Black Album, The - Damned (The) > Reviews > Intelligent Punk meets the birth of Goth

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Classic piece of punk/ goth
Disadvantages:	-

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Damned were there at the start of it all. When you think of the defining punk tunes, New Rose and Smash it Up have got to be in there somewhere. Plying their trade in a time before the rules of uniform and music making had been strictly set down, they were a strange mix of styles both to look at and to listen too. The Black Album neatly captures this. From a purer punk root, the album marks the transition into weirder more gothic territory. So what makes the album a classic.

From the opening guitar that builds into Wait for the Blackout you know that you are in for a fast ride, and just when you think you have got the measure of what seems to be a standard punk delivery, the song breaks into nursery rhyme like vocals before charging off again. Its this unpredicability that is the icing on the cake through out the album. As the song fades, a second layer of drums build and take you into Lively Arts with its weird electronic samples. Silly Kids games is a slightly mellower affair, dealing with the dream of winning a jackpot on TV, and featuring interesting vocal passages, punk opera.
Drinking about my Baby sees Dave Vanian in reflective mood thinking about his special someone.

There is a change of pace on Twisted Nearve, and you can see the start of the change in the band and the move into the gothic realms. Vanian always looked like a total goth anyway and seemed always at odds with the early sound, but here he seems to be heading into his own territory. The song goes through several changes of pace and finally fades out into a brass, almost latin like finish. Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde has a similar approach and the low ended bass that runs through the song gives it a more sinister feel.

Songs such as Hit or Miss and Sick of it All are classic Damned and would not be at odds with bands such as the Stooges, brash, confrontational, hammering drums and razor guitars getting the message of disillusionment home.

If you find todays re-invention of punk a bit derivetive, then check this album out, Intelligent lyrics, layered omni-directional and experimental music. Its almost a statement of its time. Its 1982, punk has run its course, the goth sound is in the throws of birth and electronic sampling is becoming a more common feature. But essentially the drive of a classic punk band is the primary feature of the album, only with a lot of layers of clever instrumentation and unusual experimentation.

One word of warning, if possible hunt down the extended version with the extra tracks, Curtain Call is a must, and the Live material, this may be harder to find but is worth the extra effort.

Play this and Sum 41 and their pals will be shown up for what they really are... Busted`s older brothers.