Customer Reviews

Anything

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is another great album by the Damned, one that proves that they had lost none of their edge at this time. It mirrors Phantasmagoria in structure and mood, but with a brighter, more rockin' attitude. The song "Anything" has as much energy into it as any of the band's earlier, punkier material-- just with a bit more polish. Overall, the album is a moody affair, ranging from the lush cover of "Alone Again Or" to the grim, theatrical "Tightrope Walk." True, the song "Gigolo" is not the best thing the band has come up with, and the song "Psychomania" is definitely over-produced (the horns are rather unnecessary), but other than that, this is a great listen all the way through! Stand out tracks are the energetic title track, the solemn instrumental "The Portrait," the dark and edgy "Restless," and the beautiful (and sad, really) classic "In Dulce Decorum." Anything should appeal to fans of goth and pop as well as all Damned fans who listen to more than the band's first album.

Pity to those who couldn't appreciate the unique dimension this album added to the Damned's otherwise classic punk repertoire. This is music for an abandoned carnival or an evening walk on the beach. It begins with the tongue-in-cheek `Anything' before switching gears into more reflective territory [where it more or less remains] with `Alone Again Or' and `The Portrait'.

This is one of the albums that earned the Damned the "goth" tag back in the 80's, but that's a bit restrictive for a band of such range [ditto for some of the contempories, like The Cure]. `Anything' is a hidden treasure for those who enjoy that long walk alone.

i like this cd a lot. "anything" and "phantasmagoria" go hand in hand. its very 80's and very damned. the damned cant do anything wrong, its just not possible.

This is one of those albums that you would want to have with you if you were on a deserted island. The haunting melody of "restless" is reason enough to own this album. The Damned's version of "Alone again...or" is very impressive.

This album was not received well by most fans of the Damned, because it was so far removed from their early "punk" sound, but it is also their most ambitious work to date. They had already begun experimenting on other songs from previous albums, including "Strawberries, which was produced by Nick Mason, Pink Floyd's drummer. There was quite a difference of opinion on what direction the band should go, especially Captain Sensible's desire to remain rooted in their punk rock origins. He quit prior to this album, obviously losing the vote to the other members of the band, with excellent results. The album opener, "Anything", is possibly the closest they come to earlier work, but thanks to the production skills of Jon Kelly (Tori Amos, Beulah, Kate Bush), it actually bears little resemblance to anything that could be labeled "punk". They do a beautiful cover of Love's "Alone Again Or", and follow that with a haunting piano ballad, "The Portrait". They also have several unnamed special guests, but I recognize the obvious vocal style of David Bowie on the track, "Gigolo". There is a thread of melancholy throughout the album, which creates a very cohesive vibe from beginning to end. It makes me a bit sad that so many people missed out on this album, just because the band wanted to expand their sound. If you are strictly a punker, or head banger, you will probably not like this album either, but if you want to hear the Damned mature in their playing and songwriting, check this long out of print treasure out!

Like Strawberries (or Strawberries for Pigs, originally) of 1982, Anything is an under-rated album by and large. Many die-hard fans actually hate it. Definetly, it lacks the coherence and genuinity of the master-pieces and it is step back from Phantasmagoria. Anyway, there are some songs in this album that deserve a special mention: Portrait with its cinematic atmosphere, Restless for a good sketch while not yet finished, In Dulce Decorum as a potential hit and futhermore, The Girl goes down for revitalising The Doors, in a Damned way.

It is a pity indeed that these songs have not been played live really after 1988. I understand that the production of this album was a failure or at least, it did not meet the standards of Phantasmagoria. But it does not necessarily mean that all the songs are so poor as they sound.

Also, The Year of Jackal (Anything single B-side) must be mentioned here. Like Portrait, a truly Damned classic in a cinematic way.

I have always enjoyed this album, as much as, if not more than, Phantasmagoria. The sophmore effort on Phantas. bloomed into full fledged maturity on Anything. Dulce Decorum is one of the best songs ever recorded, and the instrumental Portrait is achingly beautiful.

If only loved the Damned as long as they were punk, then you won't like this.

If you're still in the over the top-party-goth stage of Phantas. then you won't like this.

But, if you like some soul in your music (and I'm not talking about Motown, that's a different review), then you can't miss with this. It's beautiful, plain and simple.

It took me a while to really get into this album; I always liked Phantasmagoria a lot but thought this was nowhere near as good. I was wrong. This album has some top-rate songs, including a cover of Alone Again Or, the old Love song (not "Love Song", but rather Alvin Lee & Love), the title track, which is clearly intended to sound like a really good Iggy solo song, and the classic In Dulce Decorum. Psychomania also rocks, and there are some pretty good slow songs on here. This is NOT just for hard-core Damned fans; it's a great album, and it's a travesty that it's out of print.

It figues that a song I really like Alone Again Or is on a no longer released CD going for 50.00 used. Oh well, I just bought all The Stranglers stuff on Amazon, maybe they will rerelease this, I'll definetly be buying it when they do.

The Damned have been on the punk scene since 1977. Their albums are always creative and different. This compilation was released in 1986 on MCA records. It has been said that they were encouraged by MCA to try to move their sound into the "mainstream." The songs are definitely more mellow and "mainstream" than anything the Damned have done before, however, while David Vanian's voice is great for hardcore punk, it also has excellent deep tones for slower music. If you are a fan of David Vanian, you will like this album.