Damned Damned Damned
Studio album by
The Damned
Released18 February 1977
RecordedSeptember and December 1976 – January 1977
StudioPathway Studios, London
GenrePunk rock
Length31:32
LabelStiff
ProducerNick Lowe
The Damned chronology
Damned Damned Damned
(1977)		 Music for Pleasure
(1977)
Singles from Damned Damned Damned
  1. "New Rose"
    Released: 22 October 1976
  2. "Neat Neat Neat"
    Released: 18 February 1977

Damned Damned Damned is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 February 1977 by Stiff Records. Produced by Nick Lowe, Damned Damned Damned was the first full-length album released by a UK punk group.[1][2]

Background and production

After the success of "New Rose" and a tour with the Sex Pistols, the Heartbreakers and the Clash, the band went into Pathway Studios to record the album Damned Damned Damned with producer Nick Lowe, who had previously recorded "New Rose" with them. Following 10 days of recording, the mix was completed on 15 January 1977, the day the master tapes were compiled.[3]

Album cover

The album cover features the four members of the band after they were hit by pies. Guitarist Brian James recalled: "That was organised by this photographer called Peter Kodick, Stiff Records had assigned him to do the thing. They thought it was a jolly wheeze to surprise us with a few cream cakes, little knowing that we would relish it, get into to it and enjoy the whole experience". After the photo session, Damned bassist Captain Sensible noted: "... I had more pie on my face than any of the other buggers and on the back of the sleeve I had my back to the picture, so I went down a photo booth and got some pictures, cut one out and said 'put that on there' so I would have something to show my relatives, because I didn't think we'd be invited to make another album".[3] Stiff, however, used a different photo than the one Sensible gave to the label.[4]

Stiff deliberately printed a limited number of initial copies of the LP with a photo of Eddie and the Hot Rods on the back of the album cover, rather than the Damned playing at The Roxy. An "erratum" sticker was also put on the back cover, and on the front of the LP - on top of the original shrink wrap - was a red "food-fight" sticker that said "Damned Damned", thus completing the LP title when read underneath the band's name. Stiff was known for such unusual promotional activity. As of 2020, a copy of this rare print which still had both stickers and the shrink wrap intact (slit-open or sealed) fetched £650-1500,[5] depending on condition.[3]

The album design was credited to Big Jobs Inc, a pseudonym of Barney Bubbles.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Mojo[6]
NME8/10[7]
PopMatters9/10[8]
Q[9]
Record Collector[10]
Record Mirror[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
Sounds[13]
Uncut8/10[14]

Damned Damned Damned was issued by Stiff Records on 18 February 1977, which was also James' 22nd birthday.[3]

In a contemporary review for NME, Chris Welch praised the Damned's musical ability, opining that the band have "all the residual skills needed for the actual performance of exhausting modern music". Welch remarked that James was the most effective powerhouse guitarist since Pete Townshend and concluded that the album as a whole was "a highly professional production and is much more convincing than some other new wave bands I've heard on record."[15]

In a 1980 Trouser Press review of Machine Gun Etiquette, Ira Robbins described Damned Damned Damned as "instant obsolescence despite near-perfection".[16]

BBC Music's retrospective review praised the album's energy, pop satire and general humour, with reviewer Chris Jones commenting, "Each track featured the hammering toms of Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible's bass-as-guitar propelling Brian James' exhilarating machine gun axe into your living room".[2]

The American press has also favored the album. Ned Raggett of AllMusic called it "a stone classic of rock & roll fire" and declared that "Damned Damned Damned is and remains rock at its messy, wonderful best."[1] In a review of the Damned's 2001 album Grave Disorder, Pitchfork critic Joe Tangari cited Damned Damned Damned and 1979's Machine Gun Etiquette as the only two Damned albums that he found "very good".[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Brian James, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Neat Neat Neat" 2:46
2."Fan Club" 3:00
3."I Fall" 2:08
4."Born to Kill" 2:37
5."Stab Yor Back"Rat Scabies1:03
6."Feel the Pain" 3:37
7."New Rose" 2:44
8."Fish"Brian James, Tony James1:38
9."See Her Tonite" 2:29
10."1 of the 2" 3:10
11."So Messed Up" 1:55
12."I Feel Alright" (cover of "1970" by The Stooges)Dave Alexander, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Iggy Pop4:26

30th Anniversary Expanded Edition

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]

The first disc contains the twelve tracks from the original album.

Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording and release dateLength
1."I Fall" Demo, recorded June 19762:56
2."See Her Tonite" Demo, recorded June 19762:40
3."Feel the Pain" Demo, recorded June 19765:11
4."Help"John Lennon, Paul McCartneyB-side, released 25 October 19761:43
5."Stab Yor Back"ScabiesPeel Session, recorded 30 November 19760:59
6."Neat Neat Neat" Peel Session, recorded 30 November 19762:39
7."New Rose" Peel Session, recorded 30 November 19762:40
8."So Messed Up" Peel Session, recorded 30 November 19762:28
9."I Fall" Peel Session, recorded 30 November 19762:10
10."Singalongascabies"ScabiesB-side, released 28 February 19771:00
11."Fan Club" Peel Session, recorded 5 May 19773:03
12."Feel the Pain" Peel Session, recorded 5 May 19773:33
13."Stretcher Case Baby"James, ScabiesPeel Session, recorded 5 May 19771:48
14."Sick of Being Sick" Peel Session, recorded 5 May 19772:29
15."I Feel Alright"Alexander, Asheton, Asheton, PopIn Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19774:49
16."Born to Kill" In Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19773:01
17."Sick of Being Sick" In Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19772:50
18."Neat Neat Neat" In Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19772:56
19."Fan Club" In Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19772:55
20."Stretcher Case Baby"James, ScabiesIn Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19772:26
21."Help"Lennon, McCartneyIn Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19771:32
22."Stab Yor Back"ScabiesIn Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19771:02
23."So Messed Up" In Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19772:35
24."New Rose" In Concert, recorded for the BBC 19 May 19773:26
25."Stretcher Case Baby"James, ScabiesSingle, released 3 July 19772:14
26."Sick of Being Sick" B-side, released 3 July 19771:59
Disc 3
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."1 of the 2" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19763:41
2."New Rose" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19762:57
3."Alone" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19763:50
4."Help"Lennon, McCartneyRecorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19761:47
5."Fan Club" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19763:01
6."I Feel Alright"Alexander, Asheton, Asheton, PopRecorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19764:20
7."Feel the Pain" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19764:46
8."Fish"James, JamesRecorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19761:50
9."Circles"Pete TownshendRecorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19764:42
10."See Her Tonite" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19762:51
11."I Fall" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19763:08
12."So Messed Up" Recorded live at the 100 Club on 6 July 19762:38
Note

Disc 3 was recorded at the Damned's live debut at the 100 Club on 6 July 1976 supporting the Sex Pistols. Recorded on a Sony cassette recorder, hidden in a sports bag, onto a Scotch 120 tape.[19]

Personnel

The Damned

Production

Charts

Year Chart Peak Position
1977 UK Albums Chart 34

Release history

Region Date
United Kingdom 18 February 1977
United States 16 April 1977[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Raggett, Ned. "Damned Damned Damned – The Damned". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
  2. 1 2 Jones, Chris (18 April 2007). "Review of The Damned – Damned Damned Damned". BBC Music. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Damned Damned Damned (1977; Vinyl album, Sanctuary Records, Get Back Records, 2002).
  4. ↑ Kieron Tyler, liner notes of Damned Damned Damned, Sanctuary(BMG), BMGRM050CD (2004), p. 10
  5. ↑ The Damned - Damned Damned Damned, retrieved 19 January 2023
  6. ↑ Prior, Clive (March 2017). "The Damned: Damned Damned Damned". Mojo. No. 280. p. 109.
  7. ↑ McNamee, Paul (23 February 2007). "The Damned: Damned Damned Damned – 30th Anniversary Edition". NME. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Keefe, Michael (26 June 2007). "The Damned: Damned Damned Damned". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  9. ↑ "The 100 Best Punk Albums of All Time – The Damned: Damned Damned Damned". Q (special ed.). May 2002. p. 136.
  10. ↑ Patterson, Dayal (January 2013). "The Damned – Damned Damned Damned: 35th Anniversary Edition". Record Collector. No. 410. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Cain, Barry (19 February 1977). "The Damned: Damned Damned Damned". Record Mirror. p. 12.
  12. ↑ Coleman, Mark (1992). "The Damned". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 176–77. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
  13. ↑ Dadomo, Giovanni (19 February 1977). "The Damned: Damned, Damned, Damned (Stiff Seez 1)". Sounds. Retrieved 16 October 2020 – via Rock's Backpages.
  14. ↑ Robinson, John (14 December 2012). "The Damned – Damned Damned Damned". Uncut. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Welch, Chris (19 February 1977). "The Damned: Damned Damned Damned (Stiff SEEZ 1)". NME. Retrieved 1 November 2016 – via Rock's Backpages.
  16. ↑ Robbins, Ira (April 1980). "The Damned Machine Gun Etiquette". Trouser Press. Vol. 7, no. 3. New York. p. 40. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  17. ↑ Tangari, Joe (5 December 2001). "The Damned: Grave Disorder". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
  18. ↑ Damned Damned Damned (CD liner notes). The Damned (30th anniversary expanded ed.). Castle Music. 2007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ↑ "Damned Damned Damned - 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition". discogs. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
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