Album

The Chaos Years: Rare & Unreleased 1977-1982

The Damned

1997 · Rock

Rare pressing on Gatefold

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The Chaos Years: Rare & Unreleased 1977-1982 by The Damned

The Chaos Years: Rare & Unreleased 1977-1982 is a Punk album by The Damned, originally released in 1997. On Gatefold: 7 pressings tracked.

About

They may have entered rock’s history books as the first English punk band to release a single (the staggeringly aggressive “New Rose”), but the Damned always wore the punk mantle with an unmistakable air of discomfort. True, the Damned played three- chord rockers with the same blistering irreverence of their peers (note the unrestrained fury of the live rendition of “Stab Yor Back” included on this compilation), but they were equally capable of crafting twisted power-pop numbers like the tongue-in-cheek “Love Song” and carefree garage-rock pastiches like the organ driven “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today.” Though, <i>The Chaos Years</i> is ultimately an odds-and-sods-style compilation of live tracks, studio rehearsals and outtakes, the performances are uniformly excellent and the selections included showcase a penchant for experimentation that is often overlooked by critics eager to write off the Damned as simply the “First English Punk Band.” <i>The Chaos Years</i> provides some much-needed insight into the true character of this seminal outfit.

via Apple Music

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Tracklist

  1. 1Love Song (Demo)1:55
  2. 2I Just Can't Be Happy Today (Demo)4:39
  3. 3Thanks for the Night3:30
  4. 4Nasty2:51
  5. 5Do the Blitz1:55
  6. 6Stab Yor Back (Live 77)0:59
  7. 7You Know (Live 77)5:57
  8. 8Idiot Box (Live 77)4:10
  9. 9Stranger On the Town (Live 82)5:15
  10. 10Happy Talk (Live 82)2:49
  11. 11Curtain Call (Live 82)10:25
  12. 12No Fun (Live 79)3:08

Sound DNA

  • Punk
  • Punk Rock
  • raw
  • rowdy
  • punky

Album notes

Discogs page for these notes (opens in a new tab)

Notes from the original pressing. Later editions may differ.

Track 1 previously released on "Dodgy Demo" single (1978)
Track 2 previously released on "The Damned Don't Cry" bootleg album (1984)
Tracks 3-5 previously released on "Thanks For The Night" single (1984)
Tracks 7-8 previously released on "Idiot Box" bootleg single (1985)
Tracks 1-2 recorded at RMS Studios
Tracks 3-5 recorded at Roundhouse Studio and Elephant Studio
Track 6 live at Paris Theatre, London (19/5/1977)
Tracks 7-8 live at Roundhouse, London (11/1977)
Tracks 9-11 live at Brix

Credits

The people behind it.

Performers

Rare pressing on Gatefold · 7 pressings tracked on Gatefold

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