Captain Sensible | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Raymond Ian Burns [1] |
Also known as | Captain Sensible |
Born | [2] Balham, London, England | 24 April 1954
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Years active | 1976–present |
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Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded the punk rock band the Damned in 1976, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. He is known for his distinctive appearance including a red beret and sunglasses, typically with white frames. Sensible embarked on a solo career during the 1980s, achieving a UK number one hit with his version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Happy Talk" (1982) and further hits with "Wot" (1982) and "Glad It's All Over" (1984). In 2006, Sensible founded the Blah! Party. He continues to perform in the Damned.
Captain Sensible was born in Balham, London, on 24 April 1954. [2] He went to Stanley Technical School for Boys in South Norwood, Croydon. The first musical instrument he played was a Bontempi organ. Growing up, he listened to Brian Auger, Syd Barrett, Small Faces, Egg, Stray, Soft Machine and the Groundhogs. [5]
Originally a member of the Johnny Moped band, Captain Sensible joined the Damned in 1976 on the suggestion of his colleague Rat Scabies, the band's drummer, filling a number of positions during his tenure (including bassist, lead guitarist and keyboardist), and eventually becoming the band's main songwriter following the departure of Brian James.
Captain Sensible left in the 1980s to concentrate on solo projects,and studied in West Sussex but rejoined in 1996 after Scabies left, and co-wrote Grave Disorder , the band's first new studio album for 8 years, in 2001. He continues to tour and record with the band. [6] [7]
Captain Sensible's first solo release came in 1978 with the single "Jet Boy, Jet Girl", an Elton Motello cover recorded while the Damned were on hiatus. [8] He followed this in 1981 with the This Is Your Captain Speaking EP on Crass Records. [8] He signed to A&M Records and had a UK number one hit in 1982 with a cover of "Happy Talk", the Rodgers and Hammerstein song from South Pacific , featuring backing by Dolly Mixture and a band including Robyn Hitchcock on guitar. [8] This was later sampled for British hip hop artist Dizzee Rascal's 2004 song "Dream". [9]
Other Captain Sensible songs that became hits in the UK and Europe were "Wot", "One Christmas Catalogue" and anti-Falklands War "Glad It's All Over", which was co-written and produced by Tony Mansfield. After quitting A&M Records he continued recording for various independent labels, including Deltic Records and Humbug Records. He has also toured with his solo band Punk Floyd.
Captain Sensible's recording of "The Snooker Song" from Mike Batt's musical The Hunting of the Snark was used as the theme music for the BBC gameshow Big Break , and he also wrote and performed a song called "Brain's Theme" for the movie Skinned Deep in 2004.
Captain Sensible is also a member of Dead Men Walking, a supergroup featuring Mike Peters, Kirk Brandon (Spear of Destiny) and Slim Jim Phantom, [10] and the Sensible Gray Cells with current Damned mate Paul Gray.
"I always wanted to put a brick through the TV when I saw Blair pop his head up. It's quite easy to write lyrics when politicians are so corrupt. I had to start my own political party I was so angry. I called it the Blah Party. It was 50 per cent joke, 50 per cent serious but was my way of dealing with it."
Burns in November 2008 [11]
In September 2006, Captain Sensible formed a new British political party known as the Blah! Party, [12] saying, "We believe that voting is an important part of the democratic process, and we want the Blah! Party to be the party of protest, a channel through which the people of the U.K. can vent their dissatisfaction at nonsensical everyday things, and protest against the government and the current crop of political parties." [13]
The Blah! Party was largely modelled on the principle of direct democracy, with suggestions being made by anyone on the party website. These suggestions would then be voted on by the membership, resulting in a "rolling manifesto." [14] [15] The party was launched on 24 September 2006 at a conference in Manchester. [16] Initial policies included stopping "chav culture and the idolisation of airhead celebrities like the Beckhams, Paris Hilton and Jade Goody", alongside more serious policies of opposing the Iraq War and ID cards, instead spending money on public transport, hospitals and renewable energy. [15]
The Blah! Party entered into a sponsorship deal with Seabrook Crisps in September 2006, with the party logo and details on joining for free printed on their packets. [16] [17] The party also received non-financial support from PR company Propaganda. The party received £168,309 in the last quarter of 2006. [18] The party was debt-free in 2008, with a membership of 8,544, up from 5,000 in 2007. [19]
The first Blah! Party candidate was Carl Finlan, who stood in the 2007 local elections in Thornton and Allerton ward, Bradford. [20] He gained 69 votes (1.6%). [21] Deputy leader Melodie Staniforth stood in the Holme Valley North ward of Kirklees as 'Boney Maroney' in 2008. [22] She gained 38 votes (0.68%). [23] She resigned shortly afterwards. [24]
On 11 September 2007, Propaganda handed total control of the Blah! Party to Captain Sensible, former Official Monster Raving Loony Party deputy leader Melodie Staniforth, Robert Staniforth, Sadie Ingoldby, Shaun Nightingale and Gary Spate. [24] In December 2008, Propaganda closed the website. The party ended its association with Propaganda and Seabrook, launching a new website. At the same time it de-registered from the register of political parties, deciding to instead be a protest group. [24]
Captain Sensible was previously in a long term relationship with Rachel Bor of Dolly Mixture. [25] The couple have three children together. [25] He is currently married to Mayumi. [25] [26]
Burns adopted his stage name Captain Sensible ironically because he described himself as a "debauched maniac" who had fun "regardless of the consequences." [27] However, after living at Dial House (the commune where the anarcho-punk band Crass lived) for a week to record an EP in 1981, his life changed and he became a vegetarian who adhered to Crass' pacifist and creative aims. [27] [28] Captain Sensible has written several songs about animal rights, including "Torture Me" and most notably the 1985 single "Wot! No Meat?". [29] [30]
He is a supporter of Crystal Palace F.C.
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
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UK [32] | AUS [33] | AUT [34] | BE [35] | GER [36] | IRE [37] | NL [38] | NZ [39] | SWI [40] | ||
1978 | "Jet Boy, Jet Girl" (Netherlands-only release) [upper-alpha 1] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1980 | "Millionaire" [upper-alpha 2] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
"Disco Girls" / "Blu Shoes" [upper-alpha 3] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1982 | "Hey Jo" [upper-alpha 4] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
"Happy Talk" | 1 | 35 | — | 36 | — | 1 | 37 | 24 | — | |
"Wot" | 26 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 3 | |
"Croydon" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1983 | "Stop the World" | 82 | — | — | — | 72 | — | — | — | — |
"I'm a Spider" | 177 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1984 | "Glad It's All Over" / "Damned on 45" | 6 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — |
"There Are More Snakes Than Ladders" | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"One Christmas Catalogue" / "Relax" | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1985 | "Wot, No Meat?" [upper-alpha 5] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
"Come On Down" | 116 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1987 | "Revolution Now" | 120 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1988 | "The Snooker Song" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
"The Toys Take Over" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"I Get So Excited" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1990 | "Smash It Up (Part 4)" [upper-alpha 6] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1993 | "Holiday in My Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
"Wot '93" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1994 | "The Hokey Cokey" | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1995 | "Flip Top World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1997 | "While Wrecking the Car" (Germany-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1998 | "Cigarette Sandy" [upper-alpha 7] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1999 | "Missing the Boat" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2005 | "Wot (I Say Captain)" [upper-alpha 8] | — | — | — | — | 80 | — | — | — | — |
2014 | "Wot" [upper-alpha 9] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released |
Notes
The Damned are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976), release a studio album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), and tour the United States. They have nine singles that charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.
Damned Damned Damned is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 February 1977 by Stiff Records. Produced by Nick Lowe, Damned Damned Damned was the first full-length album released by a UK punk group.
Strawberries is the fifth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released in October 1982 by record label Bronze.
Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.
Christopher John Millar, known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned.
"New Rose" by The Damned was the first single by a British punk rock group, released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France.
The Black Album is the fourth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar. It was released on 3 November 1980 by Chiswick as a double album, with "Curtain Call" filling the whole of side 3, and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios at a special concert for Damned fan club members on side 4. The song "13th Floor Vendetta" paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), opening with the lyrics "...the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight".
Phantasmagoria is the sixth album by U.K. punk rock band the Damned, released by MCA in July 1985. Special editions were available on white vinyl or picture disc; some versions included a free 12-inch of their No. 3 hit "Eloise". It is the first album by the band without original member Captain Sensible, and was a style shift to gothic rock compared to the band's punk sound of its early and later career.
Paul Murray Granville Gray is an English bassist notable for playing with the rock bands Eddie and the Hot Rods and The Damned.
"Smash It Up" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned, released as a single on 12 October 1979 by Chiswick Records. It is considered the band's unofficial anthem.
"Problem Child" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 28 September 1977 by Stiff Records as a preview for the band's second studio album, Music for Pleasure. The tracks were produced by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, and were the first to be released featuring new member Lu Edmunds. The single again failed to chart in the official UK Top 75, though it did reach No. 27 on the NME chart, which used a different sample of record shops.
"Love Song" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released in April 1979. It was the first fruit of the reformed lineup's deal with Chiswick Records, boosted by four variant picture sleeves, each one featuring a member of the band, with an additional 20,000 copies pressed on red vinyl. It was the Damned's first top 40 hit, peaking at number 20 in the UK Singles Chart, and leading to the band's debut on Top of the Pops.
"I Just Can't Be Happy Today" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned from their 1979 album, Machine Gun Etiquette. Released as a single in November on Chiswick Records, it peaked at No. 46 in the UK Singles Chart.
"There Ain't No Sanity Clause" is a single by English rock band the Damned, released on 24 November 1980.
"Dozen Girls" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 17 September 1982 by Bronze Records.
"Wot" is a 1982 single by English musician Captain Sensible released by A&M Records. The song was produced by Tony Mansfield and features the group Dolly Mixture on backing vocals. The song charted in the United Kingdom and was a specialist hit in the United States, but enjoyed its greatest success in continental Europe.
Evil Spirits is the eleventh studio album from the Damned. Released on 13 April 2018, it was their first album in ten years and was produced by famed producer Tony Visconti who is best known for his work with David Bowie. The album was largely crowdfunded by a successful PledgeMusic campaign.
Women and Captains First is the debut solo album by English musician Captain Sensible, best known as guitarist for The Damned, released on 3 September 1982 by A&M Records. It features contributions from producer Tony Mansfield, Robyn Hitchcock and the band Dolly Mixture. The album was preceded by the singles "Happy Talk" and "Wot", which peaked at numbers 1 and 26 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively. The album reached No. 64 on the UK Albums Chart. It was reissued on CD in 2009 by Cherry Red Records, including six bonus tracks.
This is Your Captain Speaking is a three-track EP by English musician Captain Sensible, released on 2 November 1981 on Crass Records. It was Sensible's first release as a solo artist, while still being a member of rock band the Damned. It reached No. 3 in the UK Indie Chart.