THE DAMNED - NASTY DAMNED

THE DAMNED

NASTY DAMNED

For fans of The Damned, there are an infinite number of compilations containing demos, unreleased songs, live songs, different versions etc that one could possibly collect. Almost too many even for the serious collector, and this is but another in the myriad compilations of The Damned. This one is fairly “recent” and has been out since 2008. I found it at a major chain store in the discount bin. I’ve always loved The Damned, always will, so the 60% discount (off the hefty already over inflated “import” price tag) made it an easy choice to overlook the bootleg-style cover and add to my Damned vinyl collection. 

As I’ve said before I’m not here to promote labels one way or the other. I do have to call this one out and say the Russian record label Lilith has a lot to answer for on this here record, and I’m sure The Damned themselves haven’t seen a cent from this. Apparently a “boutique” label specialising in reissues, this is neither boutique nor a reissue. Some quick research brought up results on the label and this record in particular; allegations the songs were lifted directly from other records – copied or taped, if you will, and transferred onto vinyl. The audio quality attests to this – it’s bloody awful.  Whilst there is a sticker on the front saying “demos and live recordings”, it’s not enough to account for the (lack of) audio quality. Some may say that demos and live recordings don’t equal fantastic audio reproduction, but again it’s not enough to disguise what’s in the grooves. There’s only two actual demos, three previously released songs, the remainder being live.

The first demo Love Song is OK in its own right, and I’ve heard a similar demo of the same song that sound a bit rough, as with this version.  Still, because it’s a demo doesn’t mean it needs to be shrouded in hissing noise. Ditto the second demo of I just can’t be happy today. Thanks for the night, Nasty,and Do the Blitz are from the hard to find 12” version of  Thanks for the night, and are the same versions that are on the record – they are not demo or live versions, and lack any sort of dynamic or stereo separation  that should be apparent, i.e. they are in mono. There are bits “missing” from these songs. Do the Blitz at least has some appeal by virtue of it not being widely available, and seems to have the best audio quality of anything here. Most of the songs need the volume cranked way up to squeeze anything out.

The rest of the songs are live versions. Stab your back is suitably vicious, as is You know.  These two I have to admit, are at least passable for live versions (from 1977) You know sounds like it is from the widely circulated bootleg “Live at the Electric Ballroom ‘78”, when they were “The Doomed” for a short period,and features Lemmy on bass. Although that particular song isn’t on that bootleg, it certainly sounds like Lemmy’s bass on there (it’s very similar to the sound on the ”Electric Ballroom”), so this perhaps may have some appeal to people.  Idiot Box is memorable for Captain’s intro and, I guess isn’t bad for a live ’77 recording either.  The rest, from 1982, sound like they were recorded in the toilet while the band was playing. Stranger on the town, Happy Talk, (which is at least rambunctious in Captain’s delivery), and Curtain Call all have a nice little hiss in the background. There would have been a lot more to these songs if they could have been polished up somehow and gave a better indication of the live sound of The Damned at that period. Curtain Call in particular sees Captain rip a little bit more here on the guitar than on the studio version, and Vanian’s voice is in fine form.

Package wise, this is pretty average. The cover features a picture of the ’77 line up of the band, and just has the aura of a bootleg. There is a sticker on the front indicating this is a collection of demos and live recordings, which as I’ve discussed, isn’t strictly the case. The sticker is misleading, and claims the collection spans from ‘77-‘82, which is incorrect. Do the Blitz is from ‘85, the other two studio tracks are from ‘84. Sorry to be pedantic but the lack of accuracy betrays the fact that this is a bootleg.

The back cover also features a picture of the band circa ’77, although this lineup  may or may not feature in only three songs on the album. Some other pics would have been good, instead of just chucking any old thing on. There is no information on any of the songs bar the titles; where or when they were recorded, and if they are live or demos. (Brief information on this provided on the record label itself, though). Although the vinyl is “180gram virgin vinyl”, it can’t atone for the crappy audio quality. If you do want to seek this one out, the CD has two extra songs.

At least all eras of the ’77-84 version of the band are represented here. There are songs from all the studio albums, and two of the three studio songs are of a handful that the unique post-Strawberries pre-Phantasmagoria lineup recorded. There are some OK versions of songs on here but this could have been so much better if only some love and care could have been afforded instead of this being a cash-in job designed to make money.