Fanatics!
This is one of my favorite rituals. In October, we listen to the Damned’s Black Album. It’s October and it’s time to do it again.
Thank you for all the letters about the last few shows featuring a Damned album. So glad you’re digging it.
The Black Album was the fourth album by the band and features a slightly different line-up than its predecessor Machine Gun Etiquette. Bassist Algy Ward was out and Paul Gray of Eddie and the Hot Rods fame was in.
Again, the band changed their sound and at least in my opinion, upped the quality of their work on all levels. It was released in October of 1980. I remember buying it at import price, which was brutal but it was the Damned and I had to hear it. The first time through, I liked it but didn’t understand what the band was going after. The more I played it, the more I liked it and it soon became one of my favorite albums.
The album, initially, was a 2 LP set. Sides one and two are songs, side three is a single track called Curtain Call and the fourth side was a selection of live tracks. I must say, I never played the live tracks all that much. It was the studio tracks that held my interest. Not only are the songs and production great, the b-sides are awesome as well. Later on, the album was re-issued as a single album, which is too bad as Curtain Call is a great way to end the Black Album listening experience.
I was happy for the band when they released this. Out of the chaos of the band’s previous incarnations, they managed to deliver yet another excellent album. As I remember, the critics were somewhat reserved about this album. I think it deserved much more credit than it was given. I have a lot of Damned press clippings. Perhaps at some point, I will track down some of the reviews of the Black Album and post them for your amusement.
The Black Album was recently re-released with all the tracks, as a 2CD set. The LP version was also re-released and it sounds pretty good but if it were me, I would be looking for a good condition Chiswick Records UK pressing from 1980. It’s not all that hard to locate and worth it when you do.
Next week, we will conclude our Damned album marathon with the band’s fifth album, Strawberries. A very different album from the Black Album and a solid release. From there, we will snap back into our more normal all-over-the-place format. I have been saving up tracks for our upcoming shows, the Damned albums giving me some breathing room to store up interesting music, new and old.
I am glad we were able to play this album again this year. I hope you dig it.
Turn it up and STAY FANATIC!!!
--Henry
E-mail address for me: Henryontheradio@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter: @henryrollins
01. The Mob - Shuffling Souls / Let The Tribe Increase
02. Wire - Used To / Chairs Missing
03. Public Image Ltd. - Poptones (BBC Session) / Plastic Box
04. The Pop Group - Kiss The Book / We Are Time
05. Thee Oh Sees - Carol Ann / Singles Collection
06. Cabaret Voltaire - No Escape / Methodology '77/'78. Attic Tapes
07. Klan - Pushin' Too Hard / The Best Of Rodney On The ROQ
08. Suicide - Wild In Blue / A Way Of Life
09. The Fall - Jawbone And The Air-Rifle / Hex Enduction Hour
10. The Damned - Wait For The Blackout / The Black Album
11. The Damned - Lively Arts / The Black Album
12. The Damned - Silly Kid's Games / The Black Album
13. The Damned - Drinking About My Baby / The Black Album
14. The Damned - Twisted Nerve / The Black Album
15. The Damned - Hit Or Miss / The Black Album
16. The Damned - Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde / The Black Album
17. The Damned - Sick Of This And That / The Black Album
18. The Damned - The History Of The World (Part 1) / The Black Album
19. The Damned - 13th Floor Vendetta / The Black Album
20. The Damned - Therapy / The Black Album
21. The Damned - Curtain Call / The Black Album
22. The Damned - Rabid (Over You) / single