Formed in 1976, The Damned really need no introduction\u2026 \u00a0As well as releasing the first ever British punk single and album, they also broke further new ground as the first UK punk act to tour America. The Damned still receive their dues in the US, where they are often cited as a major influence on many future rock acts, including bastions of the nascent US hardcore scene such as\u00a0Black Flag<\/b>\u00a0and Bad Brains<\/b>\u00a0plus heavy metal heavyweights such as\u00a0Green<\/b> Day<\/b>,\u00a0The<\/b> Offspring<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Guns \u2019N\u2019 Roses<\/b>\u00a0(the LA rockers acknowledged the debt when they covered \u201cNew Rose\u201d on their 1993 album \u2018The Spaghetti Incident\u2019).<\/p>\n
In the recording studio (Pathway Studios) alongside producer\u00a0Nick Lowe<\/b>\u00a0in late 1976, the band \u2013\u00a0David Vanian<\/b>\u00a0(vocals), Captain Sensible<\/b>\u00a0(bass),\u00a0Brian James<\/b>\u00a0(guitar) and\u00a0Rat Scabies<\/b>\u00a0(drums) – produced an alchemic, heady new British rock sound; a menacing mix of tough New York punk rock (chief songwriter Brian James was an early-adopter with a passion for The Ramones that quickly fed through to his bandmates) and Detroit sleaze – the album ends with a cover of The Stooges\u2019 \u201c1970,\u201d here renamed \u201cI Feel Alright\u201d.\u00a0 These predominantly American influences were mixed with a subtle flourish of late-60s British psychedelia and a dash of gothic Hammer Horror for good measure (perhaps inspired by frontman David Vanian\u2019s pre-punk career as a grave-digger?), already pointing to acclaimed future directions for the band.\u00a0 The album was neatly spearheaded by a brace of classic punk singles in the aforementioned\u00a0\u201cNew Rose<\/b>\u201d\u00a0and the blistering follow-up\u00a0\u201cNeat Neat Neat<\/b>\u201d.\u00a0 As the album\u2019s sleeve famously (and correctly) states, this is music;\u00a0\u201cMade to be played loud at low volume\u201d!<\/i><\/p>\n
Now, almost exactly four decades to the day later and with the band still selling-out venues right across the world, The Damned\u2019s hugely influential classic debut is celebrated here in BMG\u2019s\u00a0new<\/span>\u00a0\u2018Art of The Album\u2019\u00a0series, featuring fully remastered audio and new sleevenotes\u00a0within both the CD & LP formats<\/span>\u00a0recalling the story of the band\u2019s conception and the album\u2019s creation.\u00a0 Comprehensively researched and written by legendary punk writer\u00a0John Ingham<\/b>, these new sleevenotes cover in-depth the story of the album & the period in which it was written & recorded, the key players in its creation, the craft and instrumentation, the impact upon release and its legacy 40 years later. Via exclusive interviews with original band members\u00a0Dave Vanian,\u00a0Captain Sensible,\u00a0Brian James\u00a0and\u00a0Rat Scabies, John Ingham (best known for writing the first ever review of The Damned and the first ever interview with The Sex Pistols – both in UK music weekly \u2018Sounds\u2019 in 1976) is perfectly placed to recount the early hedonistic days of the band in this definitive release of one of the most influential albums of all time.<\/p>\n In the age of immediacy, accessibility, streaming and a la carte downloads, the concept of an album or long player has become somewhat lost.\u00a0\u2018The\u00a0Art of The Album\u00a0is a new series looking to refocus the attention on the album as a format.\u00a0 With a collection of seminal and classic LPs, the Art of The Album series will celebrate albums that broke new ground in concept, production, song writing and genre, leaving a lasting legacy as a complete album work of art.<\/p>\n The Damned \u2013 \u2018Damned Damned Damned\u2019 (Art Of The Album) deluxe edition tracklisting;<\/b><\/p>\n 01. Neat Neat Neat<\/b><\/p>\n 02. Fan Club<\/b><\/p>\n 03. I Fall<\/b><\/p>\n 04. Born To Kill<\/b><\/p>\n 05. Stab Yor Back<\/b><\/p>\n 06. Feel The Pain<\/b><\/p>\n 07. New Rose<\/b><\/p>\n 08. Fish<\/b><\/p>\n 09. See Her Tonite<\/b><\/p>\n 10. 1 of The 2<\/b><\/p>\n 11. So Messed Up<\/b><\/p>\n 12. I Feel Alright<\/b><\/p>\n Talking today of the album\u2019s recording,\u00a0Captain Sensible<\/b>\u00a0reflects,\u00a0\u201c<\/i>\u2019Damned Damned Damned\u2019<\/i><\/b>\u00a0was almost \u2018un-produced\u2019 by our Stiff stablemate Nick Lowe, who managed to capture the energy of our live set spectacularly.\u00a0 Nick was known as \u2018Basher\u2019 as there was no messing about. It\u2019s fairly manic, but also tuneful and, listened to now, still sounds pretty fresh to my ears\u2026.\u00a0 The guitars don\u2019t sound nice \u2013 they\u2019re a raw, fuzzed-out thrash \u2013 that\u2019s punk rock.\u00a0 Pathway was\u00a0a rough and ready studio round the back of an Islington garage.\u00a0 It was so dark and dingy in there \u2013 you had to be careful or you\u2019d knock your beer over.\u00a0 The sessions took two days, after which the tape was recycled for an Elvis Costello album so there\u2019s no chance of a remix\u2026\u00a0 Not that you\u2019d want one \u2013 it\u2019s perfect!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n The Damned<\/b>\u00a0(<\/span>David Vanian, Captain Sensible, Monty Oxymoron, Andrew ‘Pinch’ Pinching,<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Stu West)\u00a0<\/b>embark on an extensive world tour this spring, including a two month North American run, returning to play a series of UK festivals in the summer (check the band’s\u00a0website<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for details).<\/span>\u00a0They also\u00a0<\/b>headed into the studio this winter to start work on a brand new album, their first since 2008’s\u00a0‘So, Who’s Paranoid?<\/b>‘ A pre-order link for the CD, colored vinyl, as well as exclusive merch (and experiences) is available at\u00a0PledgeMusic<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Stay tuned for more info.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/magnumpr_unnamed5-1.jpg\")
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