Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 12/26/2005
Run Time: 124:52
Anyone expecting a fully organized compilation from this double-disc effort will be sorely disappointed; while the years for release dates are mentioned, the sources for many of the releases aren't, leaving neophytes to
the Damned a bit high and dry. Happily, an appreciative and detailed essay from one
Herb Fenstein (more likely
Chiswick label boss
Roger Armstrong writing under a pseudonym, as he did in the liner notes to the CD version of
Machine Gun Etiquette) helps. Even without the chronological organization,
Light is still a great overview of the first ten years of the band's career, especially given the sheer amount of labels that they'd been on over the years (at least five, if not more!). The selection is, for the most part, quite on the money; while those who feel the group fell off dramatically with the
Phantasmagoria and
Anything albums will think them over-represented, it's still definitely
the Damned at their best from track to track. Early punk breakouts like
"Neat Neat Neat" and
"New Rose" as well as turn-of-the-'80s standards such as
"Plan 9 Channel 7," "Smash It Up," and
"I Just Can't Be Happy Today" make a case for the band's early days.
The Black Album is mostly ignored, but the sidelong
"Curtain Call" thankfully is included, giving
Vanian his well-deserved showcase. Later numbers like
"Ignite," "Lovely Money," "Grimly Fiendish," and the smash single
"Eloise" demonstrate that far from fading away,
the Damned just found other ways to make their mark. Add to this a slew of rarities -- the studio cover of
the Beatles'
"Help!," "Rabid (Over You)," "Disco Man," and some alternate mixes of other numbers -- and
Light remains the best place for those new to
the Damned to start. Comprehensive and perfectly entertaining all at once.
~Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
;)
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