positive punk: THE DAMNED

"damned, damned, damned"
Year: 1977
Label: Universal
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 12
Time: 38 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Punk Rock

THE DAMNED are a punk-rock band originally from Croydon, England, a suburb of London, who were formed in 1976. Despite being one of the definitive early punk bands they were also one of the most ambitious; with their later albums moving away from gothic rock to psychedelic rock. They are notable for being the first of the british punk band to release a official single, put out an album and tour the United States. Their debut album, "Damned Damned Damned" was released 6 months before The Sex Pistols’ debut "Never Mind The Bollocks". THE DAMNED have dissolved and reformed many times, with singer Dave Vanian remaining the sole constant. They have incorporated many styles in their music, most notably psychedelia, gothic and new wave. In addition to serving as inspiration for many of the american young bands who created hardcore music beacause their fast punk (in 1976), THE DAMNED are also generally regarded as one of the founders of goth / dark music. Original members Dave Vanian (David Lett), Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns), and Rat Scabies (Chris Millar) were all members of the semi-legendary Masters of the Backside which included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.
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"music for pleasure"
Year: 1978
Label: Universal
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 11
Time: 32 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Punk Rock

"Music for Pleasure" is the second studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 November 1977, through record label Stiff. "Music for Pleasure" was produced by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and featured new member Lu Edmunds on guitar alongside Brian James, as well as guest saxophonist Lol Coxhill. The album was the last album-length studio release to feature original guitarist Brian James, who would rejoin the band in the late '80s and early '90s for a live album and studio single. It was also the group's final album release on Stiff Records. It saw the band move into more complex song structures, while maintaining the punk sound of their debut album. At the time of its release, the album was dismissed by critics as a poor misstep. During August and September they recorded "Music for pleasure", by produced by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason (of all people), which eventually did just the job for media hacks with a desire to write them off as has-beens. A notable flop, the LP was rather strange in a way that words can't describe, but boasted another clutch of fine songs, some of which were new ones by James. ‘Politics', a re-done 'Stretcher Case', 'You Take My Money' were James originals, but the standout was Sensible / Scabies' infamous attack on the band Television (‘Idiot Box'), complete with parodic Tom Verlaine guitar. Avant garde saxophonist Lol Coxhill even appeared on one track, the Stooges-like 'You Know'. The press hated it and therefore slated it. Scabies, who had to be persuaded to stay in the band to record the LP, left the band before it was released in November. The LP flopped dramatically: despite brilliant cover art by Barney Bubbles, the bad reviews sunk it.

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"machine gun etiquette"
Year: 1979
Label: Universal
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 11
Time: 36 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Punk Rock

"Machine gun etiquette" was THE DAMNED's third album but the first after a quasi-breakup and founding guitarist Brian James' departure, which was quite the blessing in disguise. The Damned made history with their punk debut, "Damned Damned Damned" but their second album, "Music for pleasure", was a real stinker. Without James they were able to reinvent themselves. Bassist Captain Sensible switched to guitar and they made an amazing record, far and away their best and one of the best albums of the era. The first song, "Love Song," is absolutely brilliant and the band recorded here (in my opinion) the first "proto-hardcore" songs ever. Hell, the whole record is great.
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"the black album"
Year: 1980
Label: Universal
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 18
Time: 58 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Goth Punk

Far from the Sex Pistols scandals and increasing "mainstream" of The Clash music, there was a third way which adopted by THE DAMNED and this was, of experimentation with many styles such as: post-punk, goth rock, cold wave and even sounds from the 60s decade like garage or psychedelia. With its debut album THE DAMNED demonstrated its fast and noisy punk-rock (in 1976), but with this "The black album" the band wanted to be more creative than destructive, and recorded a concept album from start to finish as the huge work who had made their admired The Who with "Quadrophenia" or David Bowie with "Ziggy Stardust", a work of aArt in a nutshell. Often this disk is described as one of must on the list of so-called "Art Punk" due to high musical quality, but I personally think this is a complete post-punk album or goth-punk album, nothing more. The thing is THE DAMNED started to record very good albums with high quality in many aspects: creativity, originaliy, technical level, sound production, etc. Since "The black album" nothing to do with its three first albums.

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"strawberries"
Year: 1982
Label: Universal
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 11
Time: 48 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Goth Punk

"Strawberries", originally titled "Strawberries for Pigs", is the fifth studio album by English punk rock band The Damned. It was released in October 1982 by record label Bronze. Describing the album we can to say this is a mix with classic punk-rock, goth rock and also an increasing influence of dark pop sounds. Despite their sound more melodic, the album is excellent and highly recommended. This release here was made in 2015 through major "Universal Music" (Sanctuary Records) on LP and CD format.
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NAZ NOMAD AND THE NIGHTMARES
"give daddy the knife Cindy"
Year: 1984
Country: UK
Label: Big Beat
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 12
Time: 30 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

"Naz Nomad and The Nightmares" was a one-off project featuring the members of punk rock band The Damned. Naz Nomad and The Nightmares released one album entitled Give Daddy The Knife Cindy in 1984. The album was packaged to look like the re-issue of a 1967 soundtrack album to a (fictitious) low budget American horror film. A copyright notice on the front cover claimed the film was "Copyright 1967 American Screen Destiny Pictures", and credits are given for the film's stars, director and producer. The album itself featured covers of songs by garage rock and psychedelic acts who had influenced the Damned, plus two original numbers in the same style. Each member of the band took on pseudonyms different from those used in The Damned for the project.

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"phantasmagoria"
Year: 1985
Label: Universal
Format: CD , LP
Tracks: 8
Time: 58 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Goth Rock

"Phantasmagoria" is the sixth album by The Damned, released by MCA records in July 1985. Special editions were available on white vinyl or picture disc — some versions included a free 12" of their No. 3 hit Eloise. After much wrangling, the Damned received a new contract with MCA Records in October 1984 (past member Captain Sensible's hit solo career helped) and recorded the album in Eel Pie Studios between March and June 1985. It reached No. 11 in the charts, and was the band's highest charting album ever. The non-album single "Eloise," (a Barry Ryan cover), released six months later, became a huge UK hit reaching No. 3. The Damned centred the entire album around David Vanian's deep voice, giving much of the album a gothic feeling. "Edward the Bear" is a light pop tune sung by Roman Jugg. The album is currently out-of-print in North America but was remastered and reissued by Geffen Records in Japan in 2007, which features replicas of the LP's outer and inner sleeves and the CD's label resembles the white vinyl edition. One of the best gothic albums written ever. Excellent
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"anything"
Year: 1986
Label: Universal
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 10
Time: 40 min.
Genre: rock
Style: New Wave

After Captain Sensible left the Damned in 1984 when his solo career took off with the freak success of his single "Happy Talk," Dave Vanian took over the creative reins of the group, and he began nudging their music in a direction that reflected his growing interest in the goth movement. The Damned's flirtation with goth led to them signing a major label deal for the first time and enjoying one of their biggest commercial successes with the 1985 album "phantasmagoria". "Anything" probably was their most economic profitous album, but at the same time, their less talented. Despite all, there are three good songs (released as singles): "Eloise", "gigolo" and "in dulce decorum".
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"not of this earth"

Year: 1996
Label: Universal
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 12
Time: 40 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Goth Punk

Underrated, understood and forgot album. Due to unknown reasons, this album was released through different record labels, with different artworks and also differently untitled ("I'm alright jack and the bean stalk" for example), and maybe these all facts became in a complete faillure. The reality was the album passed unuticied by both, medias and audience. But despite this, the album is simply another great piece of rock, recorded by this legend band: The Damned.

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"grave disorder"
Year: 2001
Label: Nitro
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 13
Time: 58 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Goth Punk

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"so, who's the paranoid?"
Year: 2008
Label: The english channel
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 13
Time: 60 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Goth Punk

Like any album from a band on the wrong side of 30, "So, Who's Paranoid?" comes with a stigma attached: The success rate on these kinds of middle-aged reunion projects is already low, and factor in a founding role in the '70s punk scene and members named Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies and the odds plunge to a nearly microscopic level. Realistically, the Damned is lucky enough to still be alive. Yet somehow the band has done two better than expectations would warrant, not only staying together (intermittently, and with a revolving cast of new and original members) but recording an album that somehow rises above mediocrity. So, Who's Paranoid? plays like a slideshow of the Damned's career, moving from simplistic, three-chord punk ("A Nation Fit for Heroes," "Nothing") to crooning goth ("Under the Wheels"), capping off with a baggy, shambling psych exploration that would be destructive if not placed safely at the end of the album. Along the way, the band makes room for some bloated Broadway style numbers ("Since I Met You," "Nature's Dark Passion") and even a dash of Britpop ("Danger to Yourself"), a thematic limpness that is either a sign of distraction or a way of showing off how diversely talented the band is. This cobbled, retrospective feel is the greatest failing here but ultimately feels like a quibble compared to how badly things could have turned out. The album is consistently smart and musically gratifying, if not overly sharp, and with the generally even tone established by Dave Vanian's refreshingly wry lyrics, it maintains a somewhat united feeling despite its scrapbook sensibility. For a band seemingly long past their prime, this level of quality is no small accomplishment, digging at old veins to create a smaller-scale version of the Damned's earlier successes.

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