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The Black Album (The Damned album)

The Black Album is the fourth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar. It was released on 3 November 1980 by Chiswick as a double album, with "Curtain Call" filling the whole of side 3, and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios at a special concert for Damned fan club members on side 4. The song "13th Floor Vendetta" paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), opening with the lyrics "...the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight".[4]

The Black Album
Studio album with live tracks by
Released3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)
RecordedMay–June and 26 July 1980
VenueShepperton Studios, Shepperton, 26 July 1980
StudioRockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales, May–June 1980
Genre
Length77:42
LabelChiswick
Producer
The Damned chronology
Machine Gun Etiquette
(1979)
The Black Album
(1980)
Strawberries
(1982)
Singles from The Black Album
  1. "The History of the World (Part 1)"
    Released: September 1980
  2. "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde"
    Released: 13 February 1981
  3. "Wait for the Blackout"
    Released: 6 May 1982
  4. "Lively Arts"
    Released: 10 October 1982

Music edit

The Black Album represented a change in the career of the group and an expansion of their sound. AllMusic critic Ned Raggett noted that "some of the numbers show the band following their original punk vein, but by this point the four...were leaving straight, three-chord thrash to the cul-de-sac revivalists", and that it was "a chance for the band to try everything from straightforward rock to gentler atmospherics".[5] Raggett described "Wait for the Blackout" as a "dramatic psych/punk surge" with "overtly-serious goth affectations", and qualified "Drinking About My Baby" as "goofy but still enjoyable". Captain Sensible later said that Dave Vanian's vocals were moving to a darker direction, and stated "It is goth; we didn't set out to do that but that is just the way it is. He did have a hearse, he was a gravedigger".[6]

Reissues edit

The Damned's Chiswick back catalogue was acquired by Big Beat in 1981, and The Black Album was reissued in August 1982 as a single album that omitted "Curtain Call" and the live tracks. The artwork for the reissue parodied the sleeve of the Beatles' The White Album, rendered in black with no details other than the group's name embossed in capitals. "It was said that the Beatles had their White Album, we had our Black Album", said Vanian. "The sleeve isn't related to the Beatles in any way". However, Scabies said: "Of course it was to do with the Beatles, I was so sick about the debates of what we should have on the front of it. I said: 'Put the thing in a plain black sleeve and we'll have a go at the Beatles and The White Album'". The live tracks were reissued in their own right, with four extra tracks, as Live Shepperton 1980.

The first subsequent reissue of The Black Album on CD reinstated "Curtain Call" and the original artwork, and the 2005 double-CD reissue also reinstated the live tracks.

Tour edit

The 28-date Black Album UK tour began in November 1980,[7] with reformed 1970s street punk band the Straps as support.

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Ned Raggett called the album hit-or-miss, but added that "tracks of note are still thick on the ground" and that "it's still a surprisingly good blast, a tour de force for Vanian particularly".[5]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Rat Scabies, Captain Sensible, Paul Gray and Dave Vanian, except as noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wait for the Blackout"
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Gray
  • Vanian
  • Billy Karloff
3:51
2."Lively Arts" 2:59
3."Silly Kids Games" 2:35
4."Drinking About My Baby" 3:04
5."Twisted Nerve" 4:39
6."Hit or Miss" 2:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
4:35
8."Sick of This and That" 1:50
9."The History of the World (Part 1)" 3:45
10."13th Floor Vendetta" 5:05
11."Therapy"
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Gray
  • Vanian
  • Fay Hart
6:12
Side three
No.TitleLength
12."Curtain Call"17:13
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Love Song" (live)
2:10
14."Second Time Around" (live)
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Vanian
  • Ward
1:46
15."Smash It Up (Parts 1 & 2)" (live)
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Vanian
  • Ward
4:24
16."New Rose" (live)Brian James1:49
17."I Just Can't Be Happy Today" (live)
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Vanian
  • Ward
  • Dadomo
3:55
18."Plan 9 Channel 7" (live)
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Vanian
  • Ward
5:12
Note
  • The song titled "Second Time Around" was also known as "Machine Gun Etiquette", the title track from the band's previous album.

2005 deluxe edition edit

Disc one

The first disc contains the 12 tracks from side one to side three of the original release.

Disc two

The second disc contains the 6 tracks from side four of the original release plus 9 bonus tracks.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."White Rabbit" (non-album single)Grace Slick3:00
8."Rabid (Over You)" (B-side)
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Vanian
  • Andy Le Vien
3:44
9."Seagulls" (B-side)
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Vanian
2:36
10."The History of the World (Part 1)" (single version) 3:48
11."I Believe the Impossible" (B-side) 2:54
12."Sugar and Spite" (B-side) 1:30
13."There Ain't No Sanity Clause" (non-album single)
  • Scabies
  • Sensible
  • Vanian
  • Dadomo
2:29
14."Looking at You" (live) (B-side)5:51
15."White Rabbit" (extended version; previously unreleased original mix)Slick5:24
Notes[8]
  • "White Rabbit" – produced by the Damned and Roger Armstrong at Wessex Studios, London, April 1980; engineered by Tony Taverner; mixing on "White Rabbit" extended version engineered by Robin Black; released as a single in France and Germany only but available in the UK on import in July 1980.
  • "Rabid (Over You)" and "Seagulls" – produced by the Damned at Wessex Studios, February 1980; recording and mixing on "Rabid (Over You)" engineered by Gary Edwards; "Seagulls" engineered by Alvin Clark; synthesizer on "Rabid (Over You)" by Anthony More; B-sides to "White Rabbit".
  • "The History of the World (Part 1)" single version – sound effects recorded at Nova Suite, London, August 1980; overdubs and mixing engineered by Steve Rance; released on 22 September 1980.
  • "I Believe the Impossible" and "Sugar and Spite" – recorded by Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies (lead vocals on "I Believe the Impossible" by Captain Sensible); recording date and location unknown; B-sides to "The History of the World (Part 1)".
  • "There Ain't No Sanity Clause" – produced by the Damned at Rockfield Studios, May–June 1980; released as a single on 24 November 1980.
  • "Looking at You" – recorded live at Shepperton Studios, 26 July 1980; B-side to "There Ain't No Sanity Clause".

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from the 2005 edition liner notes.[8]

The Damned
Additional musicians
Technical
  • The Damned – producer (all but 9)
  • Hanz Zimmer – producer (9)
  • Hugh Jones – engineer
  • Dave Vanian – artwork concept, design
  • Allan Ballard – photography
  • H. Leadbitter – design execution

References edit

  1. ^ https://post-punk.com/the-damned-the-black-album/ Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. ^ Stegall, Tim. "These 5 albums embody the Damned's punk-rock magnificence These 5 albums embody the Damned's punk-rock magnificence These 5 albums embody the Damned's punk-rock magnificence". Alternative Press. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ^ The Damned: The Black Album. Classic Rock. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ^ The Damned – the Chaos Years: An Unofficial Biography by Barry Hutchinson
  5. ^ a b c AllMusic review
  6. ^ Louie Bones. "Interview with captain sensible". "Bigwheelsmagazine.com". 11 November 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011
  7. ^ "The Damned: Live Performances". whiterabbitskgs.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  8. ^ a b The Black Album (CD liner notes). The Damned. Chiswick Records. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

External links edit

  • The Black Album at Discogs (list of releases)

black, album, damned, album, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, black, album, damned, album, news, news. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources The Black Album The Damned album news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Black Album is the fourth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar It was released on 3 November 1980 by Chiswick as a double album with Curtain Call filling the whole of side 3 and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios at a special concert for Damned fan club members on side 4 The song 13th Floor Vendetta paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr Phibes 1971 opening with the lyrics the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight 4 The Black AlbumStudio album with live tracks by the DamnedReleased3 November 1980 1980 11 03 RecordedMay June and 26 July 1980VenueShepperton Studios Shepperton 26 July 1980StudioRockfield Studios Monmouth Wales May June 1980GenreGothic rock 1 punk rock 2 psychedelia 3 Length77 42LabelChiswickProducerThe Damned as the Kings of Reverb Hans ZimmerThe Damned chronologyMachine Gun Etiquette 1979 The Black Album 1980 Strawberries 1982 Singles from The Black Album The History of the World Part 1 Released September 1980 Dr Jekyll amp Mr Hyde Released 13 February 1981 Wait for the Blackout Released 6 May 1982 Lively Arts Released 10 October 1982 Contents 1 Music 2 Reissues 3 Tour 4 Critical reception 5 Track listing 5 1 2005 deluxe edition 6 Personnel 7 References 8 External linksMusic editThe Black Album represented a change in the career of the group and an expansion of their sound AllMusic critic Ned Raggett noted that some of the numbers show the band following their original punk vein but by this point the four were leaving straight three chord thrash to the cul de sac revivalists and that it was a chance for the band to try everything from straightforward rock to gentler atmospherics 5 Raggett described Wait for the Blackout as a dramatic psych punk surge with overtly serious goth affectations and qualified Drinking About My Baby as goofy but still enjoyable Captain Sensible later said that Dave Vanian s vocals were moving to a darker direction and stated It is goth we didn t set out to do that but that is just the way it is He did have a hearse he was a gravedigger 6 Reissues editThe Damned s Chiswick back catalogue was acquired by Big Beat in 1981 and The Black Album was reissued in August 1982 as a single album that omitted Curtain Call and the live tracks The artwork for the reissue parodied the sleeve of the Beatles The White Album rendered in black with no details other than the group s name embossed in capitals It was said that the Beatles had their White Album we had our Black Album said Vanian The sleeve isn t related to the Beatles in any way However Scabies said Of course it was to do with the Beatles I was so sick about the debates of what we should have on the front of it I said Put the thing in a plain black sleeve and we ll have a go at the Beatles and The White Album The live tracks were reissued in their own right with four extra tracks as Live Shepperton 1980 The first subsequent reissue of The Black Album on CD reinstated Curtain Call and the original artwork and the 2005 double CD reissue also reinstated the live tracks Tour editThe 28 date Black Album UK tour began in November 1980 7 with reformed 1970s street punk band the Straps as support Critical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 5 In a retrospective review for AllMusic critic Ned Raggett called the album hit or miss but added that tracks of note are still thick on the ground and that it s still a surprisingly good blast a tour de force for Vanian particularly 5 Track listing editAll tracks are written by Rat Scabies Captain Sensible Paul Gray and Dave Vanian except as notedSide oneNo TitleWriter s Length1 Wait for the Blackout ScabiesSensibleGrayVanianBilly Karloff3 512 Lively Arts 2 593 Silly Kids Games 2 354 Drinking About My Baby 3 045 Twisted Nerve 4 396 Hit or Miss 2 37 Side twoNo TitleWriter s Length7 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ScabiesSensibleGrayVanianGiovanni Dadomo4 358 Sick of This and That 1 509 The History of the World Part 1 3 4510 13th Floor Vendetta 5 0511 Therapy ScabiesSensibleGrayVanianFay Hart6 12 Side threeNo TitleLength12 Curtain Call 17 13 Side fourNo TitleWriter s Length13 Love Song live ScabiesSensibleVanianAlgy Ward2 1014 Second Time Around live ScabiesSensibleVanianWard1 4615 Smash It Up Parts 1 amp 2 live ScabiesSensibleVanianWard4 2416 New Rose live Brian James1 4917 I Just Can t Be Happy Today live ScabiesSensibleVanianWardDadomo3 5518 Plan 9 Channel 7 live ScabiesSensibleVanianWard5 12 NoteThe song titled Second Time Around was also known as Machine Gun Etiquette the title track from the band s previous album 2005 deluxe edition edit Disc oneThe first disc contains the 12 tracks from side one to side three of the original release Disc twoThe second disc contains the 6 tracks from side four of the original release plus 9 bonus tracks No TitleWriter s Length7 White Rabbit non album single Grace Slick3 008 Rabid Over You B side ScabiesSensibleVanianAndy Le Vien3 449 Seagulls B side ScabiesSensibleVanian2 3610 The History of the World Part 1 single version 3 4811 I Believe the Impossible B side 2 5412 Sugar and Spite B side 1 3013 There Ain t No Sanity Clause non album single ScabiesSensibleVanianDadomo2 2914 Looking at You live B side Michael DavisWayne KramerFred Sonic SmithDennis ThompsonRob Tyner5 5115 White Rabbit extended version previously unreleased original mix Slick5 24 Notes 8 White Rabbit produced by the Damned and Roger Armstrong at Wessex Studios London April 1980 engineered by Tony Taverner mixing on White Rabbit extended version engineered by Robin Black released as a single in France and Germany only but available in the UK on import in July 1980 Rabid Over You and Seagulls produced by the Damned at Wessex Studios February 1980 recording and mixing on Rabid Over You engineered by Gary Edwards Seagulls engineered by Alvin Clark synthesizer on Rabid Over You by Anthony More B sides to White Rabbit The History of the World Part 1 single version sound effects recorded at Nova Suite London August 1980 overdubs and mixing engineered by Steve Rance released on 22 September 1980 I Believe the Impossible and Sugar and Spite recorded by Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies lead vocals on I Believe the Impossible by Captain Sensible recording date and location unknown B sides to The History of the World Part 1 There Ain t No Sanity Clause produced by the Damned at Rockfield Studios May June 1980 released as a single on 24 November 1980 Looking at You recorded live at Shepperton Studios 26 July 1980 B side to There Ain t No Sanity Clause Personnel editCredits adapted from the 2005 edition liner notes 8 The DamnedDave Vanian lead vocals all but 3 backing vocals 10 harmonium 12 Captain Sensible electric and acoustic guitars keyboards backing and lead 3 vocals Paul Gray bass Rat Scabies drums rhythm guitar and backing vocals 4 Additional musiciansHanz Zimmer synthesizer 2 9 Ray Martinez trumpet 5 7 Hugh Jones backing vocals 10 TechnicalThe Damned producer all but 9 Hanz Zimmer producer 9 Hugh Jones engineer Dave Vanian artwork concept design Allan Ballard photography H Leadbitter design executionReferences edit https post punk com the damned the black album Retrieved 15 May 2023 Stegall Tim These 5 albums embody the Damned s punk rock magnificence These 5 albums embody the Damned s punk rock magnificence These 5 albums embody the Damned s punk rock magnificence Alternative Press Retrieved 28 April 2023 The Damned The Black Album Classic Rock 12 August 2015 Retrieved 14 February 2023 The Damned the Chaos Years An Unofficial Biography by Barry Hutchinson a b c AllMusic review Louie Bones Interview with captain sensible Bigwheelsmagazine com 11 November 2011 Retrieved 15 July 2011 The Damned Live Performances whiterabbitskgs co uk Retrieved 31 October 2015 a b The Black Album CD liner notes The Damned Chiswick Records 2005 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link External links editThe Black Album at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Black Album The Damned album amp oldid 1158211904, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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