It was on this exact date in the late ‘70s, the streets of the U.K. are flooded with rebellious children who just sat through a full school day. They’ve taken in an exorbitant amount of information and retained none of it and they’re looking for just the right combination of notes and melodies to soundtrack their debauchery. A bell rings inside a record store to indicate new customers had just entered, these kids sprint to the new releases section to find an album they’ve never seen before. Four blokes who look just like those kids are covered in pie filling and crust, none of them looking directly at the camera. A brave soul decides to take a chance and purchase the record and what’s discovered as soon as the needle drops is brand new, not only to these youthful miscreants but to the world as well.
It was February 18, 1977, when Stiff Records unleashed The Damned into the world. The four-piece was still reeling off the success of their first single “New Rose” and now had a full LP on the shelves for everyone and anyone to pick up and play. Damned Damned Damned is widely considered the first punk record to be released in the U.K. and would introduce the country to this new take on rock music lovingly labeled “Punk”. The definition of the genre had barely been set in stone when Dave Vanian (vocals), Brian James (guitar), Captain Sensible (bass), and Rat Scabies (drums) took this fiery, up-tempo style of rock and embodied it. The music that came out of these four would change the face of rock music and continue to influence kids over four decades after its release.
Damned Damned Damned was released on Stiff Records and if you’re familiar with the label, it wouldn’t be a Stiff release without intricate packaging. On the first 2,000 pressings of this stellar debut record, the label used a photo of the band Eddie and The Hot Rods instead of a photo of The Damned. These pressings also featured a sticker that read “Damned Damned” with the name of the band printed on the actual sleeve finishing the rest of the album’s name. These misprints have become highly coveted collector’s items, with prices currently ranging from $680 to $6,000 for copies of the purposely misprinted LP.
The Damned rarely get credited as the trailblazers they are. With The Ramones debuting this new punk sound a year prior, The Damned released their debut in just enough time to be the first known British Punk LP. While bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols (both debuted in the months following the release of Damned Damned Damned) are considered the godfathers of the U.K. Punk scene, The Damned contributed just as much but never receive the credit. Listening back to their debut, it’s hard to deny their role in the punk explosion of the late ‘70s. What The Damned did differently than their more-celebrated contemporaries was take a snapshot of what their world looked like before punk and rearranged it as they see fit. Instead of following The Ramones’ lead, they made it their own and took this fresh sound in an even fresher direction.
Musically, The Damned outweighed their fellow punk provocateurs. The playing on this album alone is enough to celebrate its 46-year anniversary. James has been praised for his guitar playing on this album countless times and to this day his shredding is still awe-inspiring. He wields his guitar like a weapon, adding so much character and texture to these songs. Moments like his solo at the end of “I Fall” stick out of the band’s wall of sound like a thorn on the stem of a rose. This is not to take away from the musicianship of the rest of the band, Scabies break-neck style shines on songs like “Fish” and brings a burst of energy to the whole LP while Vanian used his cartoonish vocal delivery to bring diversity to their sound. When matched with the bouncy basslines of Sensible, they melt together to create an onslaught of worry-free fun that is performed in an undeniably advanced style.
What The Damned did on their debut encapsulated a generation that was without a leader. The album plays like a coming-of-age film with scenes of gangs of youths throwing themselves down hills in stolen shopping carts and setting off fireworks in an abandoned field. Damned Damned Damned is punk rock at its purist, an independent label scooping four kids off the street and placing their unfiltered creativity in the eye of the public. The Damned took their sketchy surroundings and mischievous lifestyle and made a soundtrack to back it with tempos ranging from blistering (“Stab Yor Back”) to gentle chaos (“New Rose”).
46 years later and it’s time to give The Damned their damn respect. These four musicians changed what rock sounded like in the U.K. and, without trying, redefined a generation of skaters and outsiders. Damned Damned Damned is a focused yet carefree set of songs that will bring an air of childlike wonder into any room with its furious playing that isn’t too hectic to hide their pure and natural talents. While other U.K. punks had more success, it can be argued that no band captured a moment in time quite like The Damned.
