The Damned - Sessions Of The Damned




Of course, you gotta love The Damned. It has been a few months since my last Damned post and I feel this is the nexrt one to share. Great top to bottom with some sessions done for the late, great Mr. John Peel (may he rest in piece) and various other sources. I am in a rush at the moment and will leave the duty of a more informed opinion to this piece I found whilst floating among the Flotsam and Jetsom of the interwebs....


"Collecting the band’s six appearances on John Peel’s BBC radio show from 1976 to 1984, this album shows the Damned in all their evolving stages. With personnel changes—though the cover touts the band’s original lineup—and stylistic change ups, this collection shows the evolution of the band, from its wild punk days through its experimental post-punk phase to its darker Gothic side. From start to finish, this collection showcases both the band’s live abilities as well as its overlooked songwriting skills.

While the sound quality on these recordings isn’t top of the line, especially on a handful culled from cassette recordings of the original broadcast, they hold up well enough to keep this album easily listenable. Though guitars fade in and out, singer Dave Vanian’s stentorian voice dominates the mix, making most tracks sound full-bodied despite poor engineering.

More important than sound quality on this album, however, is its attention to the band’s development as songwriters. Long remembered more as a goof-off punk band, Sessions shows both the band’s raging punk side as well as its more developed, later work. Songs like the classic "New Rose" and "Neat Neat Neat," recorded in 1976, capture the immediacy of the burgeoning punk movement the band led, while songs like "I Just Can’t Be Happy Today," and "Curtain Call," find the band progressing into more contemplative regions. Much more than the band was ever given credit for, the Damned succeeded in growing out of punk’s death throes into a legitimate band able to diversify."




1. Stab Your Back
2. Neat, Neat, Neat
3. New Rose
4. So Messed Up
5. I Fall
6. Sick of Being Sick
7. Stretcher Case Baby
8. Fan Club
9. Feel the Pain
10. Melody Lee
11. I'm a Burglar
12. Love Song
13. Looking at You - The Damned, MC5
14. I Just Can't Be Happy Today
15. Smash It Up
16. I'm So Bored
17. Curtain Call, Pt. 1
18. Therapy
19. Is It a Dream?
20. Nasty
21. We Love You
22. Thanks for the Night



link in comments