THE DAMNED CDs available from booksmusicfilmstv.com - in association with Amazon.co.uk

Fun punksters who knew how to turn out a good tune or two, The Damned certainly deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, The Jam, and The Stranglers. A vampire on vocals (Dave Vanian), a drummer with the name Rat Scabies, a nutcase who could play guitar or bass (Captain Sensible), and the fairly normal guitarist Brian James...who left early.

As well as being one of Britain's most eccentric combos, The Damned are widely recognised as being the first UK band to release a punk single - New Rose, in October 1976.

- Paul Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com.