A vinyl listening event I attend at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle. Here's a review of Week Two of their October Punk season.
A strange one this one. First the attendance. Almost a sell out, in comparison with the Pistols the week before which had barely broken into double figures audience wise. Then, the reaction. When it came to the popular vote after both albums were played The Clash won as you might expect but only by fifteen votes to fourteen and host and compere Mr. Drayton later said that if he'd had a vote he would have cast his for The Damned drawing them level.
For the record, I didn't think much of Damned, Damned, Damned, the first time I'd listened through to one of their albums in its its entirety but much of the audience loved it and every single person there who I actually knew and spoke to said it was quite wonderful. Meanwhile there was some quite cutting reaction to The Clash. It's always been that way with Punk. The artier side verses the pure no nonsense Rock and Roll side. And though The Clash could rock like nobodies business, there was also an element of artiness and opportunism in their package which some reacted to negatively, (or at least they certainly did last Thursday), whereas with The Damned there was no pretence of art whatsoever then and now. What you saw was and is what you got and get.
I didn't like much of what I got from them that evening! I rated the two great singles, Neat, Neat, Neat and New Rose which kicked off each side. I also appreciated a couple of other tracks, but much of it sounded like demos or horrid noise and the fact that they finished off with an Iggy & the Stooges cover was indicative to me of their lack of originality or ideas of their own. I was also minded of The Rocky Horror Show at too many stages, something I've never cared for since the constant playing of it at teenage parties almost traumatised me. A bit better than the Dead Boys first record I'd say but nowhere close to The Ramones. I voiced my opinion that it was poor when queuing for a beer at the break and was told I knew nothing by a man with a great fondness for John Denver, Rush and Styx, so that put me firmly in my place.
Meanwhile for The Clash I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. It's actually a pretty sophisticated record for a Punk Rock debut, (compare their version of Police & Thieves with The Damned's Stooges cover). Strummer and Jones knew their stuff even at this early stage. Also the visual assault highlighted by the slideshow that accompanied the playing of the album. There's something very knowing about Strummer's stance at the mic in those '76 and '77 gig photos. He's a preacher and the audience are eating out of his hands. Seeing them then must have been something else!
Perhaps, just perhaps, it's a couple of tracks too long. Nevertheless, I think it's just blistering. That wasn't the reaction of those I knew on Thursday though when we discussed it after it finished. 'First two tracks, only decent songs' was one response. And when I said that The Clash changed lives while The Damned just didn't I was countered with, 'Yes. Taught people to suck corporate cock and buy jeans' (excuse the language readers but these were the words used). This from another friend and regular who worships Duran Duran. I couldn't quite work it all out. I called them all a bunch of bloody provincials, (I'm lucky to get out of some of these events alive really), and left confused. Such is the beauty of Record Player. Still my last word would be The Clash still won the vote so you guys and your opinions don't matter anymore. I've been waiting to say that since Brexit! *
* Footnote. Jokes were told in the writing of this review!
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