Customer Reviews

Damned Damned Damned

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of the best punk records of all time, maybe even THE best. In reference to what one reviewer said about this album being influenced by The Ramones and New York Dolls -- I would just add that the number one influence here is The Stooge's album "Funhouse." In fact, The Damned covers "1970" from "Funhouse" on "Damned Damned Damned" (though the title of the song changes to "I Feel Alright"). If you like punk, you just can't go wrong with this one. Best tracks are "Neat Neat Neat," "Fan Club," "Born to Kill," "Feel the Pain," "New Rose" and "I Feel Alright."

Few realize that The Damned were first to release a single and record an album among the graduating class of 1977 UK punk which included such bands as The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Being first, however, doesn't always mean you're the best and it's not much of a surprise looking back that as soon as those other two bands released albums a lot of folks kind of forgot about The Damned.

"Damned Damned Damned" is a fine punk album by any standards so it's somewhat a shame that they don't get recognized on their own merits. Brian James was good songwriter and is exclusively credited with most of the songwriting on this album. Particular stand-outs include 'Neat Neat Neat,' 'Born To Kill,' 'New Rose,' and 'So Messed Up.' This album also possesses a certain tongue-in-cheek attitude and a sense of fun which other albums from that time and locale lacked.

The annals of music history aren't likely to give The Damned much space, but this album is definitely worth owning if only to offset "Nevermind the Bollocks" and "The Clash," but I think you'll also find yourself quite pleased with The Damned on their own merits.

If you've been a fan of The Damned for any substantial period of time, you most likely own a copy of Damned Damned Damned. My copy is well worn on vinyl and I have subsequently replaced it with other copies. I say other copies because this album in it's original form is a punk rock masterpiece. What more could be done to get me to run out and buy another version? Well, let's just say the impossible is possible. The 30th Anniversary Edition of Damned Damned Damned is the well worth tracking down. In the States, it's a hard-to-find import and is definitely worth the search. The original release is contained on the first CD with a generous amount of bonus material on the following two discs, most of previously unreleased except for the pesky bootlegs that have appeared over the years.

The Damned are one of the greatest punk bands to ever emerge from the UK and while some site The Clash as the one punk band that mattered, I'd beg to differ. Both bands had a rocky history of sorts, but The Damned came through it with their heads held high and managed to write one of the best comeback albums of any band's career (Grave Disorder-check it out!). Fans of their punk years will eat this up as will fans of their later more gothic era.

Up the punks, this is one album each and every punk rocker should own, it's genius!

I was 15 in 1977 and it was heaven on the British music scene.
I bought all the classic British albums from that year - by The Clash, Sex Pistols, Stranglers, Elvis Costello, Vibrators, Generation X, Adverts, etc., etc. EXCEPT The Damned! Thought they would sound really cheesey! But this year, my curiosity got the best of me (of course I had long ago heard New Rose, but that was all), and I bought Machine Gun Etiquette (awesome!) and DAMNED DAMNED DAMNED. The latter is a SUPERB punk album, even though it is a bit of a low-key affair (not screeching loud).
The best tracks are Neat Neat Neat, Fan Club, Feel the Pain, and It's Allright. But all of it is loads of fun and ATTITUDE and has unique production values ("This is made to be played LOUD at low volume" it says on the CD artwork! And that is how the production sounds! - produced by the legendary Nick Lowe). And of course the CD cover is a CLASSIC. The band licking what looks like vomit off of each other!

Yes, this was the first UK punk album. Not serious, not political, not really all that angry, just stripped down hard rocking FUN! Remember fun?

Anyway, this isn't their best, that goes to "Machine Gun Etiquette". But if you want a true early punk album made by a bunch of crazy sods having a great time, this would be a good choice.

It's difficult to believe that 30 years later, The Damned's music is still so relevant and so unmistakably powerful! My favorite track has to be New Rose - the first punk rock single ever released (on October 22, 1976). Just hearing the first few seconds of New Rose drums gives me an adrenaline rush like nothing else! You can't go wrong with The Damned... they may have stumbled onto genius, but it's theirs for the keeping!

Ouch, that hurt. Pretty much leaving the whole political thing behind and just rocking fast and loud describes the Damned's debuit perfectly. Produced, barely, by Nick Lowe the band is pretty much chaos in motion here, with barely a fouth chord thrown in. Through it all Vanian sounds pretty much undisturbed by the noise around him. Anyone looking for an album that rocks hard, fast, and loud should look no futher than this one. It burns, it hurts, and its all for your enjoyment.

The Damned's debut lp made history in rock music-- it was the first official punk rock lp! On top of that, the Damned Damned Damned is still one of the greatest releases ever to come out of the punk movement! The musicianship is sloppy at times, but even then it is quite clear that Rat Scabies, Brian James, and Captain Sensible are very talented artists! It is obvious that David Vanian had not yet found his singing voice, which evolved into a sensual, macabre baritone reminiscent of Elvis; even then, he still sounds great on this recording. The first track "Neat Neat Neat" lures the listener in with its catchy melody and raw energy (not to mention Captain Sensible's memorable bass intro). The rest of the album proceeds with numerous punk classics, such as "Born to Kill," "New Rose" (the single), and "See Her Tonight." It even ends with a great cover of the Stooges' "1970" titled "I Feel Alright"; if truth be told, I prefer the Damned's version to that of the original. The song "Stab Your Back" is perhaps the most primal track on the Damned Damned Damned, and "Feel the Pain" hints at a darker sound which would follow the band later on in their career. With great song-writing, great solos from Brian James, melodic bass-playing from Captain Sensible, 100 mph drums from Rat Scabies, and relatively smooth singing from David Vanian, this album is a classic and a landmark in rock and roll history, making it a must have for all fans of punk rock, any alternative forms of rock, and collectors of rock music in general!

Well, this is where it all began for me... the first Damned album! The first punk rock record I ever owned, and a great introduction to the genre at that. The band, for those who don't know, hold the distinction of being the first U.K. punk band to release a single ('New Rose' in October 1976), release an album ('Damned Damned Damned' in February 1977) and the first to tour the U.S. This album is chock full of high energy punk thrashers (in the vein of Iggy and the Stooges/MC5) like 'Neat Neat Neat', 'See Her Tonite', 'Stab Yor Back', 'Fish' and a great cover of the Stooges 'I Feel Alright (1970)' The tracks that really stand out in my mind as classics are the almost gothic (before goth, mind you) and downright scary 'Feel The Pain', 'New Rose', easily the catchiest and most accessable song here, and 'Fan Club' with one of the best riffs ever, bar none. One can't help but notice that the songs are extremely well written and, hell, these guys really CAN play more than 3 chords! Their best was yet to come, but this is undoubtably a great introduction to one of the truly great and often overlooked groups of the late 70's punk era, or any era for that matter.

I first got turned on to this album by my brother who bought it home in 1977. I was just turning 14, and found this record represented all that teenage energy, excitement and anger I was experiencing. I hadn't heard of the MC5, or the Stooges then. And the Damned have been critically panned for being mere copyists. So what? Everyone has influences. I love the fact that this album was recorded in 2 weeks in a tiny 8-studio. You can hear the urgency and excitement on every track. Most bands these days have one interesting personality - if they're lucky. The Damned had FOUR! The crazy,intense drumming of Rat Scabies; locked down with solid basslines from Captain Sensible; the heart-tearing riffs from Brian James (a proper guitar "hero") - topped off with the thick pseudo-barritone vocals of Dave Vanian. Everything about this band, and this album - songs, content, image, presentation - is completely entertaining, and (often over-looked) highly AMUSING! What have we got today - Marilyn Manson... No thanks. The Damned were an incredible act, and this album their stunning debut.