Customer Reviews

Strawberries (Dlx)

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

 

 

Well it's not been a very long since the "Strawberries" remaster was released, but this time it gets the packaging it deserves. Not only the original LP artwork has been restored but you also get the integral of the corresponding b-sides. Althought not as much as you might think since "Rat vs The Omni", "Citadel Zombies" and the Bimbo Jingle were originally just one track on the "Generals" single. And also if I may make a minor complaint... Their is typo in the track listing. I won't commit the offence of telling you what it is.
Anyway, enough moaning... It's nice to finally hear "The Missing Link" in its own induvidual track because it is such a beautiful piece of music.
Moving on to the album, it was the Damned's most sophisticated recording at that point. It had a well balanced mix of punk, rock, new wave, goth and also had an industrial sound to it. It was the last one with Captain Sensible before he left for a very long time but it was also the first to feature Roman Jugg who latter became a full time member of the band.
I suppose their best effort on this album is "The Dog" which is rather a forecast of the sound they were going to adopt ("Phantasmagoria" and "Anything"). "Ignite" is the ultimate hit on the album and is a crowd favorite.
So here it is... The Damned's finest in all it's glory and splendour. Get it now.

Strawberries saw a level of maturity that was actually kind of surprising, and something that they couldn't match after. Songs like "Dozen Girls" or "Bad Time for Bonzo" rock hard, and are among my favorite songs ever. They also showed that they could quiet down with "Don't Bother Me." The bonus tracks are okay, not great but not bad. I miss the strawberry scented lyric sheet of the original release, though.

After this it was pretty much downhill for the damned with Captain Sensible leaving for a very brief successful solo career. But Strawberries remains a very good record that took the eperimentation of the black album abit further on tracks like Under the floor again and life goes on- both haunting and moody rock numbers with pronounced basslines ala New Order. Here the damned showed their love of 60's pyschedelia with very british backing vocals crisp guitar lines and the crooning of deepvoiced Vanian. There still was some of the old punk damned left- especially on the opener Ignite which sounds like something from Machine gun ettiquette. On Stranger on the town theres a motown beat and horn section and this showcased the damneds improved songwriting skills and search for something beyond punk. THeres energy and hooks there just less obvious. The songs are longer and have alot of backing instruments- especially the organ which the damned have always used to good effect. This is one of their more diverse records and sits well with the Black album in feel and style. For 1982 this a very good record from one of the more original bands of the past 30 years. I have the original cd without the bonus material which i prefer because the extra tracks take away the vibe of the original album. The bonus stuff is always interesting and sometimes very good but loses steam and drags it down. If you can find the original big beat releases or the reissues of the damned with just the original tracks i recommend you pick up DAMNED DAMNED DAMNED- MGE- BLACK ALBUM AND STRAWBERRIES.

If you came looking for punk, this album is NOT for you. If you want a band that was musically broadening their horizons through experimentation, then get this album. When I got this album I was expecting a rocking punk LP, but I was disappointed. Strawberries marks the point where The Damned decided to leave the punk scene in favor of Goth/New Order. Some call them sell-outs for it and in a strictly punk sense they are. But the music is solid. No one can ever say that The Damned made bad music.

I'm not partial to this genre and would've liked to hear another album like Machine Gun Etiquette.

First let me say that I have come to adore this band. They have been around as long as i've been alive, but I missed out on their heyday & didn't even know of their existence until 2001. At the time, i had given up on radio & eMpTV as a way of finding new music, since mainstream music had taken a steady nosedive in the late 90s. Thankfully, this band (along with The Chameleons & Killing Joke at the time) came to my rescue. The 1st song i really got into by them was "Plan 9, Channel 7"... still my favorite song of theirs. I didn't know what album to start with, so i got a used copy of The Light at the End of the Tunnel (disc 1 only - i didn't even know there was a disc 2 until later, lol). I eventually heard more songs & thought this would be a good place to start as a 1st album. I haven't been able to put it down since.

1 - Ignite - this starts off very similarly to "Thanks for the Night (Rat Mix)" - lots of in-your-face energy! It makes for a great song to drive out of a parking lot with the windows down ;-)
2 - Generals - i love the piano effect here. I was at a music store a couple years ago & stumbled on a very similar effect on a piano keyboard (i still can't recall what it is), & tried playing this riff.
3 - Stranger on the Town - the intro always sounds to me like it should be played on the intro to Saturday Night Live, hah... anyway, I already knew it from the Tunnel compilation, & it had become my theme song when i moved to Chicago in 2003 & didn't really know anyone for a bit.
4 - Dozen Girls - 1 of the mp3s i was sampling for a while... very punkish, but still head boppy & singable!
5 - The Dog - wow, this song kinda threw me for a loop when i 1st heard it... a "slow" & serious Damned song?? & it's beautiful!! You can't resist saying "Claaaaaaudiaaaaa" at the end either. It's my favorite track on here.
6 - Gun Fury - cool short tune in 5/4 time!
7 - Pleasure & the Pain - the most upbeat song here with a catchy piano riff
8 - The Missing Link - a short little segue that makes you feel like you've walked into a haunted house...
9 - Life Goes On - another favorite of mine with a cool guitar part... which sounds reminiscent of Killing Joke "80s" (& of course Nirvana)... but of course, this came 1st ;-) The lyrics can hit close to home, especially when you're feeling helpless & discouraged about stuff.
10 - Bad Time for Bonzo - another fun song to crank whilst driving around on a sunny day!
11 - Under the Floor Again - 3rd favorite song here. I like the line "goodbye to all my friends... forget i ever was, the mole goes underground"
12 - Don't Bother Me - a silly little closer to the album
13 - Lovely Money - also knew this from the Tunnel compilation, although this version has a longer ending
14 - I Think I'm Wonderful - any time you have self esteem issues, just crank this one up & sing along... it'll have you smiling in no time ;-)

The rest of the bonus tracks are cool too, but i usually stop it here... & rarely with any skipped tracks. I've since also gotten into Machine Gun Etiquette & Phantasmagoria, which are also great. All n all, this is a wonderful album i'm glad i've gotten into this decade, since there hasn't exactly been a plethora of good bands to get into like the 90s was for me. Heck, even my mom liked some of what she heard, & she rarely likes the rock i like ;-)

The very first Damned album I ever heard back in the early 80s and it was definitely my least favorite after hearing damned damned damned,machine gun etiquette,and the black album but after all these years, I pop it in and its has to be one of the best records ever!!!essential,period!!!!!Late,Junior

This record does not live up to the hype. A bit too ambitious, it falls flat. A few catchy hooks and interesting arrangements save it from oblivion.