THE DAMNED – LOVE SONG 7″ – EXC UK 1979 SENSIBLE SLEEVE PUNK

The Damned – Love Song
(Chiswick Records  1979  CHIS112)
UK Pressing

Vinyl in Excellent condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from some light pops/crackles)

Sleeve in Very Good/Good condition
– wear to edges/corners name written top left and track titles written on front

The Damned are an English rock band formed in London, England in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist (and later guitarist) Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single, “New Rose” (1976), release an album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), and tour the United States. They have nine singles that charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.

The band briefly broke up after Music for Pleasure (1977), the follow-up to their debut album, was critically dismissed. They quickly reformed without Brian James, and released Machine Gun Etiquette (1979). In the 1980s they released four studio albums, The Black Album (1980), Strawberries (1982), Phantasmagoria (1985), and Anything (1986). The latter two albums did not feature Captain Sensible, who had left the band in 1984. In 1988, James and Sensible rejoined to play what was said to be the Damned’s final live show. This was released the next year as the live album Final Damnation.

The Damned again reformed for a tour in 1991. In 1995, they released a new album, Not of This Earth, which was Scabies’s last with the band. This was followed by Grave Disorder (2001), and their most recent album, So, Who’s Paranoid? (2008).

Despite going through numerous lineup changes, the formation of Vanian, Sensible, keyboardist Monty Oxymoron, drummer Pinch and bassist Stu West had been together from 2004 until Stu West left the band in 2017 and Paul Gray rejoined, having been part of the band in the 1980s.

The band is well known for being one of the first gothic rock bands and a major influence on the goth subculture with lead singer Dave Vanian’s vampire themed costume and dark lyrics being major influences.

The Damned influenced future hardcore punk bands with their fast-paced, energetic playing style and attitude. Along with the Sex Pistols and the Clash, they helped to spearhead the punk movement in the United Kingdom. They are sometimes referred to as British punk’s “band of firsts,” having made accomplishments mentioned previously, as well as other “firsts” like the first punk band to break up and come back.

“Love Song” is a single by the Damned, released in April 1979. It was the first fruit of the reformed lineup’s deal with Chiswick Records, boosted by four variant picture sleeves, each one featuring a member of the band, with an additional 20,000 copies pressed on red vinyl (5,000 for each sleeve). Combined with radio airplay and a catchy song, this yielded the Damned’s first hit, peaking at No. 20 in the UK Singles Chart, and leading to the band’s debut on Top of the Pops.

“Love Song” was included on the band’s third album, Machine Gun Etiquette, and was referenced in the album’s title track.

In February 1982, Chiswick reissued the single on their Big Beat imprint, using only the covers featuring Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies (Algy Ward having left the band by this stage).

The single was also issued in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Track listing

All songs written by Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Ward.

1. “Love Song” – 2:03
2. “Noise Noise Noise” – 3:10
3. “Suicide” – 3:14

Production credits

Producers

• Ed Hollis

Musicians

• Dave Vanian − vocals
• Captain Sensible − guitar
• Rat Scabies − drums
• Algy Ward − bass