A Damned - Clash comparison

This is not to be taken seriously! [A sequel featuring Depeche Mode & New Order.]

1977

The Clash vs Damned Damned Damned

These albums are about equal. Both are extremely gnarling punk albums. Compared to DDD, The Clash's seems almost pedestrian. And no, producer Nick Lowe didn't speed up the tapes. The band did play that fast. However, The Clash's debut has intelligence that other punk debuts lacked.

So that's 1/1 all.

1978

Give 'Em Enough Rope vs Music For Pleasure

A slight misnomer that title lads, because even Captain Sensible claimed "that second album was shit" and he isn't far wrong. It's not that bad, but 'Rope secures 1978 for Clash.

2/1 to Clash.

1979

London Calling vs Machine Gun Etiquette

Despite London Calling's obvious triumphs, MGE is the better album. There's no filler here. In my opinion it's probably the best punk album of all time, and like London Calling shows musical evolution for the band. Plan 9 Channel 7 already has the goth hallmarks and there's not much on London Calling that rivals Machine Gun Etiquette for sheer energy. However, London Calling, despite filler and the odd questionable track is still superb, so this'll have to be another tie.

3/2 to Clash.

1980

Sandinista! vs The Black Album

Both bands dive head first into the experimental phase, with the Damned offering the last side of Disc 2 of this double album (title is a play on the Beatles album) as a 17 minute epic called 'Curtain Call'. About as far from punk as you can get. The rest of the album is very dark and moody, displaying many styles, and even the time for the odd killer riff, as Inder will testify - Drinking About My Baby. It certainly holds its own with S! for musical experimentation, and though there aren't as many styles, The Damned didn't just chuck every last piece of tape in the mix. However, my love for Sandinista! means this is another tie.

4/3 to Clash.

1981

This Is Radio Clash vs Friday 13th EP

Radio Clash isn't very good. The Friday 13th EP is amazing. You get four tracks - Disco Man (catchy tune and still a crowd favourite today), The Limit Club (more spooky greatness), Billy Bad Breaks (great comical sing along stuff) and the Stones' cover Citadel (great, just great). What did The Clash shove onto vinyl? A few barrel scrapers, all over mixed and boring.

4/4 each.

1982

Combat Rock vs Strawberries

No contest. If you've heard Strawberries you'll know how much arse it kicks. Everything from thrashing punk of Ignite, feel-good songs such as Pleasure And The Pain, comical solos on animal cruelty (three years before you did it Moz), psychedelic 7 minuters and perhaps the Captain's finest moment in Life Goes On (along with Killing Jokes' 'Eighties' an influence for Nirvana's 'Come As You Are'). Combat Rock is nowhere near as interesting or diverse, with the flip side falling apart terribly. The A side is just singles - all three of them - and lacks any creativity in forming what an album should be, i.e. a blend of music that flows perfectly start to finish. This goes to Damned.
(Strawberries even came packaged in a strawberry-smelling lyrics sheet.)

5/4 to Damned.

1983-1984

Not much happening as both sides mess around with members. Mick and the Captain depart, and while The Clash carry on kicking arse on the live set, The Damned cut demos that will kick arse in the studio.

1985

Cut The Crap vs Phantasmagoria

Unfair to use Cut The Crap perhaps. Phantasmagoria started a whole new era for The Damned. Some fans hate it, and some, like me, love it. The album had a very 'gothic' (I use that annoying label for want of something better) feel to it, and showed the band had life in them without Sensible. Cut The Crap, only showed that no matter how good a song is, if it's badly produced, it can sound like shite.

6/4 to Damned.

There you have it. It didn't end there for The Damned, but it would be unfair to carry on since it did end in 1985 for The Clash.