Gin Lady- Camping with Bohdi (Bilocation Records ARTIFACT128)

My wife and I have really grown to love this band and it nice that the last few years they drop a new record every 2 years. Electric Earth for me was the bands peak and the last one, Tall Sun Crooked Moon, took a while for it to grow on me and I have to say the same with the new one.  The first listen, I was actually a little disappointed and thought the songs were a bit too much like we heard before (and they are in many ways) and not so inspired. The main difference with this album though is that Niklas Ålund is no longer in the band, so they are no a four piece and they used a different studio in Stockholm but the same producers.  Anyway, the album starts off with Underground and the core Gin Lady sound is intact after some backwards guitar and noodling about as they build up the tempo and a good groove starts to develop. Johnny's voice is so distinct and the music makes you happy. I am guessing he is also playing the keyboards on this album? Not sure.  For Everyone sounds like at 12 string guitar to start and some familiar melodies and arrangements are found interspersed in this track, which does not offer much new.  Haven't seen you Lately has a bit harder riff and a bit more uptempo. Fields of Joy (see fan made video below) starts slow and then this sort of Allman Brothers inspired dual guitars and organ kicks in before they kick into what is sort of their strummed signature sound. That ends side A of the LP. I love your Babe starts off side B and features the organ prominently and has a very much Rolling Stones like riff and feel to start. Not my fave song. Solider On also has this US southern rock feel with the harmony guitars and just a slow stoned groove. One of my fave songs on the record. Freedom Rider is makes you smile with a bit of piano action although not that strong mixed in to the song. Very southern rock for sure!  Celebration Blues is a footstopping little number!!!  Only happy songs from these guys! We are Free Now is the closer and sounds much like what proceeded it.  

Very well recorded, played and produced but I think the band should work with different producers to push them to try out more new different avenues in their music as most of these tracks come across as really derivative the last two records with the same types of backing vocals, instrumentation, lyrical arrangements, etc.. I love the band but I would like to see some progression, take some chances rather than just recreating variations of the same songs they have written in the past.  Despite the critic, I still enjoy the record a lot.. 

http://ginlady.bandcamp.com

Buffalo- Volcanic Rock Revisited Live (Ripple)

I was quite looking forward to this and have heard the album at least 100x. I love this album and hold it to a very high standard. Dave Tice still has quite a good voice but damn, he is just mixed way too loud to really enjoy this. The guitar sounds like he is in the other room sometimes and that is very annoying. It actually sounds like this is an audience recording (a very good one despite the low guitar).  The band delivers the songs with a nice passion and plays the songs very faithfully.  If the guitar was more in your face like on the album, I would have enjoyed this a lot more that is for sure.  If you are fan, it is worth checking out but I don´t think it is worth the money to buy the vinyl as you would always go back to the original, which is far far superior.  Check out the stream…. One of the greatest bands from Australia, for sure…

Ripple Music Europe

Super Sonic Blues- It´s Heavy (Who can you Trust)

Super Sonic Blues is a young trio from Holland, who I have been lucky enough to see 3x at Roadburn festival and always cool gigs. This record has been a long time in coming so I was quite looking forward to it.. I have to say, that when the needle hit the vinyl, I though there was some dirt or hair on the needle as it sounds pretty terrible so I cleaned the record and the needle and it sounds the same, so that must mean this is what they wanted the record to sound like…  Everything is just pushed to the sound of distortion so all the songs have too much the same dynamic and messed up sound. I think this might have been a decent recording and could have sounded way better had Guy (Orange Sunshine)  had not got his hand on it and tried to turn it into Orange Sunshine!!  Anyway, the band lay down 7 really cool songs.  If you want to hear a really good sounding recording of the band and most of these songs, check out the you tube show below….

http://supersonicblues.bandcamp.com

It was the Elf- Ancestors (Raging Planet AS/RP337)

So cool to find a great band like this that lives only 30mins away!  I have been friends with Vascko for a while now but due to Covid, we have not managed to meet but the band has sent me their CD now. I did not know it was on the Raging Planet label. They had sent me a batch of CDs a few years ago that I reviewed for the blog. Anyway, Ancestors features 8 tracks in about 50mins. The opening track, Nature´s Son, starts with a very long quiet intro that slowly comes to life with 2 different guitar lines as the drums and bass slowly build. At just about 5mins, the opening jam is done and the real song starts. It is a slow stoney number. The vocals have some effects on it that gives it a special sound. Actually the sound production is quite special in its sound. At 7:30, the pace picks up a bit and the intensity is lifted a notch as the riff is a bit harder and the singing more intense. A bit later there is a nice sort of bluesy guitar solo that really lifts the track.  Black Caravan is next and a bit more doomy but a few minutes in a really cool guitar riff kicks in and then the guitar solos section their is some nice spacey effects added as they space out a bit until the end. Snake Charmer is like a real blues number to start but then it gets more intense with a more heavy riff and vocal intensity.  Nice change of pace.  The Return of the Bear is heads down kick ass stoner rock and a real groover but quite different at the end and sort of drifts into the next track Sea of Fog (a spacey intro to the next track)/Dolmen with its slow spacey start and then a more doomy track starts. The vocal is a bit more spoken at times in this slow grower, that slowly gets more intense and the riff a bit meaner and then it evolves into a stoner rock song, with a nice headbanging groove but they have good dynamics this band and so it slows down and then grows again with some intense guitar lines. Rain is next and starts a bit spaced out with just some guitar sounds and vocals and maybe some field recordings from the mountains??… Cool singing and then the track really takes off with another great stoner rock groove. Sun is the last track... 

The band have really good dynamics and while it is the stoner rock genre, they are really good to mix stuff up and not just belt out the same 3-4min groover each time.. Great record.. 

https://itwastheelf1.bandcamp.com/ 

Farflung- 25,000 Feet (Sulatron Records )

1995.. seems like a long time ago but a new group was formed out of the California band, Pressurehed and this was it! A lot of similarities for sure between the two but this recording has never been rereleased or put out on vinyl until now!  It features 40mins of high energy punky psychedelic space rock, with some instrumental, and some with vocals. There is also a short unreleased track on the limited vinyl. No information if it is from the same era or not but we should assume this.  Rumor has it that the band completed a new record in 2021 and this will be released on Sulatron in 2022!! Yeah!!!

Really cool album. 

http://sulatron.com 

http://farflung.bandcamp.com 

The Fishheads- Pleasant Valley Sunday 7” (Fruits de Mer Records crustacean 95)

Got this just about the time that Michael Nesmith had died. Quite sad news for many people as the Monkess were a part of a lot of our younger years, be it their through their LPs or TV shows!   Anyway, this a great version and you can´t not resist to smile as this is happy music!!!  Get up and Dance….

The B- side is a cover of another great and classic song, Let´s get Together!!  So who made these versions, well, it is a lot of folks from what I call the Fruits deMer Family! Anton Barbeau, Crystal Jacqueline, Icraus Peel, John Chinn, Paul Chousner, Holly Bowler and put together by Swordfish (Astralasia).. Nice release..

http://fruitsdemerrecords.com 

Rush- A Farewell to Kings Deluxe Box Set

I hate to say, I am a huge fan of these box sets but damn, they cost too much in general but I was able to get this one for cheap cause there is some noise on 2 of the LP sides.  Anyway, this has been my 2nd favorite RUSH album and when I heard the Steven Wilson had done the 5.1 surround sound mix, I had to get it, one day..  The packaging is really nice with a replica 1977 Tour program, a ring, a print, turntable mat, and this triple LP and 3CD/DVD set.. 

Anyway, it was amazing to hear this in 5.1.  In the liner notes Steven writes that for some parts he needed to maintain the main three tracks pretty close to the original to get the feel and sound of the original and it is mainly the drums that he uses in the surround sound.  The tracks like Xanadu there is a of tubular bells, synths, etc. that made the track sound just incredible, like you would image it could, surrounding you with sound. Also Cygnas X1 is totally incredible, the spacey intro and other parts. Just amazing. The other songs sound great as well and the visuals are sparse but really cool with slight animations.. Good for the really stoned people!  The three videos they made, which are basically them playing live in a studio were cool to see as well. I don't think I had ever seen any of them. 

The live recording that comes from this tour is superb quality and while most (all but 4 songs) have been released before, not with this sonic quality and care.  It is the same tour as the All the worlds a Stage so the set list is pretty close.  A quite cool box...

Top 25 for 2021

This was a very difficult year to decide on what my favourites were and a lot of great stuff came out in November and December (Black Label Society, Gin Lady, White Manna, Eldovar, etc..)..  Anyway, for sure Saturnia was the album that I played the most this year as well as Samsara Blues Experiment (but that was released in 2020!). The rest of the order could change each week...  The Winner was Saturnia! 

1. SATURNIA- STRANDED IN THE GREEN

I think this is the best Saturnia record Luis has made. Such great songs and the sound on the vinyl is amazing. Parabéns!! Congrats.

2. BLACKBERRY SMOKE- YOU HEAR GEORGIA

My wife and I love Blackberry Smoke and while they keep getting a bit more and more mainstream and soft and not rockin´ as much, Charlie keeps writing fucking great songs that after a while you just get hooked on. Having Warren Haynes and a collaboration with Ricky Medlocke on one of the albums best songs, Scarecrow, I loved it..

3. Zach Oakley- Badlands

This is a record that has been long in the making and I recorded some synths on an early version of the opening track, Freedom Rock. Anyway, Zack, really has a winner here with such a great variety of songs and styles. I have played this one a lot. Great great record..

4. MONSTER MAGNET- A BETTER DYSTOPIA

What can I say?? Monster fucking Magnet rocks!  I would have preferred a new studio album but this sort of us is in a way as they really have taken a wide range of cool mostly 70s tracks and made them their own.  We were Born to Go Baby.. played this a lot…  Cool stuff..

5. Sendelica – And Man Created God

This album is my fave of all the Sendelica albums I have heard (probably heard half of their output).  Just love the flow and subject matter, being an atheist.  Fantastic album. Pity I did not manage to get a copy of the album. 

6. ASTRAL MAGIC- VISIONS OF INFINITY

My good friend, Santtu asked me to collaborate and mix this record for him and so I have heard this a lot and it is just a classic space rock record and having my musical partner, Martin, playing most of the guitar was a bonus.  It will be a space rock classic one day.. Great great album..

7. Motorpsycho- Kings of Oblivion

You are never quite sure what you are going to get these days and for sure I did not like this album as much as the last one due to the shorter songs but damn there is a lot of cool music and they keep pushing themselves.  One of the best live bands on the planet these days…

8. DELVING- HIRSCHBRUNNEN

Nick from Elder put out his first solo album and he sent me the CD.  What an awesome album and very impressive playing since he played virtually all the instruments.  I was not very fond of the more mainstream sound of the last Elder record and it was a bit too much vocal heavy but this is all instrumental and just super songs..  Heard it a lot of times..

9. HEAR THE CAPTAIN SPEAK, THE CAPTAIN IS DEAD- FLUX CAPACITOR

This band is flying the space rock flag high over in Spain and really made a cool album for their 2nd one.  I really enjoyed this one as well…

10. Sula Bassana- Loop Station Drones 

Dave also put out the CV sessions this year but this was the music that really grabbed me. I jsut got intranced and he play really cool and spacey, heavy, light, all sides of the types of music I dig.. Just awesome..

11. AGUSA- EN ANNAN VARLD

IT has been a long wait for a new studio album from Agusa and a lot of members have come and gone and now only Mikkel remains from the first line up of the band. Anyway, this could very well be the best album the band has made!!! Two just awesome album side prog tracks. They have stepped back a bit from the folky riffs that were repeated a bit too much and take a breath of fresh air and made a great record..

12. KANAAN- EARHTBOUND

This album really blew me away as I had not expected the band to get so heavy but after a few listens, I really got sucked into the sound and vibe a lot. Cool playing.. 

13. MNGLT- PURE 

I had never heard of this guy before but we listened to this CD quite a bit when we got it. A lot of great songs. 

14. SUPERFJORD- FOR THE MOMENT VOL 1

This is a live album series by the Finnish band, Superfjord. I have some of their other stuff but this live album is so good. Great tracks and jams and sound…  Look forward to more volumes of this series!!

15. Gov´t Mule- Heavy Load Blues 

Any year Gov´t Mule releases a record it is likely to be in the top. While this album is about half cover songs, it has such a great sound and vibe to it.  I have loved this band since I saw them the first time in 1994 with my friend Carl..  Still love em today..

16. CLUTCH- THE WEATHERMAKER VAULT SERIES VOL 1

While this mostly cover the songs, the band also belt out a few of their faves live in the studio.  I love some of their cover versions, especially Fortunate Son by CCR. Cool record!

17. IRON MAIDEN- SENJUTSU 

This was totally unexpected. I have been a fan of IM since I first heard them in 1980 and was lucky to see them every tour in the 80s.  While I don´t listen to much metal these days I have a soft spot for these guys. I have to say this is an awesome record, even if the band fail to innovate or progress much. Great art, lyrics and playing with in the rigid template they have created for themselves.  We loved it.

18. Temple Fang- Fang Temple

This one really caught me by surprise. While the physical album is not out until April 2022, they released the digital files. It is 4 long tracks and pretty spacey and cool vibe. I expected something a bit more hard rocking but they stay in the zone with some great music.. Cool Dutch band..

19. KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON- -270° C

I have a soft spot for these guys and when I first got this I played it a lot.  True to the Kraut feelings of the early 70s but done their own way… Wish there were not so many small releases in such limited amounts as you miss out on so much of their music, when the demand is way bigger than numbers releases. Does not make any sense to me?? 

20 Oresund Space Collective- Relaxing in the Himalayas

I don´t usually include any of my bands and projects but this CD, I am really happy with the long jam and the cool artwork and we had so many positive responses from the fans about it…  

21. 10000 Russos- Superinteria 

22. Black Label Society- Doom Inc

23. GIOBIA/THE COSMIC DEAD- THE INTERGALACTIC CONNECTION LP (2021)

24. Gin Lady- Camping with Bohdi 

25. It was the Elf- Ancestors

Unconditional Love- Foreseeable Future (Root Rock Records RRR008)

This album is a solo album by Love Forsberg, the amazing drummer in Siena Root.  He is joined by other current and former members (KG Westman, Sam Riffer, Erik, Stian, Ann-Karin, Tobias Hanson).. The LP features 7 tracks and here is what Love had to say about:

“The theme of this album is the beat of the speech. Well-articulated, historically groundbreaking, political speeches that has a beat. The beat is developed into a groove with heavy drums. It is an analogue production from Root Rock Records own studio, featuring musicians from the group Siena Root and others. This album is a presentation of world-changing words in a new context, a piece of music that will appeal to an audience that never encounter these speeches. The philosophical range of the speeches is very broad, but all of them with a positive view on mankind. These words carry an important historical perspective and a view into the future”. 

The album features speeches by S. Allende (1972), G. Thunberg (2019), J. F. Kennedy (1963), M. L. King (1964), N. R. Mandela (1990), O. Palme (1972), Greta and F. D. Roosevelt (1944), capturing 75 years of recent history. 

The opening track, the spoken words are not in English but Spanish. It starts with some bells (xylophone?), and Rhodes like piano before the drums kick in.  The track is lead by the drums and keyboards primarily but later you really get the groove of the bass as well. Vocals are mixed in perfectly on this short  2.15 track.  I just love this next track, it is so groovy with great organ, bass and drums and then Greta, telling us about the environment.. The horns are a great touch on this track as well. Awesome track.  JFK is next and the track has a darker bass feel and some of the xylophone are also mixed in to create a melody on this one. Martin Luther King gives a great speech and the music has this sort of jazzy vibe to it.  Love the bass playing..  Mandela brings in a rock and roll tune and the first to feature some prominent guitar. Interesting how the spoken word is mixed in, quite different than on the other tracks. The Swedish PM, Olaf Palme is next and I had no idea what he is talking about but something about women! This one is quite jazzy and organ lead.  Greta is back with a dark drone synth, heavy drums and a dark theme! The album ends with Franklin D. Roosevelt and is a mainly synth, bass and drums track..  Really cool and original album.  Pressed in 500 copies.. All analog!! Buy it…. and remember it is all about the BEAT! 

But it here!
Root Rock Records

Haiku Funeral- Drown their moons in Blood (Aesthetic Death Records)

I have really liked a lot of the work of this duo. William based in France and Dimitar  based in Bulgaria make this dark psychedelic industrial music.. Quite frightening sometimes. I own all their releases and this is the first new material since 2019.  The song titles are intense as well like the opening number, The Universe murders Itself!!  Starts very eerie with drony flowing synths and mysterious sounds before the industrial percussion change the mood completely.  It gets even darker when the vocals come in. Feels like torture chamber music….  The head of the Innocent One starts with some church bells, big drums, a sitar strum… the darkness begins.. The vocal is very dark and the choir mixed with the eastern instrument, reminds me a bit of BONG.  Cherny Shamni is very mystical at the beginning and again with some sitar and some different kinds of drums but the mysterious evil side is still lurking about.. The Earth Burns and Burns starts with some thunder and dark synth drones and bass drones followed by some guitar (or could be bass?) but keeping the vibe dark. The vocal is evil. Later on there is some very interesting drums percussion, with these crushing sounds combined with the vocal choirs, creates a very cool atmosphere. Split the Swollen Dark continues the dark themes from the abyss.. The vocal is pretty clean and spoken on this track to start with and with the occasional delay or effect. A slow rumble rather than rhythm gurgles in the abyss as more strange sounds give an eerie feeling and would want to make some people run….. To Illuminate starts with some effected bass, industrial noises, wind, and a repeated theme of sorts. Dark stuff. Drown their Moons in Blood has some cool bass with some real melodies playing under it is a more tribal drum echoing away in the cavern.  A bit more minimalist this track and a different vibe to the rest of the album. It slowly gets swallowed in darkness though.  Hell of an album.. Do not listen to alone in the dark…

Here is how the bio describes the album (I only read this after writing the review): 

“Serpentine fretless bass drowning in dreamy analogue pads and textures poisoned by cyber-shamanic industrial percussion. Pulsing trance-like drone spiced with the venomous voluptuousness of the sitar. Otherworldly chants erupt from furious meditations. Poems from the Void. To imagine a spatiotemporal accompaniment of “Drown Their Moons In Blood” think of a universe where Shiva roams fire-drenched post-apocalyptic planetscapes on a cataclysmic acid trip… a journey through black holes of Luciferian consciousness expansion.”

http://haikufuneral.bandcamp.com 

More Experience- Electric Laboratory of High Space Experience (Old Hippie Records)

I had never heard this band before my friend Dave made a post on facebook about his band Liquid Visions played some shows with them years ago. They are a strange looking bunch of hippies from Poland.  This is their first new music in some years but they really put everything in to it as it a great collection of 8 connected songs, all written by their cosmic leader, Piotr.  The Twilight starts things off with some birdsong and then you head into part 2, The Dream (Welcome to Nucleus ) which fades up with some cymbals and acoustic guitar before the full band kicks in with organ, bass and drums and a beautiful melody. Anna comes in with a nicely sung vocal that makes you feel happy. The end of the track gets really spaced out toward the end and then the acoustic theme and organ reappears. Great track.  The TRIP is next and starts slowly with an effected guitar and slowly moving track with a spoken word by Mahasadhu Eryk Paluch.  He has a cool voice. The Mind is a more bluesy rock number that reminds me a bit of Siena Root with the female voice, organ driven hard rock and then it changes with a quite cool lead synthesizer solo and into a sort of ethnic space with some nice hand drumming and the next adventure begins. Very nice.  Beelzebufo (Lunatic Space Diary) is a short piece (does include frog sounds!) that leads into Fairy Tale and Eryk is back with his majestic voice and some acoustic guitar backing and nice keyboards.  The title track is next and one of the highlights of the album!!  It starts off like 1969 era Pink Floyd with that Richard Wright like organ but with the female voice. By 7mins it is really building with some tension and getting a bit psychedelic and some tablas kick in..  The CD ends with the Gates of Dawn, much like it started. What a great record and cool band. I had never heard of these guys and thanks for sending the the CD. I really enjoyed it a lot. 

http://moreexperience.bandcamp.com

http://facebook.com/oldhippierecords

An Orchestral Dream play Tangerine Dream (Fruits de Mer Records, friends of the fish 53) 10”

This is a very limited edition lathe cut 10” featuring students from Eskilstuna Kulturskola in Sweden performing unique versions of TD songs starting off with Poland but here the electronics are replaced with acoustic guitar, hand drums, piano, voice and other instruments.  The track is still very recognisable though, if you know it in the first place.  Very cool. The B side features two shorter tracks (Charly the Kid and Love on a Real Train). I love how they replaced the synthesizer sequence with xylophone and horns and later Fender Rhodes piano.. Very original… The final track is quite similar in instrumentation as the previous but the trumpet adds a new angle. Wow.. I have to say, I am most impressed by this. Killer stuff. 

http://fruitsdemerrecords.com 

The Doors- every album every song by Tony Thompson

I just want to start out and say I have read quite a few of these every album every song books now and they are quite variable but this is the one that I have enjoyed the most.  The author has really brought into perspective a lot of elements of the Doors that you might have read in other books but rarely is it put into the context of the times, the album, like it is done here.  Also, I learned so much about the literary aspects and influences of a lot of the lyrics related to the songs. He does some speculation in many places where it was not obvious or know what the inspiration was.  Jim was an enormous talent that sadly got sucked into drugs and alcohol and lost most of what he had. I think Tony might overstate a bit about how great a singer Jim was. He had a good voice and sure he could sing but he was more a performance artist in many ways, before they were called that. 

The author is quite critical of the producer Paul Rothchild and I had never really thought about the way he does here and I would have to totally agree with Tony on many aspects.  After listening to Waiting for the Sun in 5.1 and reading what he has written, it was for sure a huge mistake to leave Celebration of the Lizard off the record and put in a set of songs that were early takes from the previous album or demos or just not worked out well enough. 

Tony did a great job also discussing the band (Rick and the Ravens) before the Doors and this is not information I had read much about in previous Doors books.  He also goes into detail on the post- Jim era records even American Prayer. 

I own the Doors Perception box set and it has been great to revisit all these albums and hear them in 5.1 surround as the mix is fantastic especially on the later records when there were more channels to play with.  Tony points out just how much better a lead guitar player Robby became after 1969 and you really hear this for sure on the last few records and the live recordings from the 1970 shows that were recorded and released by Rhino.  While, these Rhino releases are not covered in detail (Except London Fog), he does mention them recommends a few. Jim´s last show was in New Orleans, LA at the Warehouse in December 1970.. July 1971, Jim was dead and that was pretty sad.. Anyway.. a very good book… One of my faves from this series of books. Great job Tony…

http://sonicbondpublishing.com 

Zack Oakley- Badlands (Kommune Records KOM-001)

This record has been in the making for a few years now and it is cool to see it out.  If you don´t recognize his name, Zach is the lead guitarist in JOY and Volcano as well as playing drums in Pharlee (all San Diego based).  For this album he has pulled together not only his brother on Drums but other members like Donavan (bassist in Pharlee), Gabe (Harsh Toke) and others Kyre Wilcox, Trevor Mast, Jody Bagley, Tyler Daughn, and Travis Baucum…  Zack wrote, arranged and produced all the tunes. The album starts off with a great track that is a bit like JOY meets Radio Moscow. I recorded some synths on the first demo of this track a few years ago. A great rocking opener.. I am the One starts with some wah guitar and a stop start like rhythm before taking another path and a bit more melodic and a bit of a psychedelic touch on the vocals and some cool effects on the guitar at different points. A very dynamic track. Desert Shack has this sort of 60s vibe with some nice backing vocals and also a more laid back lead vocal. The vocals are a real focus on this track but lovely lead guitar as well. Side A ends with the short rocker, The Fever. 

Side B starts with Mexico, a more bluesy track with some harmonica and then goes into a more psychedelic direction with a nice guitar solo section. Lookin’ High Searchin’ Low is an acoustic guitar based blues track with some old school slide guitar.  Acid Rain is a more retro sounding track with some nice heavy wah guitar.  The album ends with a more moody track called Badlands with some funky guitar and a couple of nice guitar solo sections. This is the longest track on the album. Love the double tracked guitar as well and Dylan does a nice solo towards the end as well.  

What a fantastic eclectic record showcasing so many styles and also showing what a diverse and great guitarist Zach is.. This will for sure be in my top 20 this year, well worth seeking out. 

 https://zackoakley.bandcamp.com/

www.zackoakley.com

www.kommunerecords.com

The Damned- Every Album Every Song (Sonicbond Publishing)

I got sent this book for review and what an interesting history these crazy guys have had. The author is very enthusiastic and makes some big claims.  As with these books, he starts with a history of the band and their place in the UK-London scene, their first single, New Rose (was it really the first punk rock single ever released??) and into the debut album. All the studio albums (11 from 1977 to 2018) are covered in great detail.  There is a fair bit of history as well as this band had some major changes since after the 2nd album they broke up and the guitar player Brian James that wrote nearly all the songs was not invited back when the rest of the guys decided to get back together after a go at being on other bands or solo projects.  Algy Ward (later TANK) was in the band briefly as well before being sacked after the US tour. Apparently, was just drunk all the time. Paul Gray (Eddie and the Hot Rods) replaced Algy and the Black Album was produced which was described by some one as the best late 60s Who album never made! It seems by 1982, the punk scene had several camps and the Damned did not really fit into any of them as they were far more experimental and broad in their musical nature. Captain Sensible had a #1 hit with his solo album and this changed the dynamic of the band and it would take them 3 years after Strawberries (1982) to make two more albums (1985 and 1986) before a long break to 1995 for the next album.  

At the end of the book, he describes the various different compilations of singles, A&B sides and a whole slew of live album releases, some  unofficial or underground as well as legitimate.  At the very end, they added a few pages to describe the most recent 2021 release, the Rockfield Files and the new tracks produced. There are some pictures of the band and all the album covers including some very recent shots. 

Overall, this is really well covered and I learned quite a bit about the band. If you are a fan, you will for sure enjoy this even if the author is maybe a bit too over the top about how great some of this stuff is…  For certain, they are a UK rock band that will not be forgotten.. Too many crazy characters and some damn good songs as well.   A good read for sure. 

http://sonicbondpublishing.com