
which is even PUNKY! I did mention that The Damned aren't a punk band anymore,
right?). One song is about President Reagan, the finest president that the
United States has ever held to its heart. The others are filled with beans
and smelly. Look, I am really, really tired. Yesterday I went to see my
psychologist and he kept remarking, "I've never seen you like this! You are
so out of it!" That I am. I am out of it. But even an out of it tired
nutjob can tell that The Damned are a great bunch of songwriters! Beatles?
Pheh! Herman's Hermits? Yes! Herman's Hermits! Kinks? Pheh. Gary And
The Playboys? Yes! Gary And The Playboys! My dog is asleep behind the
toilet. Perhaps I'll take a nap in his crate, since he is in my normal nap
spot. I really like this album and band, These Damned. But like it while
you can. Because after 1982, this album won't be new anymore. Hurry! The
cool thing about The Damned is that their band name is a cuss word. Like
"Lips."
Not sure where these rare tunes are from - singles? unreleased? dunno.
But one thing is for shirtin' - The Damned were a great pop band. You
wouldn't expect that what with a name like The Damned, but they really were.
Probably because of Captain Sensible, who's also come up with some great
solo tunes (try to find a copy of "Wot?" if you can - hilarious!).
Fantastic bass lines abound too. They had a vision. The kind of sound you
could rarely get in the 80s. Bubblegum pop, like The Monkees, but not SISSY
bubblegum pop. And not exclusively HAPPY bubblegum pop either. Just great
melodic sounds whether the songs be punk, goth or rock, like you might have
found in the '60s by The Turtles or The Monkees or, yes, The Beatles. Best
of all, you can never predict what the next song will sound like on any of
these past few albums, because the band goes out of their way to incorporate
so darn many types of rock and pop music into their sound! I mean, they
never branch out into NON-pop or rock types of music, like The Clash or Os
Mutantes or Zappa, but they do cover a wide range of good old solid pop
moods, bringing in brass when necessary, or hand claps, or an old circusy
organ, or that fucking godawful piece of shit Santana song that hit it big
a few years ago. Holy CHRIST, is that a miserable piece of shit song. The one
where the guy keeps saying, "Or else forget about it!" Oh my dear lord,
that is without exception the worst song I've heard in the past five
years. And I apologize for using the word "melodic" so many times in this
review, but my thesaurus is in the attic behind the firewall.
Captain Sensible is gone and the band belongs to Dave Vanian now. You know,
the singer who dresses up like a vampire. He may have begun as a just
another bizarre character in the punk band The Damned, but conscientious
observers will have noticed that over the past eight years, he has gone from
monotone shout/sing to (gulp) pop sing to (big gulp)(from 7-11) CROON. And boy, does he croon on
this one. It's a goth/synth pop album. The cover is a black and white
photo of an overserious woman in a graveyard. The mix includes saxophones
and tons and tons of corny eighties keyboards. And the song titles, from
the band that once brought you "Born To Kill" and "Stab Your Back," now
include such grimly fiendish titles as "Grimly Fiendish." Oh hell, that
sentence didn't work out at all. But yes, other titles include "Sanctum
Sanctorum," "Shadow Of Love," "Street Of Dreams" and "Trojans," which is an
instrumental about making sweet sweet love while wearing a howard on your
johnson. Or so I hypothesize. Dammit, can't a man hypothesize in this
country anymore? Or has Nixon taken away THOSE rights too? Strangely, Rat
Scabies is still in the band. I'm not sure why he would have let Dave get
away with transforming the group into a Cure knockoff like this. Maybe he
just figured a job's a job. Or maybe, like me, he heard the killer driving
tune-itude of songs like "Shadow Of Love" and "There'll Come A Day" and
decided that the rest of the goth trappings were worth it just to be
involved with great songs like these. Seriously, once you get past the
corny presentation, most of these songs are fantastic. As always, you can
count on The Goddamned!
She broke up with me to marry a guy called Mike
Hunt. Just go figure.
More goth. The songwriting is a bit weaker though, and the mix is so bright
and tinny, you kinda want to put on earmuffs while you listen to it. If no
women are available, you can always Look, I'm no funnyman. But this is a
very disappointing effort by The Damned. Even the best songs on here are
really simplistic, and it doesn't hold a candle to the previous efforts.
And the crappy songs are REALLY crappy. For example, the album is bookended
by two overblown fake-horn-type shiny INXS nonsense crap pop songs that have
no place in The Damned's canon of fine material. Then there's a Love cover,
a Syd Barrett ripoff (homage?), an awesome instrumental... but really only
one or two impressive original vocal tunes -- personally, I'm really fond of
the spy-sounding "The Girl Goes Down" and the indescribably musical "In
Dulce Decorum." Just not what the doctor ordered. Dave's run out of ideas,
it appears. And thus, the band collapses.
Supposedly, this is a ripoff release. The rumor mill claims that old man
Rat Scabies coaxed old man Dave Vanian into the studio with two nobodies
just to record some stuff, then Scabies released the album under the name
"The Damned" wihout asking Dave's permission. Is that the truth? You tell
me! You're that guy on the X-Files that's always smoking cigarettes! It
doesn't matter though. It's an awful CD. Actually, not even awful. Just
abominably nondescript. These songs, written by Scabies and a friend, don't
do ANYTHING. They're simplistic and punkish like the early Damned stuff,
but without the energy and interesting riffs that made those songs so
enjoyable. Generic is the term that pops most readily into mind. There are
some really catchy choruses every once in a while, but that hardly justifies
the destruction of the Damned name, does it? Actually, most people hated
Phantasmagoria and Anything too, so that's probably not even
an issue. Oh well. Como si, como se
llama.
I've been waiting for you to do a Damned review Mark ever since I commented
that 80's by Killing Joke sounds like "Life Goes On" off Strawberries by the
Damned. I knew you must like em.
And even tho they're my fave band, I pretty much agree with all your
reviews, except I give Machine Gun Etiquette, The Black Album and
Strawberries about an 8 each cos that's the Damned that rocked my
world.
They've just signed a deal with Nitro Records (Dexter Holland from the
Offspring's label) and will be releasing an album sometime in the first half
of this year so get your laughing gear ready for that one. Should be a
goody as the Captain is back with them.
Cheers from Australia
Determined to get the stench of that last abortion out of the nation's
clothing, singer Dave Vanian told Rat Scabies to stick his faux-Damned up
his bloody arse (as the British say, Benny Hill for example) and somehow
convinced the talented Mr. Captain Sensible to join he and three other
people who've never been in The Damned before, and release an album under
the name "The Damned." And it's good! Covers pretty much every genre they
ever hit in their career, all under the umbrella of one roof - a big sloppy
joe combination of great rudimentary punk rock, cheesy-keyboard-laden synth
goth, catchy Beatlesque pop and, unfortunately, a few really humiliating
shit"punk" songs similar to those featured on the previous record. Some of
it comes across as awfully forced (looking at the band photo -- four
decrepit old men in corny Don Johnson sunglasses and a 60-year-old goth girl
-- it's difficult to believe that they're caapable of feeling that "manic
punk energy" that they're trying for on a lot of these songs). But so many
of the songs do so many things that are right -- wonderful guitar
hooks, singalong melodic vocals, smashingly fun '77-style 3-chord rave-ups
-- that the few weaknesses are easily forgivable. I mean, Dave and Sensible
haven't recorded a studio album together in like fifteen years; how "genuine
and comfortable" was it going to sound? I think we should all just take
pride in the fact that two principal members of one of the first punk rock
bands can still write songs as awesome as "Democracy?," "Would You Be So
Hot" and "Amen." Probably shoulda dumped the last few songs though. They
aren't too hot and they make the CD almost an hour long. Plus -- am I crazy
here or is one of the songs about George W. Bush? I don't know. I was
just kinda hoping that we could make it through his whole term without
anybody writing a song about him.
All in all, a good work. I give you 7.5 out of 10 for the accuracy and 8 out of 10 for sense of humor.
Hey, what about Todd Rundgren ? Come on, make me laugh !
Maybe one day we'll see Ratty,Dave and Cpatain patch up their fiobles maybe not. Some people are just to darn wound up about nuthin.I like it still do. Grave didorder is on high rotation at my gaf 'cos I t sounds good. Who gives a shit about anything else.
All Damed albums have a clunker or two, and it's a small price to pay
for the privilege of hearing great tunes.
For a band that didn't make any good coin until um, the 90's?, God Bless
'Em!
Gibby RULES!
We also get the overblown "W" (yes it's about George Bush), "Till the End of Time" (which sounds like a dumb ripoff of the Doors song "The End") and I'm not too crazy about "Obscene" either. "Would You Be So Hot?," "Beauty of the Beast" and "Thrill Kill" are all good songs, but could easily lose a minute or two.
Putting the bad things aside, the other songs are more or less terrific. I find the faster, punk-ish songs to be more fun and inspired. "Neverland" is probably my favorite Damned song (or at least in my top three) and "song.com," "Democracy?," "Absinthe" and "She" are also pretty first rate. Dave Vanian's voice is also probably the best it's ever been.
4/5ths of the Grave Disorder line-up has returned seven years
later for another hot dose of haberdashery! Yes, new bassist Stu West
joins immortal vampire Dave Vanian, fearless man of the red beret
Captain Sensible, former English Dogs drummer Andrew "Pinch" Pinching
and keyboardist Montgomery "Monty Oxy Moron" Gillan to sell small
articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons and zippers.
But enough wacky haberdashery gags! Don't you get enough of those from
today's top comedians of today? George Carlin with his side-splitting
list of "7 Words You Can't Say In A Haberdashery"? Abbott & Costello's
rip-roaring "Whose Haberdashery Is On First" routine? Gilbert
Gottfried's annoying voice? Indeed, it seems you can't walk two feet
without running into a great haberdashery joke.
Why, here are a few examples now!
What did Axl Rose say to the hard-of-hearing haberdasher/plastic
surgeon?
Knock knock!
What's the difference between a haberdashery and a militant lesbian gum store?
Yes, there are worlds of tales we could weave about the ancient folklore
of the haberdashery. Unfortunately, time and currency demands that we
return to the subject of the mediocre new Damned album.
But first I insist that you view these two videos from my high school
days:
Sgt. Powerful And The America
Gang - I wrote this fake sitcom for a Broadcast Journalism class in
1991, when I was 17 and the first Gulf War was taking place.
Low-Maintenance Perennials singer Christian Smith plays "Sgt. Powerful,"
LuMP guitarist Matt Terrebonne plays the member of the "America Gang"
with the barbell, and I have a cameo as the 'hippy' that they beat up in
the middle. Worth noting is that the man holding the gun and doing the
'US Army' commercial was a teacher at our school!
Brickman And The Legend Of The
Chinese Cobbler - Another high school project for Broadcast
Journalism class, this is the 'rock video' for a ridiculous
Low-Maintenance Perennials song. I'm the long-haired guitarist dressed
like an idiot and chewing a corncob pipe.
But now then, The Damned.
Every song on So, Who's Paranoid? is over 3:30 long. Although a
couple of tracks reach punk rock speed, it would more appropriately be
classified as a '60s-tinged pop/rock/garage/goth album, featuring a
colorful mix of tones and approaches reminiscent of mid-period Damned.
Dave Vanian's vocals are as striking and tuneful as always, and the
songs are built on ear-pleasing arrangements of trebly rock guitar and
melodic piano/organ/keyboard. Unfortunately, too many of the songs rely
on overused and instantly predictable chord changes that have been
stagnating for decades on albums by far lesser bands.
In today's i-Pod generation of teenagers and 'Lazy Ear Syndrome,' I
hereby recommend four stellar tracks for downloading:
- "Under The Wheels" - An awesome descending bass line, emotional chorus
and speedy tempo distinguish this moody punk song.
Elsewhere, there's just too much chaff mixed in with the wheat, and if
you've ever tried to eat Cream of Chaff soup, I think y
Elsewhere, there's just too much you've heard before: the chorus of The
Ramones' "Go Mental" reappropriated as "Just Hangin'," The Rolling
Stones' "We Love You" rearranged for guitar as "Perfect Sunday," and
ages-old garage riffs revisited as "A Nation Fit For Heroes," "A Danger
To Yourself" and "Little Miss Disaster." Longtime fans might enjoy
Vanian's dark theatrical torch ballad "Nature's Dark Passion" or the
Straight-Outta-Damned-Damned-Damned rudimentary punker "Nothing,"
but to these ears on my face they sound like lesser versions of earlier
Damned material.
I ruined my brand new $300 suit this morning by trying to rip the label
off the jacket sleeve like an asshole. It can be fixed, but not for
less than $175, which hardly seems worth it. It really sucks having no
common sense.
But hey! How about this $300 pair of pants I have now, eh? Who's with
me?
A few new classics : A Nation, Diamonds or Little Miss.
All dodgy modern day punk outfits, Rancid, Greenday, The Offspring and on and on and on, cite The Damned as one of the most important influences. Legends, not just old gits. If it s ok for Plant and Page, Bawbag Bono, and The stones. Why should nt these guys make some money doing what they do best. DV also writes musical scores for TV and has a make up range on sale with Harrods. Millionaire he is, sad old goth he is not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are "Neat, Neat, Neat," "New Rose," "See Her Tonite" and "Born to Kill" some of the best
British punk songs ever?
Yes.
Are "Fan Club," "I Fall," "Stab Your Back" and the cover of the Stooges' "1970" all good
songs?
Yes.
Are "So Messed Up," "1 of the 2" and "Fish" pretty crappy?
Yes.
Is "Feel the Pain" fucking God-awful?
Yes.
Does that cover all 12 songs?
Yes.
Should you buy it?
Yes.
Does it get a 10?
No.
But it gets an 8?
Yes.
Fair enough.
Good.
8 s a fair rating
Ok it should go down in the books as the first UK punk album ever. But an incredible album indeed. I give this one a 9 at worst. Although in contest with having the Clash and the Sex Pistols getting 10 reviews this should be at an 11. New Rose. Fish. See Her Tonite. I Feel Alright (1970) are all classics along with Neat Neat Neat. Machine Gun Etiquette is an even better powerhouse album. But Brian James soloing is somewhat better than Captain Sensible's. His playing is alot more concise and that's the key to soloing. Knowing when to stop.
I really like most of the Damned music but I hate this one.Must be because in fact I hate punk music with the only exception of MACHINE GUN ETIQUETTE.
The reasons I found out about The Damned was their mentioning in "Punky Reggae Party" and Captain Sensible's review of "Abbey Road" in some Beatles magazine I used to have. Can't believe it took me a while to really appreciate this, as it's just as good as (what seem to be) the big punk albums of 1977, "Never Mind the Bullocks" and The Clash's first album.
If you think the guy from Pink Floyd producing this is weird, did you know
the main guy from the Kingsmen (Louie Louie) produced the Stooges
Funhouse??
Music for pleasure is a good example of how some music critic's review can steer potential listeners away from an otherwise good album.
I've avoided this album for decades based on its supposedly horrid reputation.
But jumpin' jesus on a pogo stick,
those fuckers were wrong!
All wrong.
The review on allmusic guide only mentions how the album was poorly received at the time of its release without explaining what makes it so bad.
Nothin but lazy journalism right there.
Its not necessarily a "classic" album & the artwork is hideous, but the music within are raw & catchy as anything on their first album.
Perhaps at the time, the choice of nick mason as the producer seemed "un-punk" to the narrow minded, punker-than-thou assholes.
I wonder if this album would've been hailed as a classic if it was produced by someone more "punk".
Like say....iggy pop or lou reed.
A lot of pink floyd songs in the early 70's dealt with topics that punk rockers can identify with...alienation, despair, corrupt aspect of human nature & society etc. so I don't know what the problem is.
The bias againts this album & the producer probably has more to do with the oft told tale of johnny rotten sporting his home made "I hate pink floyd" t-shirt than the actual music itself.
If you love the first album, then don't make the same mistake I did.
Fuck the critics (except prindle; he's alright) & trust your own ears.
The story here was that the band wanted Syd Barrett to produce, but he was
too busy being crazy and reclusive at the time, so Mason was brought in. Not
being a musician and never having recorded an album, I may be speaking a bit
over my own head here, but this record does have less of a "produced" feel
than Damned Damned Damned and Machine Gun Etiquette, and certainly the ones
that came after that. Almost like Nick Mason didn't really know what to do
with all the energy happening in the studio right in front of him.
Hell yeah. This is one of only a handful of albums I can throw on and know
that each song is a masterpiece. (The others being From The Cradle To The
Grave, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, Sweatin' To The Oldies: The
Vandals Live, regardless of what Prindle says on that one, and, well, the
others escape me at the moment.) Why is it, then, that I absolutely hate the
other three bands the other guy listed? (i.e. Samhain, Misfits & T.S.O.L.) Oh
well, the only way this album could have been a better damned release would
have been to add New Rose and Neat, Neat, Neat as bonus tracks.
Perfect 10.
You forgot "Plan 9" among the classics on this one.
I just picked this CD up after reading the review here, WOW! what a fuckin incredible record this is. The only track I'd previously heard was Smash It Up which I'd always loved I just never got around to checking the band out the only other Damned track I'd ever heard was the version of Video nasty they played on the British comedy show The Young Ones back in the early 80's, I can only say that I've been missing out on some great music. .
I full on agree (even if I'd give it a 9 instead of a 10). Very unhateable album. When I read that they became something of a goth band after Music from Pleasure I was afraid of them turning into another Joy Division or something (the only thing close to goth I knew at the time), so I was scared shitless this was going to suck. But man I was WRONG, I was shocked at how much of an improvement this one was over the other two. Not that they were bad or anything, but this wipes the floor with both of them, and basically every punk album released before this one. By process of elimination, "Plan 9 Channel 7" is my favorite song on here.
the black album was the first damned album i got. i got the rerelease, so i ended up with single album.
they release the second disc as live at snetterton. it was bollocks. machine gun is tops best damned
album. i love the first one. didnt like the second. black album was fab. the only album i got for a year.
anything after black is shite. bits off strawberries was dead-on. they did an album as naz nomad. pure
shite. didnt like it. saw the damned in belfast a few years ago. that bloke out of new model army was doing
bass and one of the gipes from the godfathers was doing guitar. some other bloke was on guitar too. vanian
and scabies were there and all!
Yen is Japanese money.
Chinese money is "yuan," pronounced "you ON".
Korean money is "won," and Mexican money is "pesos."
Indonesian money is "rupiah" and Indian money is
"rupee."
American Indian money is "wampum," and we're back
full circle to the yen/yuan/won/wampum thing.
Note about hispanic dinero - Meican money is
"pesos," and Spanish money used to be "pesetas," but
now it's "euros," which fucks everything up.
Guadamalan money is "real," but it ain't real; it's
worth less than the "peso" (which is not much) (and
which, in Spanish, means "weight," which is also a
load of shit, unless you have, like, a thousand of
them, in coins, in the front pocket of your shorts, in
which case they are very "peso-y" indeed).
9 stars on this one ? You must be kidding ! It's a 6 stars one ! Everybody knows that !
I think you're essentially reviewing the first half of this album. it's all studio, right? the second half contained a 17-minute sidelong song called "Curtain Call," and the fourth side was all live tracks: at one point the live side had a couple of songs added and was released as Live Shepperton 1980.
Exactly how drunk were you while writing that ?
Oh, come on ... Strawberries, a 8 stars album ? if you give 9 of them to the Black one, then Strawberries is a 12 stars one ( along with Machine ...).
My favorite Damned album (with Machine Gun a close 2nd). I always
thought that the Damned were at their best when doing Brit-Pop, with
the occasional punk song providing a change of pace (e.g. "Nasty",
"Thanks for the Night"). Songs like "Generals," "Gun Fury", and "Life
Goes On" are all elegant, sophisticated pieces of the sort that Madness
might have tried around this time (and they completely rule, by the
way). Of course, the cheesiness of 80s fashion caught up with them
eventually, resulting in "Phantasmagoria" and "Anything", but for a
short while there, the Damned were truly amazing, and not in a punk
band way.
I had "forgotten" how much I dig the "I Think I'm Wonderful". What a nice
slice that is. I am glad you had this album to review. It is fun stuff. I
love the Damned.
No,no,no,no,no,no,no.No.This one is exactly an almost 7 stars one.Or maybe 6.5 stars. 8 ? No.No,no,no,no,no.
'Some Girls Are Ugly' is a forgotten gem.
Hey man,
The Damned have always had flritations with goth( Dave being a good example).
This is their best album in my opinion. Superb musicmanship and creepy
atmospere make this a great album. Shadow Of Love & Sanctum Sanctorum are the
group's best songs ever( Along with Eloise). A must have for goth fans.
I had a girlfriend once, when I lived in North
Carolina. She was in the Air Force, and she was
stationed at a base called Seymore Johnson! See More
Johnson! I shit you not! I would ask her, "DO you??"
and she wouldn't understand.
Hey ! Congratulations ! You're right on this one !
Oh no ... So, here we go again ? Man... Anything is a 8.5 album, nothing less.
Way Hey!!!
These guys just quit their opening slot on Rob Zombie's 2002 tour because
the industrial-metal oriented crowd booed these goth-punk veterans off the
stage night after night. Losers!
imagine the embarassment they must have felt, booed off by the discerning, tasteful and highly intelligent rob zombie following. of course, they deserve it for even deigning to tour with a boring shit-for-brains like rob z. what, was stabbing westward unavailable? for shame, damned, for shame.
This is an excellent return to form. Although no Scabies it does feature Patricia Morrison (ex Gun Club/Sisters of mercy) otherwise known by us as fat pat. Sensibles guitar playing and songwriting is as vreative as ever. Thank Fuck some decent music again at last!!!
Mmmmh..., not far, really : 7.5
Look I just thinks it's a great record.
I'm happy to hear Dave and Captain writing again.... it's been too long.
I really enjoy the fast songs, and don't care if they're from old farts,
cuz I'm one.
Song.Com and Looking For Action are FUN. And who has a problem with fun?
May they live to write another day.
peace, Mark
Man, what a waste of an opportunity. I'll give it a 7 too, but it would be in 8.5 or 9 territory with more careful editing. Mainly the song lengths and the actual songs themselves. The biggest offender is "Amen," which is long, rambling, boring and makes absolutely no sense. Not as bad as "Curtain Call," but it still sucks.
"I said I wanted a button on lace, not a butt on my face!
Who's there?
Haberdasher!
Haberdasher who?
Haberdasher! Haberdancer! Haberprancer! Habervixen! I named all my
reindeer after German chemist Fritz Haber, who discovered the industrial
process for synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen.
One sells small articles for sewing; the other sells ball particles for
blowing!
- "Diamonds" - A breezy, catchy pop-rocker with funny lyrics about how
diamonds are just rocks.
- "Since I Met You" - A lovely piano ballad that begins with the verse
"Since I met you/The lyrics of songs mean something new/They sound so
real, they reflect how I feel/Even the stupid ones."
- "Dark Asteroid" - Bathe in the vibrating organ bliss of this
psychedelic-pop chestnugget, then hurry and take the CD out before the
unfortunate 11-minute, 1-chord jam starts up.
I must say I don't agree with your review. In my opinion, it's a good Damned album ( I would it an 8 out of 10 ). Each song has something interesting and catchy. I think it's less patchy than Grave Disorder or Black Album.
Look pal, The Damned make good honest rock and roll music and have always been overlooked. These guys have a place in British music folklore and deservedly so. DV is one of the best crooners who has ever lived and if you ever met him you d also see what a humble man he is.
Lots of fucking DAMNED CDs for sale here!