Machine Gun Analysis

Machine Gun Etiquette was equally a triumphant return for The Damned after their 78 break-up and a sort of last hurrah for the original British Punk Rock sound. Post-Sex Pistols break up proved to be a very chaotic time for Punk in both sides of the Atlantic sporing Post-Punk, Oi and Hardcore, among others. New approaches to the minimalist three-chord formula were being birthed constantly by the late 70's and early 80's. After reforming in 1978, The Damned didn't join the burgeoning hardcore scene or pursue a more "intellectual" punk road like The Pop Group or Joy Division. After their disastrous sophomore release, Music For Pleasure (a main catalyst for Brian James' departing and subsequent break up) MGE found a Damned in peak form. Finally, MGE is a defiant stand during a sort of tumultuous gray void that occupied Punk Rock history in the wake of the Sex Pistols death. This 1979 album subtly screamed (at the time) the now obscenely cliched phrase, "Punks not dead!"

MGE is one of the most furious punk albums in existence and certainly The Damned's best, by far exceeding their freshman (and sophomore) output. Sure, Damned Damned Damned is the first British Punk LP, however it sounds dated and more like a band still working on their sound (at least in the authors opinion). Plus, it really doesn't stand in comparison to the Punk output that would arrive soon after, like X-Ray Spex or The Sex Pistols plain steamrolling (British) music in 1977. With the exit of Brian James, and Captain Sensible taking over much of the writing, The Damned not only sounded much more refreshed but more confident and in some ways more menacing. And I don't mean menacing in the scary (Death/Black) Metal sense, but menacing in the cheeky, juvenile sense that Brit Punk is so infamous for. Love Song kicks the album off with a sleazy psychedelia-like intro before Sensible makes some hilarious analogies about love, "I'll be the rubbish if you'll be the bin". The album titles song, is their fastest and most furious, as The Damned dabble with the blooming Hardcore sound of the time. Noise Noise Noise, as the song title implies is wonderfully crafted with chaotic chorus guitar work and lyrics that the author fully agrees with, "Noise is for hero's, leave the music for zero's!" Anti-Pope is a hilariously cheeky song as Sensible takes potshots at the church:

There’s gonna be some fun tonight

Spreading news around the town

That the vicars are transvestites

With a fetish for robes and gowns

MGE reaches an apex by Smash It Up with a sensational intro in part 1, leading up to a juvenile frenzied epic in part 2.
In the authors opinion, most of The Damned's material has been mostly hit or miss (no pun intended). MGE's successors like The Black Album, Strawberries or Phantasmagoria hardly compared to their 1979 monstrosity unfortunately. And while one can applaud The Damned for constantly experimenting with their pop sound, their successes were a mixed bag half the time. However, MGE was not only The Damned's most thrilling work but most consistent too. Perhaps the only low point of the album was These Hands, which feels like a failed attempt at the bands staple oddball, black humor. The Damned were fearless however, treading a barrage of complex solos and chords; an area that many of their contemporaries would shy away from. Furthermore, its easy to pick up on the Psychedelia and Blues influence within this album (other than the White Rabbit cover) such as the sleazy Love Song intro, a beautiful climax on Plan 9 Channel 7 and even conga's on Anti-Pope (of course I'm just grouping in the odd use use of congas into the Psychedelic field...but hey, it's my blog). Personally, I can't listen to the album too much as the more I do listen to MGE the more I find myself falling in love with this masterpiece.