Machine Gun Etiquette
The Damned
1979
Album Summary
Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.
WikipediaA joyful, fun, punky album that is light on anger and heavy on messin' around. Some good guitar work. As with all excellent albums it's way too short.
This is just about as good a punk album as you will ever hear. It’s ramshackle, rowdy and great fun to listen to, with plenty of tongue in cheek attitude to boot. Dave Vanian's proto-gothic vocal style is really rich and unique, elevating the songs quality-wise to a point where most other punk singers can’t compete. Stylistically, they're all over the place here, with some classic punk sounds laced with all manner of musical styles and a real pop sensibility as well. The band is more musically talented than a lot of their peers, with Captain Sensible in particular serving up some solid guitar work. Also, the band is clearly having fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. You’ve got to admire that. Fave Songs: Plan 9 Channel 7, Love Song, Machine Gun Etiquette, I Just Can't Be Happy Today
This album is a microcosm of the history of punk to 1979. There are more traditional punk songs, as well as songs that are clearly incorporating post-punk and new wave sounds. I found this album to be accessible and interesting while providing that sonic link from punk to what it evolved into. The musicianship was much better than a typical British punk band while retaining the lyrical force that typifies that music.
Punk with enough psych, pop-ish hook, humor, and rhythm variety to keep this softy/punk-poseur on board for the entire 30 minutes. That was great. Whoever picked up the bass on Anti-Pope is great. No trace of whining. They even do a the British baroque carnival organ nightmare thing tolerably for a track. Tempted to give a 5 but I gave The Doors a 4 and now nothing is calibrated. A-
Omg. Best 2 days in a row ever. Very close to my favourite Damned record. Maybe even my favourite.
Hell yea. This is so good. Noise, Noise, Noise is a great tune. I love this landmark statement of British punk rock.
A masterpiece. I cannot describe what I feel while listening to "Love Song" - I'm not often so deeply moved by any song. Vanian's voice - absolutely exeptional.
I LOVE the Damned. That punk rumbling bass opener of "Love Song" crashing into the lo-fi hi-hat heavy drums! Even back in 1979 they have a synth/prgan and proto goth sound on "I just can't be happy today" "These Hands" - no one likes circus music Dave Vanian's voice is magic on "Plan 9 Channel 7" I prefer Damned Damned Damned - I just noticed that its not on this list... wonder why.
The third album of The Damned. Great and fast proto-hardcore punk influenced with some different musical genres and styles.
This album was a fun listen! “Love Song” was full of clever lyrics with a pretty nice, down to earth sentiment of love at the end. I love the retro keyboard sound in songs like “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today.” It contrasted with the lovely piano opening “Melody Lee,” which then erupts into a poppypunk guitar-driven confection that one might mosh to. \“Anti-Pope” takes down religion with some pretty direct criticism delivered in a surprising affable way. The carousel-driven “These Hands” is certainly a dark take on a circus clown. I need this for my halloween playlist… There’s a lot of talent in this group that elevates this music a bit, and they embrace variety which gives most of the songs a distinct sound while still cohering as a whole. Loved it!
It starts with a charming, "Ladies and Gentlemen. How do?" And then we quickly get all the volume and speed I expect from British punk rockers but with lots of unexpected and delightful moments throughout. Tuneful melodies are discernible from one song to the next. I Just Can't Be Happy Today has some incredible drum fills and ironically happy handclaps. Melody Lee starts with a piano introduction that could easily have come from an Elton John track. These Hands is one of those scary circus calliope deals. Lots of fun variety that is more than just Noise, Noise, Noise. Loved it!
5/5. A blast of a record. Very dynamic, ahead of the curve, and an interesting snapshot of a unique turning point of the band
This is the perfect punk album, at least for me. I found it late, to be honest; however, that allowed me to appreciate and value it better. The track list is all killer, no filler. I’m not gonna lie, these hooks are tattooed in my brain: you can find me mumbling “I just can’t be happy today” a Monday morning, whistling Antipope, or telling my wife “this is for you, it’s a love song”. Captain Sensible is a great character, the Damned a punk powerhouse, this album one of the best things ever recorded. The only thing I could ask is the option of giving not 5 stars, but a hundred.
GREAT punk album!!! Everything I love about punk condensed into about half an hour. Pure charm, high energy, and hypnotic melodies, I just love it all. Faves: Love Song, Machine Gun Etiquette, I Just Can’t Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Noise, Noise, Noise
Pretty damn fun punk album. 4.5 but rounded up instead of down. Lots if great energy meaningful lyrics, and a kinetic pace.
Although they didn't have as much of an impact as either the Sex Pistols or the Clash, this album shows that the Damned should not be overlooked. On this album, they provide a lot of the building blocks that would soon be adopted by the US hardcore punk scene. There are some great tunes here. Not an out-and-out classic, in my opinion, but showed that there was life in the core punk sound when many of their peers were moving on to post-punk/new wave.
Pretty fucking good. Weird. Some psychedelic touches (particularly in the key parts) that give it an almost new wave/post punk flavour.
Honestly great guitar and bass work throughout, which combine with the high energy of most of the tracks to make for probably the best punk album I’ve heard. Still, it’s punk. The vocals and lyrics are pretty bad in spots and if it was any longer I’d probably have a headache. 8
Damn good early goth rock. I think this has way more bite than I anticipated.
Fun, quick, and funny punk album . Overall good but I found a few of the tracks grating 7/10
Riffs que van desde Motorhead a Extremoduro pasando por T-Rex. Punk setentero 2.0 donde las voces y sus armonías prevalecen sobre todo. Divertido.
The damned continues to cement themselves as my favorite band from the early punk scene. Surprisingly varied, this feels like a transitional album for me. So close to a 5, but a few duds just barely hold it back.
Yes, this is more like it. 1001 albums have really made me realise how much I love punk-rock and garage-rock and when you make a song named 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today', I can't be mad about it, at all. If I had been at a concert where they played and having a beer in my hand, I think I could be happy that day.
I like the blending of genres with early punk going on here. A few of the songs kinda sound like a punk rock Kinks which I dig. The last song kiinda sounds like early Smiths/R.E.M.
Pretty good early punk! More polished than Sex Pistols, some clear influence on bands like Bad Religion. Elements of The Doors with the keyboards and groove sections.
The damned has been on my radar for a while but this has solidified my fandom.
A real surprise. Never even heard of the Damned before, but i can hear how they influenced a lot of punk I love from later years.
Very fun and enjoyable. There were some songs that I wasn't crazy about and would even skip (These Hands), but most were great. I can definitely see myself listening to this again.
The Damned. Machine Gun Etiquette. A bunch of men in the middle of a road in New York City. These elements remind me of an American action film, perhaps by Tarantino. And the album itself is the soundtrack. Punk. Never liked the genre but damn this one is so good. It is perhaps because it is guitar driven. There are fast riffs and solos in many songs. The vocals are not that bad unlike other in punk songs. Gets repetitive after a while but still a super fun overall listen.
This is probably the first punk album on the list I've actually really enjoyed. It's heavy sounding while still being melodic and having good hooks, the vocals aren't obnoxious, it all just works
jaa niet slecht, daarna wel 'you can't put your arms around a memory' dat opkwam en damn dat is genieten haha
This was great! Seemed a lot more varied and inventive than yer average 70s punk album. Fave track - "Looking at You" is awesome, although apparently it's an MC5 cover. "Melody Lee" was lots of fun too...
Detta var fan kanon? Så mycket som jag lyssnar på som kommit så mycket senare som antagligen kan spåras direkt hit. Bra drag, solitt låtmakeri, goa hooks. Positivt överraskad!
Best we've had in a long time - 4/5. Bags of energy, witty lyrics. Still has enough of that rawness that keeps it edgy and punky, but is probably a bit more refined than others in the genre? Definitely preferred it to that early Clash album we had (which if memory serves was from the same year as this).
Machine Gun Etiquette is generally good stuff, some great punk elements, some stuff I don't really care for, but Plan 9 Channel 7 is outstanding, Looking At You is pretty damn good too.
The Damned, one of the original punk bands at the inception of the genre, aims to go faster and louder with their third record. This sound has markings of the upcoming hardcore punk subgenre of the 80's, but for now we're in a sort of punk limbo. Most of this is really great. Just definitive punk all throughout, save for the strange "These Hands" at the end of side A. I'm a big fan of punk anyway so I was bound to like it anyway.
This is freaking awesome. How in the world have I never heard this before?!?
You can really hear shades of what would come in the emo and pop-punk scenes throughout this record. There's a ton of flavors and different types of punk throughout this record, the only misstep being the sad-clown-anthem "These Hands". Favorite tracks: "Noise, Noise, Noise", "I Just Can't Be Happy Today"
Très solide punk rock, l'un des meilleurs early punk rock j'ai entendu.
Wow—really enjoyed this. It’s a witty, fun, varied record. Making me rethink my prejudice against “punk.” I hope there’s more like this out there! As an aside, I had to do a mental reset on this because Apple had the release year as 1988 which must have been a reissue. 1979 makes a lot more sense.
For an album released before I was born, I'm honestly surprised by how fresh this sounds.
I actually liked this one quite a bit. Love the fast -paced punk energy. The first half is definitely better than the rest, though.
It's a good album, but it gets a bit weird in parts. High energy, which is great. A solid punk album, but not a perfect one.
Damned forever! Not there greatest record, but still super-listenable high energy punk.
Good album not the best by the them, they certainly tried different things on this album not all of it was good.
Some of it is harder than I tend to listen to, but I enjoyed it overall.
wow - best new punk album on this list that I've heard. would listen again
Liked it...great sound and far more catchy than most formative punk bands. 3.5/5
I didn't think the Damned could record a better album than their debut, Damned Damned Damned, but Machine Gun Etiquette comes close. It takes the energetic raw punk sound of the debut and it expands it with more depth and musical exploration. The songs are solid and overall the record is more consistent. If compared to their previous record, Music for Pleasure, it's a huge improvement and MGE brings back the pleasure in the music for Damned fans.
Circus music touches, as usual, stand out as good or bad, but they aren't the only way the Damned play at the edges of contemporary rock music. No stretched attempts at virtuosic composition here, nor compression of scratches into a dark sonic ball. The sound is a little better than the music as such but the combination registers to me as local, lovely. Add them to the pile with the Stranglers.
Probably my favourite punk album. I don’t like punk at all but this has the energy but comes with humour and musical talent as well.
My face today realizing the Damned is punk af and not whatever I thought they were: :? ——> :o ——> :) ——> :D Loveee the Syd vibes on These Hands
Awesome punk rock record. Really rocks throughout the album and does not loose energy, neither gets boring.
Right from that opening bass line and drum fill on "Love Song" you can hear how this is moving towards hardcore. I definitely prefer more omnivorous punk like this that draws from a wider range of influences.
Not every song hits the mark 100% but a pretty solid collection of first-wave U.K. punk bangers.
Wow, this was just really really good. No-nonsense punk with catchy melodies, decent instrumentalists and short, memorable tracks.
This is a really fun album. I have never really gotten into the Damned but have always been interested. I didn't recognize any of the songs on this album besides 'Smash It Up', which I definitely think is the best track on the album and will go into my rotation. Solid album, really liked it! Standout Tracks: Melody Lee, Anti-Pope, Plan 9 Channel 7, Looking at You, Smash It Up (Pts. 1 & 2)
This was kinda cool, can definitely hear where the Misfits got a bit of inspiration. I'm not a huge fan of this early punk stuff but this was alright. 3/5.
Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan. But ultimately this was fine, if a bit forgettable.