The Damned loved (and loves) 60's psych and early prog rock....and never bothered to hide it. and you are correct...Scabies has a strong jazz/big band influence
When he started saying that, decades after this, it didn't surprise me (I remember that era when he played solos in the live set). He wouldn't make it as a jazz drummer - a ton of ideas but even in the Not Of This Earth era he was not very good at maintaining a steady tempo, so more Keith Moon than Kenny Clarke.
The Damned, were the quintissential 'Punk Band' always pushing forward and giving the recordings just enough time and stripped down production, during the early years... Before recording this Album, Lemmy stepped in for a few months and gigs, generally refered to as 'The Doomed' or 'Motordamn'. Melody is a charachter from a Girls Adventure Comic, and Smash it up is The Captains tribute to the untimely death of Marc Bolan.
The Damned was the first band I saw live back in 1981. Some great tracks on Etiquette. My favourite album's The Black Album. Look forward to seeing your reaction to that. The 'nibbled to death by an okapi' ending was a tape loop of Peter Jones narrating The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. The full line is: 'Meanwhile, the Earthman Arthur Dent, to whom all this can be of only academic interest, as his only brother was long ago nibbled to death by an okapi, is about to be plunged into a real intergalactic war.'
Haha I wonder if it was Captain Sensible who suggested it. Huge Damned fan, I hope they (lately reunited with Rat Scabies and Paul Gray) tour the western USA. I can't afford to go to No Values (a Classic punk fest in CA featuring damn near All the classic punks!)
Nice one man!! Fantastic album by probably my favourite band. The track Machine Gun Etiquette refers to the fact that the band actually split after the second album so MGE is actually a comeback album "second time around". One of the bands main influences was MC5 and Looking at You is actually a cover of an MC5 song. Another aside, this album was recorded at Wessex studios at the same time that The Clash were recording London Calling, there is some grainy footage on UA-cam of some of the antics both bands got up to, imagine some of those sessions.
The Damned were a very versatile band. You picked up on the hints of psychedelia these influences come out more and more in their next few albums. The album Strawberries in particular showcases their ability to genre hop while maintaining their high standards and some really great music. The Damned and Motorhead were great friends with each other sometimes even touring together. The thing to remember about Plan 9 was it wasn't really a middle track. it was the first track on side 2 of the album. I think this is the thing that is lost with CD's, streaming etc Albums up until the early 80's weren't designed as one long tracklist but 2 parts with tracks often strategically placed as the opener of one side of the album. Good review you will enjoy more Damned.
Not "were", they still ARE! 😄 They're still active today, and Rat Scabies had rejoined them on drums only recently, too! 😀 Otherwise: Great comment! 😀👍
Justin, first thank you! A few comments: "Machine Gun Etiquette"s reference to "second time around", does, I feel, refer to a period when the band had broken up after their second album. I also agree that the organ/keyboard on "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" has a bit of a fuzzy guitar feel to it. I love the piano intro to "Melody Lee"; it reminds me of Nigel Tufnel's reference to their song "Lick My Love Pump" from the mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap". You nailed it when you said the guitar playing was elevated from what you'd heard before, as Brian James was on guitar on the first album, and Captain Sensible is on duty for this album. Finally, "nibbled to death by an okapi" is a sample from the first BBC radio series of "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy". Again, THANK YOU!!
Machine Gun Etiquette to Black Album to Strawberries is such a strong run for any kind of band that to me it proves that The Damned were, and are, the best 70's UK punk band
This album is one of my all time faves. It's just got so many bangers. Really love Anti Pope and so many others. Also, I think MGE and their next album, The Black Album, well, they're just both stellar. I haven't tired of either album in 40+ years.
For the first two albums, the primary songwriter was Brian James. He then went on to The Lords of the New Church. With Etiquette, the songwriting was more collaberative.
Nope. He formed Tanz Der Youth and released music and he formed Brian James and the Brains and released music in the later 70,s after departure from the Damned 👍
Hey there Dr J, from Ned in Spain ! Too bad that this got blocked, I hope it wasn't any of the band members, probably a lawyer. This LP has been and still is one of our all time favorites and it never gets old. It has so many different flavors and they're all ferociously delicious. If I had to put a top 3 of their albums it would be: 1) Machine Gun 2) First album 3) Black Album. The speed and attack of this is definitely on the Motorhead level and runs parallel to 1980s US Hardcore Punk. Plus sweet jams like the Smash It Up intro. These geniuses could do it all and be bloody funny about it too.
The track you're thinking of is Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll Pt 2" . BTW Lemmy played bass on a cover of Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" on the B-side of "Love Song"...
The Captain's seamless transition from bass to lead guitars for this album is quite simply stunning. This album was certainly a euphoric 'comeback' for the band, containing many portents of what was to follow. The Black Album was next up, with Paul Gray replacing Algy Ward on bass, developing further the cinematic/melodramatic overtones that began to develop on MGE. For a Long Song Saturday, you can't go wrong with the 17 minute epic 'Curtain Call' from that era. That the band are still going today, making music that is just as good, if not better, than ever before (the Darkadelic album from last year was magnificent) shows that they have always been, and will remain, top-notch musicians. Love 'em!
45 years later, I wonder who would win in a poll - The Damned, The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers or The Clash (that's the big four of punk which I doubt anyone said at the time!). In 1979 when this was released, I suspect The Clash would have won hands down with The Damned trailing fourth - though the Pistols had disbanded by then and were possibly suffering a backlash. In 2024, I wonder if The Damned might win. Actually, you could possibly add in The Jam and call it a big 5 though probably few nowadays consider The Jam a punk band. Anyway, Machine Gun Etiquette is a great album.
Not heard this is a while, and i'd almost forgotten what a crackin' album it is. So much more than just a 'punk' band, The Damned were veritable musical chameleons. Top playing, tunes,hooks, riffs, they covered a lot of bases. They were also a great live band, I saw them a bunch of times, and it was always a great night. PS song you couldn't remember, Rock n Roll, by Gary Glitter, less said the better. PPS, Repeated line at the end's from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy :)
Yep! The Damned might well be the most punk of all punk bands, but at the same time they're completely different, with their multiple musical influences and open-mindedness.
Glad you enjoyed Machine Gun Etiquette. 2 other albums worth a listen from this Era that I enjoyed are Boomtown Rats Alt Punk "The fine art of surfacing", and one of the pioneers of American Punk: Black Flag's "Damaged"
Interesting Motörhead comparison! The bassist on this album, Algy Ward, founded the Heavy Metal band Tank, after his fairly short stint in The Damned 🙂 And there's quite an entertaining 'Old Grey Whistle Test' live performance from back then of 'Smash It Up (Pt.II)' and 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today' 😁
Ah yes! the famous OGWT presented by Annie Nightingale in which she says at the end that the studio was haunted by The Who!!!! (and there's a bit of that🤣).
@@a.k.1740 - Yes, that's the one! 😁 And gosh, did they sound awful! 😅 Mostly because of getting drunk while having to wait for their turn to perform! 😄 Apparently, Annie (RIP) had 'helped' them with that, but miraculously, _she_ was able to keep herself together 😄 So many funny little moments in that performance too! 😄
@@mightyV444 Yeah, it's epic as well as pathetic but ultimately funny! Between Captain Sensible's candlestick on top of his organ falling over and his amp going haywire, Rat Scabies freaking out and algy Ward and Dave Vanian stoically carrying on playing and singing while the other two destroy their equipment, it's all a load of nonsense! Justin really needs to see this, knowing that they're not The Damned at their best!
@@a.k.1740 - "Epic as well as pathetic", I love that! 😄👍 Apparently, the organ Sensible tipped off the stage had been Vanian's, who still is grumpy today with him for doing that 😄
@@mightyV444 Exactly! I saw this on the Damned's UA-cam channel, where Captain Sensible explains it (although I originally thought this Vox continental organ was his). Dave looks like someone in control. If I were him, I'd have strangled Captain live on TV.🤣
I'm pretty sure the album and the second song was supposed to be called second time around. This being their first album since getting back together after breaking up in '78.
Actually, the song is called "Second time Around" on the live side of the double Black Album but "Machine Gun Etiquette" on the album of the same name!
It was originally recorded by Rat’s band ‘White Cats’ on a John Peel session and was indeed called ‘Second time around’, on the same show Peel featured sessions from ‘Lords of the new church’ and Captain’s band ‘King’, the ‘King’ set included ‘Antipope’ and the keyboard solo from ‘Just be happy today’ featured as a xylophone solo in a song called ‘My baby don’t care’ if I remember correctly 🤔
One of my favourite albums for sure! Also a super fun reaction with an abundance of meme-worthy facial expressions 😂 and in case it hasn't come up, Looking At You is an MC5 cover so I'd venture a guess Kramer and Smith were among Captain's influences.
The studio version of Looking At You fades in the mid-song breakdown, at the point where Rat might set fire to his drums (and, at a certain polytechnic, destroy the stage)
You’re not far off on your guesses about Captain Sensibles’s influences. He was a Prog fan before he got into punk and he’s played some tribute concerts to Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd over the past 10 years or so.
I liked the early singles enough but hearing this album in its entirety with a group of friends was a huge moment. This one really blew me away, punk psych rock played LOUD 😊
Best is questionable - it would make more sense if he first reviewed The Black Album (in its deluxe form, with all the relevant bonus tracks!) BTW No one on this page has mentioned that the complete Smash It Up Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 did eventually come out as a single.
What a surprise JP!. Fabulous LP. If no one else has mentioned it there is an hilarious live version of 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today' on the BBC TV rock show 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' where the Captain is ahem!!! playing the keyboard with Dave Vanian holding a (we assume) 'play in a day' music tuition book. Captain Sensible was a big fan of Soft Machine (& Syd Barrett et al) and didn't shy away from acknowledging 'stealing' from his influences - 'These Hands' borrows from 'Hope For Happiness' from the 1st SM LP. 'Plan 9.... ' sounds exactly the same live - such power. With the drum break on 'Liar' are you thinking of the godlike genius Gene Krupa? Last thing (!) - the description of the film 'Plan 9 From Outer Space': er - it certainly is worth watching but not for the reasons the description you read out would suggest - it is notoriously one of the worst films (in an hilarous way) ever made.
Thanks Justin for your reaction to The Damned! The Motörhead connection makes sense. Lemmy was mates with the band from the start and even played bass with them on stage at the end of '78 when Captain Sensible switched from bass to guitar. Machine Gun Etiquette is a bit of a transitional album, with a punk edge that's still very pronounced, but with neo-psychedelic incursions led mainly by the brilliant Captain Sensible (who I think is a much better guitarist than his predecessor Brian James was). Expect the unexpected with The Damned on their next two fantastic albums: The Black Album and Strawberries, which I'm sure you'll love! Captain Sensible's influences are many (60s psychedelic pop & garage rock, 70s glam-rock and even the occasional bit of progressive). His flamboyant guitar playing reminds me of a punk version of Jimi Hendrix. Oh, and he also has a very interesting solo career!!!
@@jfergs.3302 Captain is highly forgiven. The idea of a cover version to fill the record came from his producer Tony Mansfield (from the band New Musik). Captain didn't want to release it as a single and it was the label that insisted on releasing it that way. And leaving that aside, he's done so many interesting things!
@@a.k.1740 I have to admit I never really checked out CS's solo stuff. In fact I lost touch with The Damned altogether, pretty much, at the end of the 80's. Just checked out their discography, and seen they've released 5 albums since then! Looks like I've some catching up to do. And re them still going, yeah, googled and see they're on tour later this year... I might pop along for old times sake :)
@@a.k.1740 TSGC's... never even heard of them... looks like a lot's passed me by. I'll add then to the list. PS, just checked out The Damned tickets, over 50 quid a pop! A lot dearer than when i first saw then, that's inflation for ya.
The Damned music gets deeper and more accomplished with each album. Phantasmagoria basically created Goth style. Forget The Cure, they came later, and were much more watered down and pop. Goth was pretty much invented by The Damned and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Plan 9 from outer space is a movie by director Ed wood ( played by johnny Depp in the biopic of him ) and the awful shoestring budget movies he created that became cult classics. One being Glen or Glenda which is supposedly about a mans obsession with his partners angora sweater but is more about cross dressing/ transvestism 👍
As an aside, Plan 9 from Outer Space is usually in the 'Worst Films of All-time' lists. I'll let you read further elsewhere but it deserves its poor reputation so only watch with several drinks at hand and tongue firmly in cheek.
"Lord. bless us for what we are about to receive". Could you pass the weapons and ammo? If you please. We're very polite here in Connecticut. Saying excuse me as we shoot and observe proper "Machine Gun Etiquette! Peace, Love, and pardon me warden. ( sorry I feel like a river full of beavers,----Damned!)
The riff you seem to be trying to remember is from Rock and Roll Part 2, by renowned, but at that time undiscovered, child molesting friend of Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter. As I understand it, it gets played, the riff at least, on American TV's coverage of NFL games. Americans are unaware of who it's by, or his nasty, dirty, crimes.
The Damned loved (and loves) 60's psych and early prog rock....and never bothered to hide it.
and you are correct...Scabies has a strong jazz/big band influence
When he started saying that, decades after this, it didn't surprise me (I remember that era when he played solos in the live set). He wouldn't make it as a jazz drummer - a ton of ideas but even in the Not Of This Earth era he was not very good at maintaining a steady tempo, so more Keith Moon than Kenny Clarke.
Rat carried the Moonie torch!!
The Damned, were the quintissential 'Punk Band' always pushing forward and giving the recordings just enough time and stripped down production, during the early years... Before recording this Album, Lemmy stepped in for a few months and gigs, generally refered to as 'The Doomed' or 'Motordamn'. Melody is a charachter from a Girls Adventure Comic, and Smash it up is The Captains tribute to the untimely death of Marc Bolan.
The Damned was the first band I saw live back in 1981. Some great tracks on Etiquette. My favourite album's The Black Album. Look forward to seeing your reaction to that. The 'nibbled to death by an okapi' ending was a tape loop of Peter Jones narrating The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. The full line is: 'Meanwhile, the Earthman Arthur Dent, to whom all this can be of only academic interest, as his only brother was long ago nibbled to death by an okapi, is about to be plunged into a real intergalactic war.'
I looove Douglas Adams and especially that book series! 😊 And also The Damned and _their_ sense of humour! 😁
Haha I wonder if it was Captain Sensible who suggested it. Huge Damned fan, I hope they (lately reunited with Rat Scabies and Paul Gray) tour the western USA. I can't afford to go to No Values (a Classic punk fest in CA featuring damn near All the classic punks!)
Nice one man!! Fantastic album by probably my favourite band. The track Machine Gun Etiquette refers to the fact that the band actually split after the second album so MGE is actually a comeback album "second time around". One of the bands main influences was MC5 and Looking at You is actually a cover of an MC5 song. Another aside, this album was recorded at Wessex studios at the same time that The Clash were recording London Calling, there is some grainy footage on UA-cam of some of the antics both bands got up to, imagine some of those sessions.
The Damned were a very versatile band. You picked up on the hints of psychedelia these influences come out more and more in their next few albums. The album Strawberries in particular showcases their ability to genre hop while maintaining their high standards and some really great music. The Damned and Motorhead were great friends with each other sometimes even touring together. The thing to remember about Plan 9 was it wasn't really a middle track. it was the first track on side 2 of the album. I think this is the thing that is lost with CD's, streaming etc Albums up until the early 80's weren't designed as one long tracklist but 2 parts with tracks often strategically placed as the opener of one side of the album. Good review you will enjoy more Damned.
Not "were", they still ARE! 😄 They're still active today, and Rat Scabies had rejoined them on drums only recently, too! 😀
Otherwise: Great comment!
😀👍
The Damned are currently on tour, with Rat Scabies back in the fold. I’m excited!
Yes! 🤩 Now they're back to my favourite line-up! 😊
Yes! I live in Albuquerque so my best bets are Denver, or maybe Austin. I don't know if El Paso is big enough for Damned fans, but I know Austin is.
Justin, first thank you! A few comments: "Machine Gun Etiquette"s reference to "second time around", does, I feel, refer to a period when the band had broken up after their second album. I also agree that the organ/keyboard on "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" has a bit of a fuzzy guitar feel to it. I love the piano intro to "Melody Lee"; it reminds me of Nigel Tufnel's reference to their song "Lick My Love Pump" from the mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap". You nailed it when you said the guitar playing was elevated from what you'd heard before, as Brian James was on guitar on the first album, and Captain Sensible is on duty for this album. Finally, "nibbled to death by an okapi" is a sample from the first BBC radio series of "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy". Again, THANK YOU!!
Machine Gun Etiquette to Black Album to Strawberries is such a strong run for any kind of band that
to me it proves that The Damned were, and are, the best 70's UK punk band
This album is one of my all time faves. It's just got so many bangers. Really love Anti Pope and so many others. Also, I think MGE and their next album, The Black Album, well, they're just both stellar. I haven't tired of either album in 40+ years.
As I recall, the Anti-Pope lyrics are actually by the Captain's brother (another member of the Burns family anyway)
For the first two albums, the primary songwriter was Brian James. He then went on to The Lords of the New Church. With Etiquette, the songwriting was more collaberative.
Nope. He formed Tanz Der Youth and released music and he formed Brian James and the Brains and released music in the later 70,s after departure from the Damned 👍
@@gmantramp404 I stand corrected. Thanks. 👍
@@S01dev1 He was also involved in The Wanderers just before New Church (the two bands are very much related).
@@trashandcheese3636 I was not aware of that project. Something new to look up. Thanks. 👍
The Motor Damned!
Hey there Dr J, from Ned in Spain ! Too bad that this got blocked, I hope it wasn't any of the band members, probably a lawyer. This LP has been and still is one of our all time favorites and it never gets old. It has so many different flavors and they're all ferociously delicious. If I had to put a top 3 of their albums it would be: 1) Machine Gun 2) First album 3) Black Album. The speed and attack of this is definitely on the Motorhead level and runs parallel to 1980s US Hardcore Punk. Plus sweet jams like the Smash It Up intro. These geniuses could do it all and be bloody funny about it too.
The track you're thinking of is Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll Pt 2" .
BTW Lemmy played bass on a cover of Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" on the B-side of "Love Song"...
It was the first song on the B-side of I just Can't Be Happy Today, followed by Sensible's The Turkey Song.
The Captain's seamless transition from bass to lead guitars for this album is quite simply stunning. This album was certainly a euphoric 'comeback' for the band, containing many portents of what was to follow. The Black Album was next up, with Paul Gray replacing Algy Ward on bass, developing further the cinematic/melodramatic overtones that began to develop on MGE. For a Long Song Saturday, you can't go wrong with the 17 minute epic 'Curtain Call' from that era. That the band are still going today, making music that is just as good, if not better, than ever before (the Darkadelic album from last year was magnificent) shows that they have always been, and will remain, top-notch musicians. Love 'em!
Capt Sensible played bass on their first album he moved to guitar when Brian James left. That's why there's such a difference between the albums.
Thanks for shouting me out! Their recent albums are good too! And in concert they never fail 🤘🥀🦇🧛♂️
45 years later, I wonder who would win in a poll - The Damned, The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers or The Clash (that's the big four of punk which I doubt anyone said at the time!). In 1979 when this was released, I suspect The Clash would have won hands down with The Damned trailing fourth - though the Pistols had disbanded by then and were possibly suffering a backlash. In 2024, I wonder if The Damned might win. Actually, you could possibly add in The Jam and call it a big 5 though probably few nowadays consider The Jam a punk band. Anyway, Machine Gun Etiquette is a great album.
The Damned was always my number one. 😊
Melody Lee was a character in a British Comic Book (Bunty).
Not heard this is a while, and i'd almost forgotten what a crackin' album it is. So much more than just a 'punk' band, The Damned were veritable musical chameleons. Top playing, tunes,hooks, riffs, they covered a lot of bases. They were also a great live band, I saw them a bunch of times, and it was always a great night. PS song you couldn't remember, Rock n Roll, by Gary Glitter, less said the better. PPS, Repeated line at the end's from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy :)
Yep! The Damned might well be the most punk of all punk bands, but at the same time they're completely different, with their multiple musical influences and open-mindedness.
@@a.k.1740 Aye, it's what made them a lot more interesting than a lot of their peers.
@@jfergs.3302 And they're still at it in 2024, with some very respectable albums and, to top it all off, Rat Scabies is back!😎
Lemmy actually played with The Damned for a while
Glad you enjoyed Machine Gun Etiquette. 2 other albums worth a listen from this Era that I enjoyed are Boomtown Rats Alt Punk "The fine art of surfacing", and one of the pioneers of American Punk: Black Flag's "Damaged"
Damaged! 💥✊ hardcore classic. Their diy label SST was a weird new world to me as a youth
One of my absolute favourite albums, love it
Interesting Motörhead comparison! The bassist on this album, Algy Ward, founded the Heavy Metal band Tank, after his fairly short stint in The Damned 🙂
And there's quite an entertaining 'Old Grey Whistle Test' live performance from back then of 'Smash It Up (Pt.II)' and 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today' 😁
Ah yes! the famous OGWT presented by Annie Nightingale in which she says at the end that the studio was haunted by The Who!!!! (and there's a bit of that🤣).
@@a.k.1740 - Yes, that's the one! 😁 And gosh, did they sound awful! 😅 Mostly because of getting drunk while having to wait for their turn to perform! 😄 Apparently, Annie (RIP) had 'helped' them with that, but miraculously, _she_ was able to keep herself together 😄
So many funny little moments in that performance too! 😄
@@mightyV444 Yeah, it's epic as well as pathetic but ultimately funny! Between Captain Sensible's candlestick on top of his organ falling over and his amp going haywire, Rat Scabies freaking out and algy Ward and Dave Vanian stoically carrying on playing and singing while the other two destroy their equipment, it's all a load of nonsense! Justin really needs to see this, knowing that they're not The Damned at their best!
@@a.k.1740 - "Epic as well as pathetic", I love that! 😄👍
Apparently, the organ Sensible tipped off the stage had been Vanian's, who still is grumpy today with him for doing that 😄
@@mightyV444 Exactly! I saw this on the Damned's UA-cam channel, where Captain Sensible explains it (although I originally thought this Vox continental organ was his). Dave looks like someone in control. If I were him, I'd have strangled Captain live on TV.🤣
“Nibbled To Death by an Okapi” is a direct clip from the Radio serialization of The Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy.
I'm pretty sure the album and the second song was supposed to be called second time around. This being their first album since getting back together after breaking up in '78.
Actually, the song is called "Second time Around" on the live side of the double Black Album but "Machine Gun Etiquette" on the album of the same name!
It was originally recorded by Rat’s band ‘White Cats’ on a John Peel session and was indeed called ‘Second time around’, on the same show Peel featured sessions from ‘Lords of the new church’ and Captain’s band ‘King’, the ‘King’ set included ‘Antipope’ and the keyboard solo from ‘Just be happy today’ featured as a xylophone solo in a song called ‘My baby don’t care’ if I remember correctly 🤔
Whoa cool!!🤘 One of my all time fav albums 🔥
One of my favourite albums for sure! Also a super fun reaction with an abundance of meme-worthy facial expressions 😂 and in case it hasn't come up, Looking At You is an MC5 cover so I'd venture a guess Kramer and Smith were among Captain's influences.
The studio version of Looking At You fades in the mid-song breakdown, at the point where Rat might set fire to his drums (and, at a certain polytechnic, destroy the stage)
Rat has recently rejoined the band, and has been on their recent tour, alongside Dave and the Captain.
You’re not far off on your guesses about Captain Sensibles’s influences. He was a Prog fan before he got into punk and he’s played some tribute concerts to Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd over the past 10 years or so.
Melody Lee lyrics were claimed to be taken from a girls comic called "Bunty"
Cant go wrong with the damned. Still great live.
"Burglar" = B-side of "Smash It Up"
Best punk album ever in my book.
captain sensibles favorite guitar player is hendrix and i think you can tell be his solos.
I liked the early singles enough but hearing this album in its entirety with a group of friends was a huge moment. This one really blew me away, punk psych rock played LOUD 😊
This album is a masterpiece
Please react to The Damneds best album 'Strawberries'
Best is questionable - it would make more sense if he first reviewed The Black Album (in its deluxe form, with all the relevant bonus tracks!)
BTW No one on this page has mentioned that the complete Smash It Up Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 did eventually come out as a single.
Great album great band. 😊
Great choice of album.Recommend The Stranglers Raven album,or New Model Army's album Thunder and Consolation.Think you'll enjoy both.
What a surprise JP!. Fabulous LP. If no one else has mentioned it there is an hilarious live version of 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today' on the BBC TV rock show 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' where the Captain is ahem!!! playing the keyboard with Dave Vanian holding a (we assume) 'play in a day' music tuition book. Captain Sensible was a big fan of Soft Machine (& Syd Barrett et al) and didn't shy away from acknowledging 'stealing' from his influences - 'These Hands' borrows from 'Hope For Happiness' from the 1st SM LP. 'Plan 9.... ' sounds exactly the same live - such power. With the drum break on 'Liar' are you thinking of the godlike genius Gene Krupa? Last thing (!) - the description of the film 'Plan 9 From Outer Space': er - it certainly is worth watching but not for the reasons the description you read out would suggest - it is notoriously one of the worst films (in an hilarous way) ever made.
Hey Song - Rock n roll part 2- Gary Glitter -- it always plays at all stadium sporting events.
I think the song you're thinking of is called "Rock and Roll Part 2" and they usually play it at sports events. But I'm not sure what came out first.
Thanks Justin for your reaction to The Damned!
The Motörhead connection makes sense. Lemmy was mates with the band from the start and even played bass with them on stage at the end of '78 when Captain Sensible switched from bass to guitar.
Machine Gun Etiquette is a bit of a transitional album, with a punk edge that's still very pronounced, but with neo-psychedelic incursions led mainly by the brilliant Captain Sensible (who I think is a much better guitarist than his predecessor Brian James was).
Expect the unexpected with The Damned on their next two fantastic albums: The Black Album and Strawberries, which I'm sure you'll love!
Captain Sensible's influences are many (60s psychedelic pop & garage rock, 70s glam-rock and even the occasional bit of progressive). His flamboyant guitar playing reminds me of a punk version of Jimi Hendrix. Oh, and he also has a very interesting solo career!!!
All well and true re C.S. but not sure i can forgive him for Happy Talk... :)
@@jfergs.3302 Captain is highly forgiven. The idea of a cover version to fill the record came from his producer Tony Mansfield (from the band New Musik). Captain didn't want to release it as a single and it was the label that insisted on releasing it that way. And leaving that aside, he's done so many interesting things!
@@a.k.1740 I have to admit I never really checked out CS's solo stuff. In fact I lost touch with The Damned altogether, pretty much, at the end of the 80's. Just checked out their discography, and seen they've released 5 albums since then! Looks like I've some catching up to do.
And re them still going, yeah, googled and see they're on tour later this year... I might pop along for old times sake :)
@@jfergs.3302 I also really like the two albums by The Sensible Gray Cells (with Paul Gray).
@@a.k.1740 TSGC's... never even heard of them... looks like a lot's passed me by. I'll add then to the list. PS, just checked out The Damned tickets, over 50 quid a pop! A lot dearer than when i first saw then, that's inflation for ya.
The intro you're thinking if is Gary Glitter's Rock n roll .
Send ..you ..too Russia ...
"Electrified Tangebility" !!
My new band name !
The "wah, wah wah, is a pastiche of Gary Glitter "Rock & Roll pt 2" This was before he fell from grace.
gary glitter rock and roll
Brilliant album 👍
Its really good Karen, ty!
The Damned music gets deeper and more accomplished with each album. Phantasmagoria basically created Goth style. Forget The Cure, they came later, and were much more watered down and pop. Goth was pretty much invented by The Damned and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Rock and Roll pt2 by Gary Glitter. Used at Football games across USA high-schools. Gary was busted for being too fond of children
Yeh, the riff that cannot be placed, or in my case "Doctor in the Tardis" by the Timelords (A.K.A. The Jamms, KLF etc)
Gary Glitter - rock n roll
Plan 9 from outer space is a movie by director Ed wood ( played by johnny Depp in the biopic of him ) and the awful shoestring budget movies he created that became cult classics. One being Glen or Glenda which is supposedly about a mans obsession with his partners angora sweater but is more about cross dressing/ transvestism 👍
It's Bring Your Gun to Work Day!
Only if you're like, a security guard or cop 😅
A great lp to listen to would be Nick Lowe Labour of lust.
That song you were thinking about on machine gun etiquette was Gary Glitter. 😊
Ah ty ty Kevin
As an aside, Plan 9 from Outer Space is usually in the 'Worst Films of All-time' lists. I'll let you read further elsewhere but it deserves its poor reputation so only watch with several drinks at hand and tongue firmly in cheek.
"Lord. bless us for what we are about to receive". Could you pass the weapons and ammo? If you please. We're very polite here in Connecticut. Saying excuse me as we shoot and observe proper "Machine Gun Etiquette! Peace, Love, and pardon me warden. ( sorry I feel like a river full of beavers,----Damned!)
The riff you seem to be trying to remember is from Rock and Roll Part 2, by renowned, but at that time undiscovered, child molesting friend of Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter. As I understand it, it gets played, the riff at least, on American TV's coverage of NFL games. Americans are unaware of who it's by, or his nasty, dirty, crimes.