Tag: Dave Vanian

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

Lemmy …A Documentary

This is about Lemmy Kilmister the founder of Motorhead. The documentary is called Lemmy: 49% motherfucker. 51% son of a bitch. His name was Ian Fraser Kilmister…better known as Lemmy.

I’m not a huge fan of Motorhead but I do like a few of their songs. Lemmy though is another matter. He is a great subject for a documentary. This was made in 2010 and it’s hard not to like the guy. He was who he was and he wasn’t changing for anyone. He reminds me a little of Keith Richards…but a rougher version.

Lemmy saw The Beatles in the Cavern and is a huge fan which surprised me. He was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and he played with Hawkwind and later formed his band…Motorhead. They took punk and heavy metal and cross-pollinated the two forms in some ways.

This documentary was released in 2010. Some of the people in this documentary per Wiki are Slash, Duff McKagan, Ozzy Osbourne, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Robert Trujillo, Kirk Hammett, Nikki Sixx, David Ellefson, Scott Ian, Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Peter Hook, and Marky Ramone, as well as Nik Turner and Dave Brock of Lemmy’s former band Hawkwind. The filmmakers were also able to capture many candid moments with colleagues such as Dave Grohl and Billy Bob Thornton conversing with Lemmy in bars and recording studios.

Lemmy passed away on December 28, 2015. Even if you are not a fan…you probably will enjoy this.

This is the complete documentary.