The Damned, So, Who's Paranoid?

Easily my favourite punk band, the psychadelic silliness of the Damned carries onto this astounding collection of tracks and bursts out of the CD player like a frog under a lawnmower!Not a single track feels like a filler, the dynamic duo of Sensible and Vanian sounding better than ever even after thirty-odd years with the usual mix of interesting and entertaining songs long term fans such as myself have come to love. By no means do I claim to be an impartial reviewer, but if Strawberrys, The Black Album or even the outstanding Universe of Geoffrey Brown (google it) were your thing, you're in for one hell of a treat!

The Damned are still an excellent band. Vanian & Sensible in fine form. Shallow diamonds surely worthy of a single. Excellent opener (A nation fit for heroes) Under the wheels, brilliant. A danger to yourself, great.

Fantastically diverse musical styles and ear-naggingly melodic throughout. Dave Vanian sings his little vampiric heart out, ranging from full-on punk bellows to grandiose rock theatrical styles, and I love his self-consciously English pronunciations. The playing is uniformly energetic and enthusiastic and the sound is great.

There's something just really heart-warming about this new album from a bunch of punk old stagers. They sound newly reinvigorated, and although some of their more hardcore fans might might call for more punk attack and bile, it's superbly hooky and well produced.

If you are a Damned fan, this is a must have to be certain. If you are not a fan, this album might just make you one. Vanian is in peak form and the psychedelic feel they promised in interviews over the last few years is definitely delivered in the grandest way possible. Truly an inspiring piece of music history.

In concert the new material easily meshes with, and stands up to, their older, more well known, songs. This CD deserves a place on the charts, though I doubt it will get crack the Billboard Top 100 album chart. Definitely check out their performances on The Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson on 10/30 and 10/31, available on You Tube.

The Damned, So, Who's Paranoid? is just great.... listen! The Damned are still one of the best rock groups ever!