Damned Damned Damned

Background and production

After the success of "New Rose" and a tour with the Sex Pistols, the Heartbreakers and the Clash, the band went into Pathway Studios to record the album Damned Damned Damned with producer Nick Lowe, who had previously recorded "New Rose" with them. Following 10 days of recording, the mix was completed on 15 January 1977, the day the master tapes were compiled.

Album cover

The album cover features the four members of the band after they were hit by pies. Guitarist Brian James recalled: "That was organised by this photographer called Peter Kodick, Stiff had assigned him to do the thing. They thought it was a jolly wheeze to surprise us with a few cream cakes, little knowing that we would relish it, get into to it and enjoy the whole experience". After the photo session, Damned bassist Captain Sensible noted: "...I had more pie on my face than any of the other buggers and on the back of the sleeve I had my back to the picture, so I went down a photo booth and got some pictures, cut one out and said 'put that on there' so I would have something to show my relatives, because I didn't think we'd be invited to make another album".

Stiff deliberately printed a limited number of initial copies of the LP with a photo of Eddie and the Hot Rods on the back of the album cover, rather than the Damned playing at The Roxy. An "erratum" sticker was also put on the back cover, and on the front of the LP - on top of the original shrink wrap - was a red "food-fight" sticker that said "Damned Damned", thus completing the LP title when read underneath the band's name. Stiff was known for such unusual promotional activity. As of 2009, a copy of this rare print which still had both stickers and the shrink wrap intact (slit-open or sealed) fetched between £200-500, depending on condition.

The design of the LP was credited to Big Jobs Inc, a pseudonym of Barney Bubbles.

Release and reception

Damned Damned Damned was issued by Stiff Records on 18 February 1977, which was also James' 22nd birthday.

In a contemporary review, NME praised the group's musical ability, opining that the Damned have "all the residual skills needed for the actual performance of exhausting modern music", stating that James was the most effective powerhouse guitarist since Pete Townshend and concluding that the album as a whole was "a highly professional production and is much more convincing than some other new wave bands I've heard on record."

BBC's retrospective review praised the album's energy, pop satire and general humour, commenting, "Each track featured the hammering toms of Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible’s bass-as-guitar propelling Brian James’ exhilarating machine gun axe into your living room".

The American press has also favored the album. Ned Raggett of AllMusic gave it their highest rating of 5 stars, calling it "a stone classic of rock & roll fire" and declaring that "Damned Damned Damned is and remains rock at its messy, wonderful best." Pitchfork also positively assessed the album in a negative review of the Damned's 2001 album Grave Disorder, stating, "I won't lie to you: the Damned's new album isn't very good. In fact, the Damned have only ever recorded a few albums that were—for instance, their debut or 1979's Machine Gun Etiquette"....

Track listing

All tracks written by Brian James, except where noted.

All tracks written by Brian James, except where noted.

The Damned

Production