Customer Reviews

Damned Damned Damned

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Sex Pistols, the Ramones, and the Clash get more props for kick-starting punk, but the lesser-known but equally influential band, the Damned, deserve a place next to them. Their debut, produced by Nick Lowe and issued in 1977 (a landmark year in punk-rock), is a stone-cold classic. You may recognize "New Rose," the best track here and not surprisingly their first single, but just about every track here is great. Just listen to the samples and hear for yourself - this is punk rock at its best, no pretensions, no pomposity, just raw, adrenaline-fueled rock that doesn't let up or burn out. This album went out-of-print for a little awhile, but now it's BACK IN-PRINT for a pretty fair price, only $14 retail.

Like the Sex Pistols, the Damned imploded soon after their phenomenal debut, but fortunately, they reunited within a year and had a long and remarkably consistent career, a rarity in punk rock. However, their debut remains their best and the first place to look.

The fact that theres only 3 other reviews up to this point shows how underrated this classic is. This is the first "punk " record out of the Uk released before the pistols clash etc. The Damned really were a special group combining tight songwriting unbelievable energy and more importantly a sense of humor. Almost every song on this record (cd) is a stone cold classic - crisp quick loud full of fun and well "rocking".
Great vocals by singer/ vampire Dave Vanian- a booming voice over shearing riffs and pounding drums. This along with Machine Gun Ettiquette (the damneds third lp)is a must own alongside Never mind the bollocks the clash's debut and In the City by the Jam. The damned still tour (yeah theyre fatter older and not nearly as good as the glory days but worth seeing all the same. THe damned also stayed exclusively on Independant labels while all the other "punk" bands signed major label deals. The damned did sign with Mca in the mid eighties and suffered artisically despite some flirts with major success. Its been heralded as the Uk's best from 1977 and its hard not to agree.

I read a review of this album before I bought it. It said, "The Damned play as if the world is going to explode at any moment". The review was not wrong. Total chaos in a good way. From the opening track, "neat neat neat", to the closer, "I feel alright", this album rips! A must for any punk rock fan. From Brian James's chaotic lead breaks, Dave Vanians urgent vocals, Captain Sensible's hypnotic bass lines, and Rat Scabies beat holding it all together, this album is a classic in every sense of the word. It is the sound of punk rock being born. You need this album. Period.

The Damned-Damned Damned Damned ****1/2

Damned Damned Damned was one of the very first punk albums to be released and it was the first by a British group, as well as one of the very best from the first wave of punk, even though Britains first wave was technically the second wave. Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies went down as sort of the Mick and Keith of the punk movement, and this album is really why.

The Ramones influenced opener 'Neat, Neat, Neat' showed us what we were in for while 'New Rose' knocked us on our can and taught us that the Damned were gonna take no prisoners. 'Stab You In The Back' was basically the template for all 1980's hardcore punk, and the albums closer 'I Feel Alright' is probably the best closer on a punk album.

Damned Damned Damned was the Damned's first album and certainly their best. They would go on to make some great records along the way but none that could even attempt to stand up to the likes of this. This is a classic not only from the band but from the genre as well and one that should be in every one's collection. If you like rock n' roll you'll love this.

Okay, I definatly have a bias twords early American punk (the Ramones, Johnny Thunders, ect). But I must conclude this is an absolute punk classic! Being the first British punk album, you can definatly hear its American influences. Heck, most of it sounds like Johnny Thunders. Despite all this, it is incredibly unique and just flat out rocking. The Damned did punk rock before and better than anyone else in Britain. The songwriting is fantastic (most of it by guitarist Brian James) and the musicianship is much better than the average punk band. A good deal of the songs don't follow the set three-chord punk route. As I said above, Brian James was one of punk's best songwriters, with his tunes such as "Neat Neat Neat" and "New Rose" are undisputed punk classics. The band went downhill after he left unfortunatly, even though "Machine Gun Etiquitte" was a good album. I'm very glad to see someone had the brains to put this back in print.

According to 'traditional' definitions of "punk", The Damned are the first British punk act to release a single, then an album. They followed the USA's Ramones, and Australian punk band The Saints, I think. I've reviewed all these bands on this site recently. Interestingly, I found out about The Damned being first to get signed and released in the U.K via reading a recently published interview with Joey Ramone in a recentish edition of Classic Rock magazine...the one with the cover on the alternative history of heavy metal. Good to hear that factoid from Joey. Annoyingly, he took credit for every single punk banded which came out afterwards. In the case of British acts, there is some justification for that, but in the case of The Saints, I think it is clear that they would have released their debut album in exactly the same way, even if the Ramones had never made a record. In other words, Joey was claiming to much for his band.

Anyway, that aside, The Damned' debut album strikes me as being solid, with a laddish, pub sounding punk rock aesthetic. The album has interesting drumming, and some 50s style influence rock'n'roll, as far as the guitar and solos go. Alternatively, the Ramones struck me as having a motown kind of sound to them, if you get me. The edition of this cd which I recently bought has an excellent biography of the band which you can get by unfolding the cover art. It also goes into how the songs were ordered on the master tape, which was different to how they eventually ended up being ordered. For those interested in that, the current track listing was in the following order on the master tape: 1,3,8,4,5,6,7,2,9,11,10 and 12.

Here's my thoughts on the album's tracks...didn't think that they had any classic tracks, but the album was solid. From memory of my code, I think that the songs I liked first time around the most were:


(but first, my pick as this album's best track):


1 of the 2 - an interesting sounding song, as far as the vocal delivery and beat goes. Drumming is good in this song. The track has some 'pops' in it and the lead guitar sounds staticky.


The next best:


Feel the pain - a slower tempo song, with an experimental sound. Guitar picks notes. Has a menacing tone to the lyrics...think Nick Cave, perhaps. The bass guitar sounds nice near the end.

New rose - the first punk single released in Britain by a homegrown act. Has a nice drum tone to it for the intro. Punk guitar sound and has a good lick to it as well. An energetic song. Did hear a 'pop' sound about one second from the end of this track.

See her tonite - a high tempo song, with fast fretwork on the guitar. I like the emphatic strumming on this track. Track does sound a bit staticky.

I feel alright - I like the beefy, choppy riff in this song, as well as the drum outro. Sound brings to mind bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who. Has laddish vocals. Another staticky sounding track.



The best of the rest (songs that grabbed me more second time around):


Fan club - has some creaky sounding guitars, a drum fill intro and a slower tempo. The lead guitar sounds nicely melodic...sort of surf rock, maybe? Two lead guitars feature, I think. Features the interesting lyric "The dream I show for you is my nightmare"...from memory The Sex Pistol's "Anarchy in the U.K" expresses a similar sentiment.

I fall - a rock'n'roll track, with a good 1950's style guitar solo, I think (when I say "rock'n'roll", I mean rock music from the 1950s).



The rest:


Neat neat neat - good, bassy sound; rock'n'roll style lead guitar, with a shrieky vocal opening for the track.

Born to kill - rock'n'roll type song, with fuzzy guitar sound. Bass noticeable. Singer sounds American on this song.

Stab your back - the intro has features a synthesiser, which sounded disco to me! Guitars sound punk though. The title lyrics are repeated a lot in this song. . An aggro sounding song, with lots of multiple laddish chants. This track also has a 'pop' about one second before it ends.

Fish - has a fuzzy boogie riff to it. Bass noticeable. Nice guitar solo in it.

So messed up - a rowdy song, with a bit of a nasty vibe to the lyrics. E.g. "I would rather f_k her mum". The guitar sounds nice and clangy on this song.


In conclusion, this is a solid punk album.


Recommendations from this time period:


Ramones: Ramones

The Saints: (I'm) Stranded

Radio Birdman: Radios appear (Radio Birdman were contemporary with The Saints in Australia)

Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers: L.A.M.F

The best Damned album and one of my faves period. Everything but Feel the Pain is amazing. Their cover of 1970 (they call it "I feel alright) is absolutely stunning. In the end it's much like the first Floyd album, Piper. It doesn't sound much like the rest of The Damned's stuff, but it's just plain better than the rest of their stuff. Anyone looking for a great punk album without the chance of some hardcore activism and with a bit of a joker innem should get this album.

This, The Damned's first album, together with The Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks and The Clash (UK edition), are essential to give you a good idea of the UKs early punk beginnings, those 3 albums together with The Ramones first album were all you needed to know, they were the cornerstones. And, sorry guys, I wouldn't say that The Ramones started the UK punk movement since things had been bubbling under for a long time before the summer of 1976 when we first got to hear the Ramones.
The Damned were formed for their love of The Stooges, and you can certainly tell that listening to the LP without the fact that they do a cover of 1970 (they call it I Feel Alright). Brian James was in a notorious band called Bastard (no record deal, unfortunately) before the Damned, and that was before anyone in London had heard The Ramones. In reality I think that the pre-punk foundations had been bouncing back and forth between Britain and USA for some time before 1976/77. You can hear punk in the 1960s - early Kinks, The Who, some Rolling Stones (Have You Seen Your Mother, for instance) and of course UK freakbeat, and then over in USA you have The Sonics and loads of garagebands, then the Cleveland/Ohio/Detroit scenes, all before New York. There were plenty of pre-punk bands in the UK in the early 1970s that had a lot of attitude and nearly the right sound (if not entirely the right clothes), take for instance the thuggish end of British glam-rock like Mott The Hoople (heroes to Mick Jones of the Clash), and you may wonder how Malcolm MacClaren ended up being the New York Dolls manager ..well before the New York Dolls even had a record contract they visited the UK on invitation as support band to The Faces (heroes to the Sex Pistols). While the Dolls were here they found MacClarens Rock n Roll/Glam shop on the Kings Road and he ended up in constant contact, supplying them with a lot of their glam clothes for several years. I could go on.
Anyway I'm digressing, buy Damned Damned Damned because its loud, its fast and its fun, the cover is great, the lyrics are great, the chords simple, its a pure blast of R n R energy. Then, if you happen to have the other albums I mention, NMTB, The Clash, The Ramones, (preferably on 12" vinyl) put the four sleeves next to each other and just look at them and you will understand instantly why Punk became unstoppable in the UK.

This is an essential album for anyone with good taste in music. One of the first punk albums I ever bought and still one of the best.

The Damned have been creating caos for thirty years
the 1st to do it all and undoubted the best .On this album, Lead singer Dave Vanian,Lead guiarist and {writer on the majority of the album }Brian James,Bass guitar Captain Sensible,and Drummer Rat Scabies completely crush all hopes for anybody wanting to rock the hardest.Fast ,Heavy songs played as if they where your abusive stepdad.Probly the most underrated Punk band ,or just band in genaral.Songs like "Feel the pain" and "fan club"offer a darker more "gothic" sound, while "Stab your back"(writen by Scabies)and "NEAT,NEAT,NEAT" provide some serious tremours through the vains that would scare a Junkie.
"See her tonight" is forsure the peak song of the album.so full of energy from begining to end it makes a speed addict gelious.
A must have Album for anyone who considers themselves a true punker and for anyone that loves rock and roll