The Damned - Strawberries

· Classic Bronze album from 1982, expanded with 8 bonus tracks (including the single – Lovely Money) · Sleevenotes by Kieron Tyler features an exclusive interview with Rat Scabies · Release fully supported by the band · The inferior version will be put on order hold and deleted once the transition is complete Album Description

The last good damned album with the Captain.

After this it was pretty much downhill for the damned with Captain Sensible leaving for a very brief successful solo career. But Strawberries remains a very good record that took the eperimentation of the black album abit further on tracks like Under the floor again and life goes on- both haunting and moody rock numbers with pronounced basslines ala New Order. Here the damned showed their love of 60's pyschedelia with very british backing vocals crisp guitar lines and the crooning of deepvoiced Vanian. There still was some of the old punk damned left- especially on the opener Ignite which sounds like something from Machine gun ettiquette. On Stranger on the town theres a motown beat and horn section and this showcased the damneds improved songwriting skills and search for something beyond punk. THeres energy and hooks there just less obvious. The songs are longer and have alot of backing instruments- especially the organ which the damned have always used to good effect. This is one of their more diverse records and sits well with the Black album in feel and style. For 1982 this a very good record from one of the more original bands of the past 30 years. I have the original cd without the bonus material which i prefer because the extra tracks take away the vibe of the original album. The bonus stuff is always interesting and sometimes very good but loses steam and drags it down. If you can find the original big beat releases or the reissues of the damned with just the original tracks i recommend you pick up DAMNED DAMNED DAMNED- MGE- BLACK ALBUM AND STRAWBERRIES. March 21, 2007

the Damned best...

Strawberries saw a level of maturity that was actually kind of surprising, and something that they couldn't match after. Songs like "Dozen Girls" or "Bad Time for Bonzo" rock hard, and are among my favorite songs ever. They also showed that they could quiet down with "Don't Bother Me." The bonus tracks are okay, not great but not bad. I miss the strawberry scented lyric sheet of the original release, though. January 6, 2007

soooo goood

The very first Damned album I ever heard back in the early 80s and it was definitely my least favorite after hearing damned damned damned,machine gun etiquette,and the black album but after all these years, I pop it in and its has to be one of the best records ever!!!essential,period!!!!!Late,Junior July 6, 2006

pretty good

This record does not live up to the hype. A bit too ambitious, it falls flat. A few catchy hooks and interesting arrangements save it from oblivion. March 28, 2006

The Damned's most balanced chapter gets restored

Well it's not been a very long since the "Strawberries" remaster was released, but this time it gets the packaging it deserves. Not only the original LP artwork has been restored but you also get the integral of the corresponding b-sides. Althought not as much as you might think since "Rat vs The Omni", "Citadel Zombies" and the Bimbo Jingle were originally just one track on the "Generals" single. And also if I may make a minor complaint... Their is typo in the track listing. I won't commit the offence of telling you what it is.
Anyway, enough moaning... It's nice to finally hear "The Missing Link" in its own induvidual track because it is such a beautiful piece of music.
Moving on to the album, it was the Damned's most sophisticated recording at that point. It had a well balanced mix of punk, rock, new wave, goth and also had an industrial sound to it. It was the last one with Captain Sensible before he left for a very long time but it was also the first to feature Roman Jugg who latter became a full time member of the band.
I suppose their best effort on this album is "The Dog" which is rather a forecast of the sound they were going to adopt ("Phantasmagoria" and "Anything"). "Ignite" is the ultimate hit on the album and is a crowd favorite.
So here it is... The Damned's finest in all it's glory and splendour. Get it now. July 3, 2005

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