| Machine Gun Etiquette | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 November 1979 | |||
| Recorded | March–May and July–August 1979 in London, England | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:28 | |||
| Label | Chiswick | |||
| Producer |
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| The Damned chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Machine Gun Etiquette | ||||
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Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.
The album was the group's first since reforming with a new lineup of previous members Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on lead guitar, Rat Scabies on drums, plus newcomer Algy Ward of Australian punk band The Saints on bass guitar on his only album with the band. On Machine Gun Etiquette, the band brought more variety to their usual punk rock to add wide-ranging influences from hard rock and heavy metal to psychedelic rock, a tinge of progressive rock and even classic 1960s rhythm and blues and the record has been described by journalists and fans alike as The Beach Boys meets Motörhead with T. Rex and Judas Priest influences thrown in for good measure. [5] [6] The album also features more fast-paced punk tracks, and has been cited as a 'proto-hardcore' record crucial for the later rise of hardcore punk into the 1980s. [2]
The voice at the album's start is actor Jack Howarth, taken from his 1971 album 'Ow Do, a recording of Lancastrian monologues.
The album features multiple guest musicians. Lemmy plays bass on the band's take on The Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz", which was not on the album at time of release but released as a single; the song was also added to the reissued version of the album. Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon also appear on the album, which showcases cover versions of songs by MC5. The album also features sometime Pink Floyd lyricist Anthony Moore on synthesiser. Philip Lloyd-Smee contributed to the sleeve and logo design work on Machine Gun Etiquette.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Classic Rock | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [6] |
| Mojo |  [8] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [9] |
| Q | [10] |
| Record Collector | [11] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [12] |
| Uncut | 10/10 [13] |
AllMusic's retrospective review reported that when it was released, Machine Gun Etiquette was "deservedly hailed as another classic from the band". The website praised the variety of styles explored and the group's typically strong wit. [5] Scott Rowley of Classic Rock magazine, reviewing the 25th Anniversary Edition of the album, defined it as "a riotous, ballsy rush of an album [...] the sound of a band coming into its own", adding that "while the Clash looked to America for inspiration, the Damned remained resolutely British", perhaps ironically given that the front cover depicted the band in a New York street scene [7] at 704 7th Avenue, New York City. [14]
All tracks are written by Rat Scabies, Captain Sensible, Dave Vanian and Algy Ward, except as noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Song" | 2:21 | |
| 2. | "Machine Gun Etiquette" | 1:48 | |
| 3. | "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" |
| 3:42 |
| 4. | "Melody Lee" | 2:07 | |
| 5. | "Anti-Pope" |
| 3:21 |
| 6. | "These Hands" | 2:03 | |
| 7. | "Plan 9 Channel 7" | 5:08 | |
| 8. | "Noise, Noise, Noise" |
| 3:10 |
| 9. | "Looking at You" (MC5 cover) | 5:08 | |
| 10. | "Liar" | 2:44 | |
| 11. | "Smash It Up (Part 1)" | 1:59 | |
| 12. | "Smash It Up (Part 2)" | 2:53 | |
| Total length: | 35:28 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Ballroom Blitz" (B-side of "I Just Can't Be Happy Today") (Sweet cover) | 3:30 | |
| 14. | "Suicide" (B-side of "Love Song") | 3:14 | |
| 15. | "Rabid (Over You)" (B-side of "White Rabbit") |
| 3:41 |
| 16. | "White Rabbit" (extended version) (non-album single, 1980) | Grace Slick | 5:13 |
| Total length: | 51:22 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Love Song" (Ed Hollis version) (previously unissued) | 2:03 | |
| 13. | "Noise, Noise, Noise" (Ed Hollis version) (B-side of "Love Song") |
| 3:25 |
| 14. | "Suicide" (B-side of "Love Song") | 3:17 | |
| 15. | "Smash It Up (Part 2)" (backing track – singalonga Damned) (previously unissued) | 2:56 | |
| 16. | "Smash It Up (Part 4)" (previously unissued) | Sensible | 1:57 |
| 17. | "Burglar" (B-side of "Smash It Up") | 3:33 | |
| 18. | "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" (DJ edit) (single version) |
| 3:00 |
| 19. | "Ballroom Blitz" (B-side of "I Just Can't Be Happy Today") |
| 3:28 |
| 20. | "Turkey Song" (B-side of "I Just Can't Be Happy Today") | 1:32 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 21. | "Plan 9, Channel 7" (previously unissued Chiswick video recording) | 6:18 |
| Total length: | 61:41 | |
Credits adapted from the 2004 CD reissue liner notes. [1] [15]
The Damned
Additional personnel
Production and artwork
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [16] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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.
Alasdair Mackie "Algy" Ward was an English punk rock and heavy metal bass guitarist and singer. He began his career in 1977, as a bassist for the Australian band the Saints. Afterwards, he joined The Damned, before founding Tank in 1980. Tank were part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement.
Not of This Earth is the eighth studio album by The Damned. It is often called I'm Alright Jack & The Beanstalk.
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.
"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.
"Little Miss Disaster" is a song by punk rock band the Damned, released 1 December 2005 on their own Lively Arts label. It was the band's first single release since "Shut It" in 1996.
"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.
"Generals" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released in November 1982 by Bronze Records.
"Wait for the Blackout" is a single by English punk rock band The Damned. Initially, Chiswick issued Wait for the Blackout instead of The History of the World as a single to promote The Black Album (1980) in Spain, with "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde" as the B-side.
"Lively Arts" is a single released by English rock band The Damned.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a double compilation album by the Damned, released by MCA in 1987 as a retrospective collection. The same name was also given to a concurrently released video cassette and an approved band biography by Carol Clerk.
"Live at Newcastle" is a live album by the Damned, released in 1983.
Live Shepperton 1980 is a 1982 album by The Damned, their first live album.
Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976–1987 is a compilation album by the English punk and gothic rock band the Damned, released on 22 October 2002. It collects tracks spanning the first eleven years of the band's career, beginning with their debut single "New Rose" (1976) and continuing through their first seven studio albums—Damned Damned Damned (1977), Music for Pleasure (1977), Machine Gun Etiquette (1979), The Black Album (1980), Strawberries (1982), Phantasmagoria (1985), and Anything (1986)—along with the non-album singles "Stretcher Case Baby" (1977), "Lovely Money" (1982), and "Eloise" (1986).
Black Is the Night: The Definitive Anthology is a 2-CD, career-spanning compilation album by the British punk rock band the Damned, released on 1 November 2019. It collects tracks from most of the band's studio albums between 1977 and 2018, as well as selected non-album singles and B-sides. It also includes the new track "Black Is the Night". Of the band's eleven studio albums to date, Not of This Earth (1995) and So, Who's Paranoid? (2008) are not represented on the anthology. All tracks were chosen by the band themselves, and sequenced thematically instead of chronologically.
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