Listen: Smash It Up (Single Version) / The Damned DamnedSmash.mp3

The other day, my super pal Brian Traister maintained the real UK punk band, best ever, were The Damned. I agree.

Every single was just flawless, for ages. Their run on Chiswick being one of those career peaks, and they had several. Produced by Roger Armstrong, I forever hassle his memory cells for details of those sessions. Talk about endless stories of greatness.

When Joey’s Mom and brother Mickey still had the promised 50th birthday party for him, which he unfairly missed by a month and four days, The Damned were the only UK band that flew themselves over to honor what they maintained in the press since day one: The Ramones were the true fathers of punk – it proved who was the real deal from England and who were the money machines, copy cats and fakes.

Hearing the roar when Little Steven announced them (all the acts were kept secret but regardless, 4400 tickets were completely sold out in fifteen minutes to Joey Ramone’s well earned honor) still brings chills. Up came the curtain, and there were The Damned.

Some things were meant to be: Roger was in NY that week, and we made sure he sat right there, in the first box, with Joey’s Mom.

God bless The Damned.

Above: Jukebox Tab signed by Captain Sensible

Listen: No Russians In Russia / Radio Stars RadioStarsRussia.mp3

To a few of us, Radio Stars were a supergroup. Martin Gordon played bass with Sparks on their world seminal KIMONO MY HOUSE album and Andy Ellison, well he was in John’s Children. Top that.

I remember ’77 for many reason, one being a nice big handful of great singles were literally being released every week. ‘No Russians In Russia’ was one. Well, to be exact, it was part of STOP IT, a four song EP on Chiswick, who were sharp enough to press up promo-only 7″ copies of the track to focus dj’s, etc. Possibly the most perfect play on words chorus I know of, this sucker still goes through my head decades later. A hook is a hook.