In the age of immediacy, accessibility, streaming and a la carte downloads the concept of an album or long player has become somewhat lost. The Art of The Album is a new series from BMG looking to refocus the attention on the album as a format. With a collection of seminal and classic albums, the Art of The Album series will celebrate albums that broke new ground in concept, production, song writing, and genre, leaving a lasting legacy as a complete album work of art.

With extensive essays exploring the times in which the albums were conceived, the key players and personnel involved, the craft and creation of the music and artwork, the impact upon release and its legacy and cultural impact The Art of The Album series will celebrate the album as an art form.

THE DAMNED ‘DAMNED DAMNED DAMNED’ – A COMMEMORATIVE 40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION

The Damned blazed a trail when they became the very first British punk band to release a single(New Rose) on 22nd October 1976, which was swiftly followed by the release of the very first British punk album, their classic debut long-player ‘Damned Damned Damned,’ originally released by Stiff Records on 18th February 1977.

Now, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band’s dramatic breakthrough, a very special Art Of The Album deluxe edition of that incredible debut album on 17th February 2017, almost exactly 40 years to the day since its original issue.

Formed in 1976, The Damned really need no introduction… As well as releasing the first ever British punk single & album, they also broke further new ground as the first UK punk act to tour America. The Damned still receive their dues in the US where they are often cited as a major influence on many future rock acts, including bastions of the nascent US hardcore scene such as Black Flag and Bad Brains plus heavy metal heavyweights such as Green Day, The Offspring and Guns ’N’ Roses (the LA rockers acknowledged the debt when they covered “New Rose” on their 1993 album ‘The Spaghetti Incident’).

Featuring fully remastered audio & new sleevenotes within both the CD & 180g LP formats recalling the story of the band’s conception and the album’s creation. Comprehensively researched and written by legendary punk writer John Ingham, these new sleevenotes cover in-depth the story of the album & the period in which it was written & recorded, the key players in its creation, the craft and instrumentation, the impact upon release and its legacy 40 years later. Via exclusive interviews with original band members Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Brian James and Rat Scabies, John Ingham (best known for writing the first ever review of The Damned and the first ever interview with The Sex Pistols – both in UK music weekly ‘Sounds’ in 1976) is perfectly placed to recount the early hedonistic days of the band in this definitive release of one of the most influential albums of all time..