Damned – Alone Again Or

I never knew much about The Damned but this song sounds great. I’ve read about this band a lot and the history around them but never really listened to them as much. I was expecting pure punk but this is quite different. This was left over from my Stiff Records week because this song they did not perform on Stiff Records…it was on MCA. 

The song is a cover of a song written by Bryan MacLean, originally performed by the band Love on their 1967 album Forever Changes. The Damned’s version was released as a single in 1987 and featured on their album Anything. The Damned was formed when guitarist Brian James teamed up with drummer Rat Scabies. They were soon joined by vocalist Dave Vanian (a former gravedigger) and bassist Captain Sensible.

On the 6th of July 1976, The Damned made their live debut, when they supported the Sex Pistols at 100 Club. This was the start of a rivalry between the two bands. They were the first UK punk band to release a single called New Rose. It was 5 weeks before the Sex Pistols released Anarchy In The UK. They were also the first UK punk band to release an album… Damned Damned Damned in 1977 on Stiff Records.

After the release of their second album, Music for Pleasure in 1977, tensions in the band led to their initial breakup. They re-formed in 1978 with a new lineup and released Machine Gun Etiquette in 1979. They started to change with that album with more styles thrown in the mix with garage rock and better melodies. In the early 1980s, they went more to a goth darker version and then in 1986 a more polished and mainstream sound. 

The Damned have released 12 studio albums, 5 EPs, and 22 live albums along with 48 singles…with 10 of those in the top 40.  The band is still touring and they still have original members Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, and Rat Scabies. They last released an album called Darkadelic in 2023. 

Alone Again Or

Yeah, I said it’s alrightI won’t forgetAll the times I waited patiently for youAs you do just what you choose to doAnd I will be alone again tonight my dear

Yeah, I heard a funny thingSomebody said to meThat you could be in love with almost everyoneYou think people are the greatest funAnd I will be alone again tonight for you

Hey, I said its alrightYou know I won’t forgetAll the times I waited patiently for youNow you do just whatYou choose to doAnd I will be alone again tonight its true

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

36 thoughts on “Damned – Alone Again Or”

  1. Outstanding single! Probably would have been my choice in your Stuff theme week too, were they still to be on that label. Just love the guitars & the horns on it ..it all works. Was the one that made me sit up & pay attention to the Damned. A ‘damned’ fine post!

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      1. I remember being pretty much blown away the first couple of times I heard it back in the ’80s. Another punk band that I think might have had a top 10 hit over here with it were it not for their name… hard to imagine Casey Kasem getting behind introducing something by ‘The Damned’ for instance

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      2. lol with Casey… Yea this and Eloise is perfectly commercial…I do like their first release as well…as someone said…they covered a lot of ground!

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  8. I bought the original single of this by Love when it first came out, and it is still one of my top two all time favourite songs. This wasn’t as bad as I expected when I heard that they were covering it, as they took it fairly straight, though they did crash the lyrics a few times when a bit of subtlety would have helped. As covers go, the best one of this song that I know is by Calexico: the injustice is that The Damned had hit with it when two better versions never saw the light of day here.

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    1. Many times that is the case among covers. I was expecting something harsh and loud…so they did some changing from when they started in 77.

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  9. Pretty good cover of a stellar song. Hard to top Love, but this is a pretty da- decent stab at it.

    I just can’t think of a more Punk name than Rat Scabies. It’s as off-putting as anything I could name. Hey, Mom, Pop, this is my new boyfriend, he’s a musician, he plays drums in a damned band, his name is Rat Scabies and I just can’t wait to have his babies.’ ‘Ooh, um… listen Dear, don’t you thing you should go out with someone more sensible..?’

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  10. I know the Love original, but never knew there was a punk/goth remake. Cover songs across generations and genres don’t always work, but I think this one turned out very well.

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  12. “Alone Again Or” sounds pretty good – and, yes, not exactly what you associate with punk. With the jangly guitar, I think it sounds closer to power pop!

    Recently, I covered another song by The Damned called “Stranger On the Town” – after my German music friend Gerd had given me the tip to check it out. That song, off their 1982 album “Strawberries,” has more of a soul vibe.

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  13. I largely prefer th Damned when they punk their songs. It’s really ambitious to try that cover, the song Love’s song is pretty diamond shining in the sun of the california hippie summer.
    And what a bizarre video in a spanish mood mixing ghosty Leone desperados and a singing Zorro !

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    1. I’m liking the punk phase a little more myself…I don’t know much about them but they were much more different than I expected. Yea…the singing Zorro threw me off as well.

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  16. Pingback: Love – Forever Changes ….album review – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

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