The Damned: Rare Tracks And Demos Volume Two 80-83 ‎

The Damned: Rare Tracks And Demos Volume Two 80-83 ‎

I Don't Know What Label This Was Released On. None Listed.

2008

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Curtain Call (Short Version) - Demo 1980  2. Therapy - Demo 1980 (Captain's Vocals)  3. Instrumental One - Captain's Demo 1980  4. Wait For The Blackout (Instrumental) - Demo 1980  5. Chantilly Lace - Captains Demo 1980  6. Instrumental Two - Captain's Demo 1980  7.
Twisted Nerve (Instrumental) - Captain's Demo 1980  8. Matilda Mother- Captain's Demo 1980  9.
The Power Of Love - Capt. Sensible Radio Session, 1983  10. Happy Talk (Punk Version) - Capt. Sensible Radio Session, 1983  11. Martha The Mouth - Capt. Sensible Radio Session, 1983  12. Maggie - Capt. Sensible Radio Session, 1983


 Some sort of bootleg of (mostly) Captain Sensible demos and radio performances. I believe I got this as a birthday gift last year, since it's  pictured among the birthday loot photo from last year...

  I can't really tell what this is "Part Two" of...Is it supposed to be the sequel to this album that I covered last year?  Who knows? I can't find any evidence of an album called  "The Damned: Rare Tracks And Demos Volume One  7X-79."

Alright. Bruce Willis alert...

 This is shit is for diehards only. It's barely a Damned album, since minus a demo for "Curtain Call' and "Therapy" which have Dave Vanian singing,  it's mostly Captain Sensible stuff. A more apt description might be "Captain Sensible: Rare Tracks and Demos Volume One 80-83." So if you're looking for some of the Damned's darkly raucous punk hammering you might be better served looking elsewhere, but if you're a Captain Sensible solo fanatic then you'll find this interesting. If you're both a Captain Sensible and a Damned fan then there's definitely some stuff on here that's going to make your day...

First off, I love sketchy bootlegs. They make me feel like I'm some hip 1970's in-the-know type of guy...Combing disreputable record stores for seedy vinyl contraband. Artists shaking their fists as me in a greedy rage as I ask them to sign the unauthorized release filled with stolen demo tapes.

Secondly, normally when you buy bootlegs you always look forward to the tracks that were recorded for the radio cos they're normally the only tracks that don't sound like they were recorded in a distant, ringing cavern. But here, the opposite holds true. The demos all boast good sound quality while the radio show is fuzzy, distorted and occasionally warped, which is odd because I've heard clean copies of this same radio performance online. Even with the subpar sonics, the radio show is the highlight of the album, with Sensible pounding out incredibly rocking takes of solo material that came off as overly soft on the studio versions. "The Power of Love" sounds like the greatest punk rock Bowie song ever written and "Happy Talk" is even more fun as a punk rock pummeling.

Other interesting material is a decent Pink Floyd cover ("Matilda Mother") and some instrumentals that recall "Smash It Up Part 1." All in all, this is a pretty fun little record. Again, I'm a huge fan of bootlegs and random recordings, so your tolerance for such a thing may vary from mine...

Alright, let's roll up our ears and listen to some music...Here's a nice sounding version of "The Power of Love." If you rush out and buy this record on the strength of this video remember that the actual vinyl sounds like it's been filtered through a layer of cotton and noise...Enjoy...