Various Artists — Wave News – The New Generation of Music

“Wave News”? Must be a German thing. Gotta love that sweet colored vinyl. We’ll definitely keep this “limitierte auflage” compilation because it’s a crazy mixed bag of “new generation” music from 1980 and ’81, released in ’82. I split the foldout in two so you can get a good look a whats-his-face from Depeche Mode. What is he, thirteen? Sporting that look I doubt he made it to lunch before being mistaken for a girl. My favorite track is definitely “Disco Man” by The Damned, followed closely by “Countdown” by U.K. Subs. Mary says she got this at a record store in D.C.

Tracklisting from Discogs.com:

A1	Depeche Mode	New Life (3:42)
A2	Damned, The	Disco Man (3:18)
A3	Max Meldau	Shutdown (3:46)
A4	Lovely Previn	From A To B (3:13)
A5	Eyeless In Gaza	Faceless (3:11)
A6	Jo Broadberry & The Standouts	Footsteps In The Dark (3:26)
A7	China Doll	China Doll (3:18)
A8	Medium Medium	Hungry, So Angry (3:56)
B1	Au Pairs	Inconvenience (2:55)
B2	Fad Gadget	Pedestrian (3:14)
B3	Dead Kennedys	Too Drunk To F… (2:39)
B4	Thomas Leer	Letter From America (4:36)
B5	Exploited, The	Hitler’s In The Charts Again (2:36)
B6	Eddie Maelov & Sunshine Patteson*	Another Teardrop (3:46)
B7	Bloodless Pharaos	Bloodless Pharao (6:09)
B8	UK Subs	Countdown (4:55)

The Damned — Anything

• Artist: The Damned
• Title: Anything
• Year: 1986
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary and Tracy, two copies
• Acquired: 1986 – When she worked at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA
• Keeper: Yes

The now sound, the wow sound, the psychedelic Goth rock sound of The Damned is back only one year after their biggest hit, Phantasmagoria with Anything. I saw a review at AllMusic bashing this record. The reviewer seemed to have some facts wrong, and I completely disagree with the opinions. Anything is great. It’s a strange mix of the big goth sound, pseudo-classical interludes, and a soulful ’60s rock. At times it sounds like a goth version of The Fleshtones. The title track, “Anything”, opens the album and it’s my favorite.

We have two copies of Anything. My copy is the boring American release, but Mary’s copy is a great looking UK version with a gatefold cover and die-cut pop-up of the band inside. The UK version has a colorfully painted carving on the front with the unpainted version on the liner, and lyrics! The US version just has the unpainted carving on the front… and nothing else. Mary’s copy is pictured below.

The Damned — Phantasmagoria

• Artist: The Damned
• Title: Phantasmagoria
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: No idea
• Keeper: Yes

If the cover of Phantasmagoria doesn’t make it abundantly clear, song titles like “Sanctum Sanctorum”, the sounds of organs and harpsichords, and David Vanian’s deep-voiced singing should; The Damned got their Goth on in a big way with this record. Some people didn’t like it. They were turned off by the big production and the theatrical imagery. They thought The Damned had forgotten their punk rock roots and sold out. But I love this record, and since it was their highest charting album I know I’m not alone.

Some think The Damned invented “Gothic” rock, but unlike most other all-too-serious bands that would follow, they always seemed to have a sense of humor about it. My favorites are the epic album opener “Street of Dreams”, and the surprisingly cheerful-sounding pop goth songs “Grimly Fiendish” and “Edward the Bear.”

The Damned — Strawberries

• Artist: The Damned
• Title: Strawberries
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy? Mary?
• Acquired: No one knows
• Keeper: Maybe

Live from Alexandria, VA. More specifically, from the home of our good friends and generous hosts the Brokamps. Robert is sitting next to me typing on his laptop about retirement, and I’m typing about old records.

I’ve said this before: Most records by The Damned are pretty inconsistent. I love the songs “Stranger on the Town” and “Dozen Girls”, but not much else on Strawberries. I probably didn’t give it a fair listen since I was trying to jam in some records before we hit the road. It just doesn’t grab my attention, unlike the cool cover.

The Damned — The Black Album (Again)

• Artist: The Damned
• Title: The Black Album (Again)
• Year: 1980
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy ?
• Acquired: I don’t know
• Keeper: Maybe

Hey! I’ve already posted this album, except it was a different. This version of The Black Album by The Damned doesn’t have the gatefold cover, the front is much simpler (boring), and there is no second LP with the live stuff. Anything else I could say I’ve already said. I did play it again, in case you’re wondering, because that’s the deal. Everything gets played, at least one more time.

The Damned — The Black Album

• Artist: The Damned
• Title: The Black Album
• Year: 1980
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: ? I’m thinking…
• Keeper: Yes

This version of The Damned’s The Black Album is the original release on the Chiswick label. That means it’s a full color gatefold sleeve double album. We also have another version that is mostly black, with no gatefold, and no second record. The second is mostly live stuff. I can’t remember when and where I got this, but I do remember that not too long ago it still had the shrink wrap on it. So, it’s old, but almost new, if you know what I’m saying.

I’ve always loved the song “Wait for the Blackout” and there are some other great ones on this record. But there’s some other stuff that just drags it down. Which is how I feel about every record by The Damned. Read more about The Black Album.

The Damned — Music for Pleasure

• Artist: The Damned
• Title: Music for Pleasure
• Year: 1977
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary?
• Acquired: Unknown origin

“Music for Pleasure”, the second album by The Damned, is a lot more garage rock punk than I remembered. There are also moments that sound more like acid rock. I guess for 1977 that was more likely than it seems now. I like it and it’s hard to sit still when it’s playing, but I’ll admit that we won’t play this one that often. Gotta love the “smile price” sticker placed directly(?) on the record jacket. A real bonus is the oxblood colored vinyl. Not available on cassette, CD, MP3, etc.

Not sure where the first The Damned record is, but it’s gotta be here somewhere. While I look for it you can read about the complicated history of the band, or the “Music for Pleasure” record, or the cool label that put it out, Stiff Records.

Captain Sensible — There Are More Snakes Than Ladders

• Artist: Captain Sensible
• Title: There Are More Snakes Than Ladders
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1984 – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

“There Are More Snakes Than Ladders” is a surprisingly tasty pop number from a solo Captain Sensible, better known for his work as guitarist for The Damned. The flip, “The 4 Marys Go Go Dance All Night at the Groovy Cellar”, like most B-sides is a silly throw away number. Should I file it under C or S?

Naz Nomad & The Nightmares — Give Daddy the Knife Cindy

• Artist: Naz Nomad & The Nightmares
• Title: Give Daddy the Knife Cindy
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy Sigler
• Acquired: 1984 – I have no idea where I got this. Mail order?
• Keeper: Yes

This is a phony band, with a phony soundtrack, to a phony movie. The truth is this band is acutally The Damned. The singer Dave Vanian’s voice is immediately recognizable. This record is mostly an eclectic collection of covers of hits from the 1960s. “Nobody But Me”, “Cold Turkey”, etc. My favorite track is an original (I think) at the end of side two, “Just Call Me Sky.” It’s supposed to sound like a “live” show. Unfortunately, it fades away just as it gets going…