Best of The Damned

The Damned includes: Dave Vanian (vocals); Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies.
The Damned: Captain Sensible (vocals, guitar, bass); Brian James (vocals, guitar); Dave Vanian (vocals); Algy Ward, Paul Gray (bass); Rat Scabies (drums).
Producers: Roger Armstrong, The Damned, Jan Rietman, Hans Zimmer.
THE BEST OF THE DAMNED... includes a detailed family tree of the origins of the original members of The Damned and their related bands.
The Damned were the first UK punks to release a record. In retrospect The Damned in their first and early incarnation are the most significant example of what was good about punk rock. There's still a charm about them and their ability to kick some high-energy ass. This, their first BEST OF, is a great document and the indispensable Damned album.
The first punk hit was the Damned's "New Rose," and it still sounds great. There's more of a freshness to these early records than many of their contemporaries'. "Love Song" was the template for many a punk movement, perhaps most importantly the hardcore D.C. movement of the '80s. Credited to Captain Sensible and the Softies, the wild "Jet Boy, Jet Girl" swaggers along almost obscenely. Other great tracks include the humorously titled "There Ain't No Sanity Clause," the surprising "Smash it Up (Parts 1 & 2), and the Devo-like "Rabid (Over You)." BEST of ends with the "overproduced by Hanz Zimmer" (their credit) "History of the World," a taste of the Damned to come--theatrical and verging on the ridiculous.