The Damned is an English band formed in 1976 and originally made up of Dave Vanian (born David Lett), Brian James (born Brian Robertson), Captain Sensible (born Raymond Burns) and Rat Scabies (born Christopher Millar). Group considered to date as one of the groups having most influenced the punk movement of the moment but also the future Gothic movement...
Group which released a first single "New rose" in 1976, Single which will go directly into history without knowing it because it is today considered as the very first title of the punk current.
A year later, their first album "Damned damned damned" was released in 1977, an album which would be the first on the list and which above all allowed them to pass once and for all from shadow to light. In particular thanks to the Single "Neat neat neat" which becomes their first charted Single.
The following album "Music for pleasure" which was also released the same year did not really experience the same level of success as its predecessor unfortunately. As a result, the pure and simple eviction of the Stiff Records label.
After a year 1978 which saw the group almost disintegrate, it was the year 1979 which put them back on their feet with the successful release of the album "Machine gun etiquette", an album which produced no less than 3 hits with "Love song", "Smash it up", and "I just can't be happy today".
A success that continues the following year with the release in 1980 of the album "The black album", an album which will mainly produce the high-caliber Single "The history of the world (Part 1)".
The level of success increases with each new album released and this time it will be the turn of "Strawberries" to know the favors of the public in 1982. Album which paradoxically will not produce any hit worthy of the name...
A semblance of consecration arrives in 1985 with the album "Phantasmagoria", album which will remain as their highest ranked of all.
On the Singles side, 1986 brought them their greatest success with their revisited version of Barry Ryan's 1968 track "Eloise".
The adventure will continue thereafter with other albums and other Singles but the group will never again experience the same level of success as that encountered in the mid-1980s.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
New rose 1976
Neat neat neat 1977
Stretcher case baby 1977
Problem child 1977
Don't cry wolf 1977
Love song 1979
Smash it up 1979
I just can't be happy today 1979
80s Decade :
White rabbit 1980
The history of the world (Part 1) 1980
Wait for the blackout 1980
There ain't no sanity clause 1980
Dr Jekyll and Me Hyde 1981
Lovely money 1982
Dozen girls 1982
Lively arts 1982
Generals 1982
Thanks for the night 1984
Grimly fiendish 1985
The shadow of love 1985
Is it a dream 1985
Eloise 1986
Anything 1986
Gigolo 1987
Alone again or 1987
In dulce decorum 1987
90s Decade :
Fun factory 1991
Prokofiev 1991
Tailspin 1995
Shadow to fall 1995
Disco man 1998
2000s Decade :
Song.com 2001
Would you be so hot (If you weren't dead) 2001
Absinthe 2001
Little miss disaster 2005
2010s Decade :
A nation fit for heroes 2010
Since I met you 2010
Standing on the edge of tomorrow 2018
Devil in disguise 2018
Look left 2018
Black is the night 2019
2020s Decade :
Keep 'Em alive 2020
The invisible man 2023
Beware of the clown 2023
Tracks :
1976...a first title that will be a landmark but the group had absolutely no idea at that time. The first official title of a musical movement that will stay in history as one of the most controversial...
1977...their first title will make talking about it but not on the Charts side. Their real first success is in truth with this title that they will obtain it...
1977... what is certain with them is that we won't be subtle in the 'emotion register'. Now that we've been warned, everything should be fine...
1977... the production of titles is plethoric but that does not mean that it rhymes with success every time, far from it...
1977...it must be said that with such a 'typical' musical style, it necessarily restricts the public who can necessarily be a fan...
1979 ... even if the tempo of this title is close to the speed of light, that will not prevent the title in question from being classified. Incredible but true...
1979...a year 1979 that will allow them to classify all the titles that will be produced that year. This is called having the wind in its sails...
1979... it is clear that the group is surfing the Punk wave that is submerging England at the end of the 70s and this is benefiting them to the highest degree...
1980...the only problem is that this punk wave will not last for decades and the group therefore has an interest in diversifying in terms of sound to avoid the early exit from the road...
1980...that's exactly what they're trying to do with this title and they're right. Only those who know how to adapt will survive...
1980...as much as the previous title will not have gone unnoticed, this one will pass somewhat under the radar. Like what nothing is acquired concerning them at first sight...
1980...as soon as they set off again in the typical overspeed of the punk movement, the level of success melts like snow in the sun. Attention danger...
1981...a title that will only be released in the United States, hence the most limited impact on the public level. Frankly a shame because they were just trying to show another side of them...
1982...a year 1982 which will see them release an impressive number of titles. Afterwards, despite the quantity, this will not allow them to win the cup...
1982...we understand better the fact that they can't win this famous cup because the overspeed does absolutely not help in these cases...
1982...we won't remake them again, as they say, but they remain propped up on their fundamentals while the musical world has seriously evolved in a few years. And not necessarily them...
1982...after that they still have a base of fans from the start to support them, which doesn't help to question themselves either...
1984... the years may have passed, but the overspeed remains a dominant feature that they can't erase from their repertoire. Really unfortunate...
1985...we had to wait for the middle of the decade to see them finally become aware of the changes to be made...
1985...but there's nothing to be done as soon as they can get back into overdrive, they don't hesitate to go back. The sanction in the Charts is then immediate...
1985 ... there is still better in this middle of the decade and this in an indisputable way. It is therefore certain that all these efforts will eventually pay off...
1986...it's the year 1986 that will finally reward them up to their expectations, all thanks to this original revisited version of Barry Ryan's title dating from 1968. A daring bet but a perfectly successful bet. HU-GE !
1986... now that they have reached the top of the mountain, they will have to come back down unfortunately, no choice...
1987...they will certainly come back down but for the moment they still manage to maintain a minimum in the middle of the leading pack. Which is already...
1987...the last major success. Almost 10 years after their debut, the circle seems to be complete and it is clear that everything that will follow will only be a bonus...
1987... the best years are now behind them, we're not going to lie to each other. But that won't discourage them from pursuing the adventure a little longer...
1991...they will even say to themselves that it might be worth trying to move on to the next decade. And why not tell me...
1991...the only problem is that going to the 90s is good, but it will also require an essential evolution of style and sound once again...
1995... which is not really the case for the moment. It is clear that if the fundamentals do not evolve quickly, the exit from the road is likely to happen faster than expected...
1995...especially if they add a layer of overspeed. The group will have to ask the right questions and quickly...
1998...having not found the 1998 version, we will update the original version released in 1981. A title that it would have been a shame to hide...
2001...an adventure that goes on, come what may, at the beginning of a new decade. A new decade that comes to be added to a career that is beginning to contain a number of them...
2001...and still no noticeable evolution to stick a little more to the latest musical trends of the moment. We won't remake them again...
2001...a pity because by adapting for a little while they could have eventually come back into the race. After all, everything is possible in music as they say...
2005...and a bit of overspeed, story of. There is nothing to do with them, everything must go quickly, very quickly. Fortunately, the melody makes it possible to counterbalance everything...
2010...and another decade, one ! They will come back systematically during each new decade even if the level of titles produced weakens decade after decade...
2010...what has always been their charm is this ability to move from pure and hard overspeed to a much lighter and more airy tempo. Without erasing the ultra rock side...
2018...they produce less and less but they come back regularly to remind us that they still exist...
2018...returns that grassroots fans appreciate without moderation. Because it's been a hell of a lot of years that they've been in business, the little guys...
2018...especially since history will prove them right with a return to success in the Charts. Certainly moderate but back all the same...
2019...how it was worth believing in it again and again. Especially since more and more former colleagues who started at the same time as them are also returning...
2020...an 80s revival that is accelerating more and more and which sees more and more 80s bands coming back. Like what, nothing is ever over !
2023...they've been making music for more than 50 years, which is no small thing ! Exceptional longevity for one of the most emblematic bands of its generation...
2023...and above all still has things to offer and above all to sing. We therefore imagine that this title will surely not be the last, far from it...
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