the Best of Damned [Ace Records] in Bloomington, MN

Rock & roll
doesn't get much more recklessly fun than the early recordings of
the Damned
, one of the bands that (along with
the Sex Pistols
,
the Clash
, and
Sham 69
) helped to define early
British punk rock
. While the late-'70s gems
Damned Damned Damned
Music for Pleasure
Machine Gun Etiquette
are all well-worth acquiring,
The Best of the Damned
can serve as a fine introduction to the band's early years. In fact, such hard-hitting, freewheeling classics as
"New Rose,"
"Smash It Up,"
"I Just Can't Be Happy Today,"
"Love Song,"
and the outrageous
"Jet Boy, Jet Girl"
are essential listening for anyone with even a casual interest in the
punk
movement. Characterized by their rawness, these classics are considerably different from the more polished and produced
Gothic
material
would record in the 1980s -- which ranged from inspired to forgettable. If listeners can own only one
Damned
CD, this is it. ~ Alex Henderson