The Damned

For a band that darn near cornered the market on "visceral," there's no better (or more telling) way to hear the Damned rock than to hear 'em live. Castle's 2006 five-disc collection Noise Noise Noise: The Live Box proves, over the course of five concert performances and 58 rip-roaring tracks, that Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, and the boys ate their Wheaties every bleedin' day. From their rawest beginnings (at London's Roundhouse in 1977) to their "back from the dead and loving it" Final Damnation rip-fest (at the Town and Country in 1988), the Damned deliver the goods -- and then some. Forget what it sounds like; this is what British punk is supposed to feel like -- raw, reckless, and fun. For folks who want to study how a "punk" band can continue to be relevant over the course of a few decades, study this -- there's not one cringe-worthy moment in this whole box. For both fans and the curious, this box is worthy, not just for the digital adrenaline contained here, but also for the detailed annotations, rare photos, and the great "tell it like it is" essay from David Wells. Zow! ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide