Lovely long 'promotional' email from #TheDamned today. Thank you for sharing all these details, Cap!
The second single, ‘See Emily Play’ from our upcoming album, ‘Not Like Everybody Else’, is out now 🦇
"A bit of a weird choice this one seeing as punk was seen as a reaction against the mega stadium rock acts of the mid 70s - but whatever Pink Floyd eventually morphed into by then, there’s no denying that the early Syd Barrett years were wildly innovative, helping splash psychedelia across a music scene that was, until then full of drippy love songs. Alternatively, Floyd’s first single Arnold Layne talked about a crossdressing panty thief, which was a bit of a leap from I Want To Hold Your Hand!
But it’s the band's second single that we have covered here, partly because it was one of Brian’s early faves (a fact that surprised everyone when his wife Minna told us) and partly because it was the song that blew my mind (man!) so much that I went from merely appreciating music to becoming completely obsessed by it. In fact I can remember the moment that I first heard it, while traipsing to school up Holmesdale Rd past the home of Crystal Palace FC with my trusty Ferguson transistor radio glued to my ear en route to Stanley Tech... listening to Tony Blackburn on pirate station Radio London - where on a warm summers morning just before 9am one particular teenager who was already going to be late for school thought “blimey, this is bloody good” giving up the rush, and instead sitting on someone’s garden wall while concentrating on the sound of Syd Barrett’s glissando guitar and Rick Wright’s ‘Fry’s Turkish Delight’ tripped out organ meandering.
So unlikely as it seems the psychedelic pop of See Emily Play had influenced not one but two Damned guitarists and thus was included on the list for Brian’s tribute album.. and for those wondering if it’s Dave or myself singing - it’s actually both of us singing lead.. with Monty on harmonies while giving it his best ‘Rick’ on the studio’s vintage double manual electric organ and Rat & Paul putting some much needed oomph into a song that some are undoubtedly going to say doesn’t belong on a Damned record.. and while Pink Floyd did end up becoming a bit.. is turgid too harsh? - let’s try ponderous.. anyway, they were far from that when they burst originally onto the scene during 67’s ‘summer of love’. No, Syd’s Floyd were radical pioneers of a wild new sound and you gotta love them for that.
It was, of course, suggested that we might ramp up the tempo to breakneck speed and festoon with gnarled and raucous guitars similar to our version of 'Help', but luckily, this time round we resisted that temptation.” - Cap
#SydBarret #Psychedelia #BrianJames #NotLikeEverybodyElse #Punk
The Damned - Then and Now
✝️ Rest in Peace Brian James (March 6, 2025) 🖤
#punk #punks #punkrock #punklegends #oldschoolpunk #thedamned #brianjames #history #punkrockhistory
49 years ago - young punks at the beginning of their music career
The Damned: Brian James, Rat Scabies, Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible. November 1976
📸 by Sheila Rock
#thedamned #davevanian #brianjames #captainsensible #ratscabies #sheilarock #punk #punkrock #punkrockgraveyard
The Damned Release Video for “There’s A Ghost In My House” — Covers Album “Not Like Everybody Else” Announced!
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#BraveWords
THE DAMNED Announce New Covers Album In Tribute To Founding Guitarist BRIAN JAMES; Includes Tracks Originally Performed By PINK FLOYD, THE YARDBIRDS, IGGY & THE STOOGES And More
#THEDAMNED #BRIANJAMES #AnnounceNewCoversAlbumInTributeToFoundingGuitarist...
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#Blabbermouth
THE DAMNED Announces Special New Covers Album 'Not Like Everybody Else' In Tribute To BRIAN JAMES
#THEDAMNED #BRIANJAMES #AnnouncesSpecialNewCoversAlbum #NotLikeEverybodyElse #album #newrelease #EP #announcement #guitarist #Blabbermouth #metal #music
Me acabo de enterar que hace una semana falleció Brian James a los 70 años, el que fuera fundador, guitarrista y compositor de The Damned y, posteriormente, de The Lords of the New Church junto a Stiv Bators.
DiegoRJ le rinde homenaje desde su sótano https://www.rtve.es/play/audios/el-sotano/geoff-palmer-zinkos-recuerdo-brian-james-13-03-25/16490500/
Brian James, founding member of The Damned, dies at 70:
#BrianJames #BrianJamesRIP #TheDamned #SadNews
Link: https://metalinsider.net/sad-news/brian-james-founding-member-of-the-damned-dies-at-70