Customer Reviews

Machine Gun Etiquette - 25th Anniversary Edition

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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When I first listened to Machine Gun Ettiquette years ago...it was hard to believe that it was the same band playing on each song!! The Damned created an album with different musical styles and managed to flow it all together and make it sound effortless!! My favorite Tracks? It's so hard to choose. There really isn't a bad song on here.
M.G.E. is filled with catchy punk/psych/rock... anthems that become permanently stuck in your head!! You can't shake them out..believe me, I've tried. It is readily available again.... so my friends don't have an excuse for not having it in their collections!!!

This album is supremely perfect. Every song is addicting and is soaked with highly energetic and bounchy rhythms and beats. I personally really love "Looking at You", "Plan 9, Channel 7", "Liar", "These Hands", and "Smash it Up Pts. 1&2" However all the songs on this album are worthy enough to listen to about a thousand times each, that may be an exaggeration (one truely might get tired of listening to a song that many times), but with this album, I sincerely doubt it's possible to get tired of it. If you are just recently figuring out of you like the Damned or not, give this album a listen and i'm sure you will love it. If not, then maybe this kind of music just isn't for you.
This album is perfect and I love it to death. One of the great ones, this is.

Bought this on German Chiswick vinyl '84....It changed my life....have had many versions throughout the years on cd and vinyl(still have my wall of punk vinyl thanks)....The 25th Anniversary release does this amazing record justice, sounds great.... near to vinyl warmth...bonus tracks are cool, alt. versions ok, not essential to these ears.....maybe back in '84-'86 I'd flip over them.....now I just want to hear the album versions.....The Damned came back from their breakup w/ both barrels screaming w/ MGE...Metal/Punk/Pop...genius!!! Can't Wait for the Black Album, their masterpiece, to be remastered for its' 25 Anniversary!

This is a great album from a great band. If you have not heard it you are missing something quite special. I suppose back in the 80's a lot of us fell victim to punk dogmas and wrote this band off, just shows how unfree we all were, a sign of conformity. But looking back this one has some enduring qualities that make it stand out. This 25th anniversary edition has some extras that almost compensate for the cost, not as good value as the 25th anniversary edition of London Calling, but worth putting in your collection. I think that this is the best of the first 5 LP's but I must admit I have not listened to anything by The Damned after Strawberries LP. The tracks that really stand out to me are the ones that were on the original and so I do not think any of the extras trump what was on it, although there is a cover of an old song by The Sweet, Ballroom Blitz, that rips arse. Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Smash it Up parts 1+2 and I suppose Noise, Noise, Noise are the tracks that really stand out - but what can I say about them... So, yeah, its good, buy it if you can.

JUST BUY IT!


However...machine gun etiquette isn't that our newest fad in the U.S.?
Anyway, this a superb album it is gutsy noisy and you never tire of it. I am glad they came up with this remastered version because not only was mine all smashed up, lost, or stolen.

These guys were the coolest punks, and their songs some of the most memorable ones. The lyrics touch on relevant issues that were pertinent if they related to you in some form in the past. Nostalgia can be a wonderful thing, especially if you can look back and laugh, remembering that dim kid that wore the dog collar, and how everyone wanted to be so cool they ripped their nylons and smeared their eyeliner.
Some things change but not much since the title says a lot.

Favorites are: All, but these are the coolest,

I just can't be happy today
Anti-Pope
Smash it up
Noise noise noise
Liar
Suicide

ENJOY!

This new 2004 release of The Damned's Machine Gun Etiquette celebrates 25 years of a superb album by this underrated band. I own 3 copies of this album

The Japanese limited release which had the 12 original tracks

The US release which was expanded to include the following 4 tracks (B-sides) to make up a total of 16 tracks

1.Ballroom Blitz

2.Suicide

3.Rabid (over you)

4.White Rabbit Jefferson Airplane cover

This new release deletes Rabid and White Rabbit but adds the following bonus tracks

1.Love Song (Ed Hollis version)

2.Noise, Noise, Noise (Ed Hollis version)

3.Smash it up part 2 (Backing track-singalonga Damned)

4.Smash it up part 4

5.Burglar (first appeared on the 7" dodgy demo single)

6.I just can't be happy today (DJ edit)

7.Turkey song (obscure German issued B-side)

8.Plan 9 Channel 7 (video clip)

This is one album I can play day in and day out and never tire of listening to it. This was their crowning achievement after reforming for the second time after breaking up in early '78. Remember now Noise is for heroes and we've got music for zeroes and this noise is what makes the world go round.

The Damned is the most underrated punk band. And they are awesome! You have to get "Machine gun Ettiquette" if you even remotely like punk. this is the essential damned. Although, the original recording is very good. Get that too. This is great punk!

I'm more of a "Damned, Damned, Damned" fan, but this is definatly more musically accomplished. On this album, The Damned manage to mix many different musical styles. Songs like the title track and "Liar" are pure punk rock, while "These Hands" and "I Just Cant Be Happy Today" sound a little like The Doors gone punk. However, the highligt of the album is with out a doubt "Smash it Up", a total punk/garage rock jam. The boinus tracks are great as well, though it's a shame they didn't include "Rabid" on this album. Still, this is a classic that is definaely worth the money.

Finally, the Damned's crowning glory in superbly remastered form, and a well annotated booklet. If any Damned release deserves the deluxe treatmnet, it is Machine Gun Etiquette. Smart pop hooks, razor sharp playing, humor and a wild sense of abandon permeate the songs. And oh the songs: Smash It Up, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Anti Pope, Plan 9 Channel 7, all classics! Minor quibble: the tracks on the Smash It Up single would have been a lovely bonus disc, or just as additional tracks, there is room. And another unreleased track or two would have been welcome. If you love raging rock/pop/punk/psyche, don't miss this one.

After a lacklustre second album, The Damned surpass their debut album. Album is mostly punk, but has some musical experimentation. Bass and drums are prominent and interesting. The sleeve notes I have for this cd feature some cartoons. Television's Tom Verlaine is depicted...cartoon quite narky...wonder why/if there was tension between them. This version of the cd has 10 bonus songs at the end of the album.


Best songs ("[.]"):


Suicide - a bonus track. Simple and direct with some melodramatic lyrics and thumping beat. Has a drum solo. Into a bit AC/DC ish. Opening lines a bit Sex Pistols ish.

Burglar - another bonus track. Intro brings to mind The Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten. Song sung in character...a geezer singing. Has some interesting drum rhythms...might add this to my list re songs with good drum parts. They fairly gallop at one point. Guitar sounds like a siren here. In fact, it's a little bit heavy metal early on. Bass noticeable too. Song has lyrics played backwards at one point...bit Beatles-esque in that regard. Wonder what they are singing!


Best songs on second listen (">[.]"):


Love song - swinging rock'n'roll rhythm guitar and hard rock lead guitar. Cool bass run intro. Frenetic drums. Melodic chorus and lead guitar.

I just can't be happy - has an early 1980s, new-wave vibe to it, which is fine. Some parts have a Bon Jovi "Bad medicine" vibe to them. Extended cheesy sounding keyboard lick...which I didn't mind. Has a keyboard solo too. Explosive drumming at times too.

Plan 9 channel 7 - 5:08 minutes long. Mid-tempo rock. Whining guitars, organ, good drumming outro. Vocals eerie at times but song has some good multi-part harmonies.

Smash it up (parts 1 & 2) - Wikipedia lists these as two separate songs but on this album they form one track. 5:13 minutes long. Has pretty, smooth dual lead guitar. The intro brings to mind a song like Metallica's "Welcome home" (although that came out a few years later). Both the guitar and the bass guitar have a rich texture to them. Interesting drumming at times. Later on the song gets an alt-pop vibe to it with a cheesy sounding keyboard. Lyric includes "Nibbled to death by an acapi". Not sure about the spelling of that last word...don't see it in song lyrics on Google either. Hmm. Mondegreen?


The rest:


Machine gun etiquette - no nonsense driving rock. High tempo, pub rock backing vocals. Hard riffing and beats. Guitar lick seems to be a bit of a variation on Gary Glitter's "Rock and roll (Part 2)".

Melody Lee - rich textured piano then straight up energetic rock with punk guitar, frenetic drumming and sort of heavy metal elements at times.

Anti-Pope - punk rock with a driving bass guitar. Anti-Christian lyrics. Has a Latin jazz type percussion interlude and a bluesy lead guitar at times. Maracas feature. Bass guitar interesting.

These hands - carnival type music with Nick Cave type lyrics and a Mr. Trololo type bit. Just by the by, I really like "Dive position" on Nick Cave's "Door door" album with The Boys Next Door...it's carnival type music, with Nick Cave type lyrics and...Nick Cave.

Noise noise noise - riffing, frenetic drum, bassy and laddish backing vocals at times. Some silliness at the end of the song...which they do on occasion on this album.

Looking at you - 5:07 minutes long. Mid-tempo rock that gets jammy later...slow and bassy. Dual lead guitar at times. Solid drumming.

Liar - another song with a Sex Pistols vibe...for the intro, in this case. Has insistent bass notes and an interesting drum performance...I like the aural texture of the drums here too...especially when solo. Might add this to my list of songs with a good drum element to it. In this case the part from 1:23 - 1:41 is good.


The bonus tracks:


Love song (Ed Hollis version) - Pixies-ish bass intro (maybe something like "Gigantic"). Same or very similar to the studio album version re this bass line.

Noise noise noise (Ed Hollis version) - has uninintentional distortion...e.g. the vocals.

Smash it up (Part 2) - the bit with the cheesy sounding organ has a Dire Straits "Industrial disease" vibe to it. Alt-pop. Catchy, but just has a lyrical extract which is repeated...but that's ok.

Smash it up (Part 4) - an instrumental. Has dual lead guitars. Bass guitar good in intro. Drums and organ also feature. Has a sort of surfy vibe to it...a cheesy organ perhaps.

I just can't be happy today (DJ edit) - still has the "Bad medicine" type keyboard riff. Maybe the female vocals on this song are more distinct than in the studio album version.

Ballroom blitz - a reasonably faithful cover of The Sweet song. The vocal melody is different at times though, for small passages.

Turkey song - Fluff. Dual ukeleles perhaps? Sort of sounds like it, maybe. Has country style electric lead guitar. Nonsense lyrics. On the right hand side of the speakers it sounds like one of the guys fluffs a line early on in the song.



N.B. I thought I had bought the version of this album which had a cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White rabbit (extended version)". So, just beware, just because Amazon lists the tracks on an album being this or that, doesn't necessarily mean that is what you are getting. That other version of the cd had much less bonus tracks...16 songs in total for the cd. Kept this version of the album as the other version seems to be hard to get a hold of.



Recommendations -



The Damned - Damned Damned Damned. More pub-rock punk. Nearly as good as this album.

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable material. A 5/5 debut.

The Saints - (I'm) Stranded. Co-pioneers of punk with Ramones.

The Saints - Eternally yours. A little punk, but more mellow stuff and some garage-pop style stuff too. Their 5/5 2nd album.

Radio Birdman - Radios appear. Contemporaries of The Saints in Australia. Stooges influenced punk band. Has jazzy elements to some songs, like on this Damned album.

Iggy Pop & The Stooges - Raw power. No, not that album. This is an album of demo quality songs. If you can look past that, songs like "Open up and bleed" - which was never released on a studio album - attain 'classic' status after a few listens.

Ramones - Ramones. The album which started punk, along with The Saints' debut. Pop-punk was there right at the beginning...some of the best songs on this album are of that genre. Pity that the guitars are so low in the mix. That gets fixed on new versions of their second album "Leave home", insofaras the bonus tracks include live versions of songs off of their debut album...and the guitars are where they should have been in the mix of the original.