Damaged
Black Flag
1981
Album Summary
Damaged is the debut studio album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. SST Records released it on December 5, 1981. The album was largely ignored by critics and the public at the time of its release, but has since been recognized as a classic and one of the most influential punk rock records ever made, appearing on a number of "best of" lists by fans and critics alike. The album was ranked number 340 on Rolling Stone's 2012 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Pitchfork also ranked it number 25 on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s.
WikipediaThere's so much that can be said about this album. It's a cornerstone piece of hardcore punk history. This was one of the albums that began the spit into hardcore as its own genre and put Henry Rollins - the world's scariest boyscout - into the spotlight. It's rough and agressive and very socially concious. It's just damn great and I love it. Full marks.
If I could have Half as much Energy as a young Henry Rollins I would probably be the strongest man alive. This album is fast, loud, and relentless. The pace zooms along and screams of southern California and Reagan era anger. This is wild and untamed, damaged. But triumphant waving the black flag of rebellion. Makes me really want to have a TV Party
Tremendous. Mixed perfectly, not JUST power cords and screaming. Deserves legend status for genre
"Style : Hardcore Punk." Il suffisait de lire ceci sur la page Wikipédia de ce cher album pour savoir que la note n'allait pas dépasser 2.
I'd like to hear Weird Al do a cover of Spray Paint, it's pretty much a polka already.
A real slobberknocker. Funny, hateful, even sad. Who doesn't feel a twinge of sympathy when Rollins garbles something like "… I'm confused, confused... don't wanna be confused... Don't even feel a thing, no... I don't wanna see... But you can't make me long for your life and security"? I checked my book and, yep, Chuck Eddy approves. Though he notes they went rapidly downhill from here. Anyone listening to this with two ears and a brain could tell you that was the only place they were ever heading.
I don't mind punk, and I often don't know the lyrics to songs because often to me the singing is just an instrument. But, if singer's voices aren't instruments and they're just screaming, I have to be able to understand what they're screaming about. And I can't. I can occasionally pick up a sentence here or there, but otherwise it's just the same chord and same drums and same screaming endlessly. It either has to sound good, or it has to have a message. This was neither. Every song sounded exactly the same: Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-THRAAAASH Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-THRAAAASH Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-THRAAAASH Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-Thrash-THRAAAASH Sounded like a garage demo of someone on their 3rd week with an instrument.
Started off enjoyable but quickly got a bit bored as every song essentially sounds the same. If this was an EP just consisting of the A Side it'd easily be a 4. But its not, so its not.
Je tiens a presenter mes plus plates excuses suite a ma review d'hier. En effet, il est bon de savoir que j'écris ces reviews sur mon temps de travail. Je me dois donc, afin de rester un employé modèle aux yeux de mes collègues, de taper ces reviews que vous aimez tant à une vitesse phénomènale. De plus, il est courant pour moi de rédiger ces reviews avec un Cracker à l'épautre dans la main droite, afin de pouvoir me substanter par la même occasion. Il est donc parfaitement compréhensible que quelques fautes de frappes se glissent entre les lignes. J'ai, par dessus le marché, la facheuse tendance, et ce depuis mes plus jeunes classes, de ne pas me relire. Cela m'avait notamment valu de complétement louper mon entrée en matière, lors d'un paragraphe argumenté sur les mémoires de la guerre d'Algérie. Je tiens d'ailleurs à rappeler à tout le monde que sans l'intervention de Pierre Mendès France (dit PMF, a ne pas confondre avec Pierre Menès ou encore Jeremy Menez France), dieu seul sait dans quelle situation se serait trouvée notre belle nation aujourd'hui.
we are tired of your abuse! try to stop us but it's no use! i thought this is gonna be another screamy rock thing but so far so good oops i zoned out, everything seems to be similar sounding haha im sorry for my uncultured ears Damaged i - WHAT IS HAPPENING, is he being doused with acid or smth
FUCKING FUCK YEAH! This is LA punk right here. This band was one of the original, and most influential punk bands of all time, and you can't tell me listening to any track on this album doesn't make you just want to mosh. while i got into punk later in life, this band helped shape what I liked to listen to and opened me up to bands like NOFX, the Descendents, Rancid, and so many others.
Have owned this album on vinyl almost thirty years and it still holds up. A classic hardcore album that is intense, humourous and brutally good!
Sin skips. Energía caótica. Cool en general. Me gustó como inicia con rise above y también me gustó thirsty and miserable. Mención especial a Sixpack que es una pendejada. Mood: me sangran los oídos.
Every song is good-great (the guitar in particular) and fun. Its Henry Rollins debut and a band that revolutionized punk music. About as iconic as you get
In isolation the album is a solid 4 but she consideration is given to the influence this has had on a lot of the music I love today it's easy to justify the big 5. Imagine the stares going on between the drums and bass during the intro of No More. Accidentally fucking listened to it in shuffle, only the second time I've done that in 243 albums which is a pretty good run. Hate doing that though.
Classic punk. Fast, aggressive but still with some tongue-in-cheek satire.
crystallized angry angst punk. there is an inner rage within all of us that can headbang to this. can't tell if these lyrics are dumb or brilliant
It's at the top or near the top of the list of best hardcore albums of all time. And rightfully so! I completely get people who don't like this type of music (my wife being one of them, she was NOT happy with me when we listened to this one in the car) but for those of us who do, it's a classic album. Although as I'm now in my 40s and sitting down and watching TV with a beer in hand is my idea of a good time, TV Party isn't the anthem it was when I was in my teens.
This is a great album. I've listened to it lot over the years. Good energy and Rollins at his best. It also has a bit of levity that the bands later records lacked.
Rollins gets the glory (deserved) for his explosive delivery, but Ginn and Dukowski were the fuel. Nobody plays like Ginn, not before and not since. Frantic, raw, but with one goofy tune for comic relief, this record was huge for me. Ramones were my intro to punk, Black Flag was the immersion into hardcore.
Rise Above could be one of the best songs ever written. This is by far the best Black Flag album and the one of the grand daddies of the punk/hardcore genre.
I sometimes regret not going to them concert when they came to Brazil.
An essential for anyone who wants to get into hardcore. Not only is the energy unmatchable but the classic tracks just keep on coming. Honestly one of my favorite albums. I keep returning to it.
OH YEAH!!!!!! That clears your sinuses. I remember listening to a punk playlist from America and was a little underwhelmed. There was some great pop and garage rock, but it lacked attitude. Then I heard this cacophonous blast of guitars, drums and angry vocals. Just when it couldn't get any better they threw in these shouted extras from the rest of the band. It won't call it harmonies or a chorus, it just sounded like a bunch of blokes with beers telling from the front row. Then I realised they were singing about getting pissed (drunk) and I knew I'd found something special. A great thing about Black Flag is that they've moved on and showed all their musical influences in later albums. This album is a fantastic blast of anger and confusion.
Damaged is a quintessential hardcore album and one of the most influential punk albums of all time. The music is noisy, messy, and invigorating. The lyrics are at times funny, angry, anti-authoritarian, and surprisingly empathetic such as the track 'Life of Pain.' Black Flag is a conscientious standard bearer and this album is truly phenomenal.
Very enjoyable Listen from a band I’ve been into for a minute. Really led the charge for punk music and set a trend. Like any album there was some down spots but it’s a fast paced punk rock rump. Henry Rollins has some crazy shit to say about frozen yogurt .
Great early hardcore punk. personally prefer Black Flag's second vocalist, as it's easier to understand his lyrics in the songs
I wonder how great this album would have been with modern indie production.
Hell yes, just an incredibly solid punk album of fuck-off anti-authoritarianism
I wanna give it a 5 just for Six Pack and TV Party. The tension, the fury, the random changes in tempo, the call and response. I had this downloaded (probably over many days) on dial up from audiogalaxy, i think it had random glitches from where the torrent didn't completed... just added to the DIY sound. Anyway back to the album ... nostalgia for my teenage punk years probably biases my rating here, yeah its super influential, but would I personally listen to it much anymore? not so sure
15 songs, 35 minute run time.... its like music ADHD. It is one of those albums that informed all the other albums in the punk genre moving forward... forever. It was over before I could work up a sweat.... to bad I really was enjoying the ride. Punk Rock out of 5
Nos tocaron dos de punk seguidito, pero acá éste suena más hardcore, más "crudo". Y aunque el mood es prácticamente invariable a lo largo de todo el disco, creo que justo suena a lo que se espera según un imaginario pank. Tengo mis favs: "Six Pack", "Police Story" y "Room 13", aunque no es un disco al que vaya a regresar seguido. 8.5/10
I'm not a huge black flag fan. I never got into the hardcore punk scene, although I really liked Rollins Band. Dirty Projectors cover album of this is one of my all-time faves. This was a fun listen. I wish I could go back in time and play it for a more open-minded, younger version of myself.
I've only ever known Henry Rollins for his talking. I'll listen to more Black Flag now
Como no tengo las suficientes herramientas para juzgar el punk, voy a decir que está ok porque no me hartó
I think this album, and having listened to some Dead Kennedys earlier in the year, has given me more appreciation for hardcore punk. I've always found it a hard genre to listen to because there's often not much to latch onto except for the speed and anger. Obviously the speed and anger are the point, but that doesn't always make for an enjoyable listening experience. The bitter sarcasm that drives this album is very interesting. The songs are a clear rejection of the world around the band, but the band is often focusing their songs around an (albeit very ungenerous) interpretation of the cultural perspectives they reject. The version of themselves that they present is one of emotional turmoil. I like the energy of this album. I'm not sure how often I'm going to come back to it, but I can see why it was so influential to young punks in the 80s 4/5
Material tak klasyczny w gatunku punka, ze nawet ja znalem go przed listowym pickiem, wiec kolejny szybki odsluch debiutanckiego krazka studyjnego bandy Black Flag, czyli jednej z pierwszych prawdziwie punkowych band hameryki, formacja powstala w 76, a pierwszy album jest dopiero z 81, bo jak przystalo na punka poczatki dzialalnosci to gigowanie wszedzie gdzie sie da, a z takim kontentem ciezko o rekord dile, orginalnie plyta miala byc wydana przez MCA, ale po tym jak zarzad uznal, ze brzmienie jest zbyt hardkorowe i niezbyt rodzico przyjazne grupa musiala wiec wydac plyte pod wlanym szyldem, wiec gitarzysta i glowny liryk grupy, Greg Ginn. przebranzowil swoja firme na wytworne plytowa i tak powstal SST Records, banda w czasie nagrywania Damaged liczyla 5 czlonkow, Rollins jako glowny wokal, Cadena gitarka rytmiczna, pan Dukowski na basie, ksywka strasznie polacka, ale jest on hamerykaninem, ktory wybral sobie polacka ksywke, bo jak wiadomo polaki wszedzie znienawidzone, wiec idealnie pasuje do punkowego wizerunku, ostatnim czlonkiem jest kolumbijsko hamerykanski drumer o pseudonimie Robo, 35 minutowy material, to traki wypuszczone wczesniej jako single czy epki, pomimo tego, ze glownym tworca tesktow jest wspomniany juz Ginn, to kazdy z czlonkow ma jakis credit pisarski na plycie, bo trakow jest az 15, jak przystalo na punkowe kawalki sa to krotkie i wypakowanie chaosem brzmienia kompozycje, lirycznie od samego poczatku i rise above czuc wiadomo czemu ciezko bylo sprzedac to w szanujacej sie wytworki, bo banda otwarcie mowi o tym, ze ma wyjebane na obecny establiszment muzyczny, polityczny, kulturowy, no i na jakiekolwiek ograniczenia wolnosci, bo przeciez ludzie to nie roboty, czy istoty z waldena drugiego, wiec traki o tym ze policja nadal dokucza sie pojawiaja, o tym ze nie ma nic lepszego niz wyrazanie samego siebie przez destrukcje wszystkiego wokol, czyli sardoniczne teksty dotyczace marnowania zycia jak na gimmie gimmie gimmie, gdzie jest mowa o slejwowaniu za pejczekami, czy jak na jednym z najbardziej znanych numerow bandy, to jest tv party opowiadajacym o tym jak ludzie kochaja swoje odbiorniki tv i jak dla nich zyja, ale album ma takze swoje drugie oblicze, bo tak ekspresywne wyrazanie samego siebie jak w kulturze punkowej czesto kryje za soba jakies szkielety w klozecie, ktore ktos stara sie ukryc, wiec jednym z takich szkieletorow tutaj bedzie alkohol i jego naduzywanie, ktore przewija sie podczas odsluchu, od niewinnych piwerek, gdy nie ma nic innego do roboty, do zapijania sie na smierc, zeby tylko nie kontantowac z otoczeniem, inne drugi jako forma eskejpizmu rowniez sie pojawiaja, ale to jednak alkohol jest tym glownym antagonistom, ktory ciagnie za soba depresje, marskosc watroby i wszechobecna suchosc, to wlasnie strona liryczna sprawia, ze slucha sie tego tak dobrze, tak autentyczny punk ma sporo wspolnego z murzynskimi rapersami, oba gatunki wywodza sie z podobnych korzeni najglebszych skidrowow, jesli chodzi o instrumentalna czesc plyty, to najbardziej charakterystycznym elementem jak dla mnie jest wspolpraca miedzy drumami i basem, ktore wspolnie tworza scene dla glownej gitarki, w niektorych momentach slychac, ze jest to dosc biedne nagranie pod wzgledem masteringu, glownie poziomy glosnosci, chociaz caly album jest glowny, to jednak troche lepszy balans moglby byc miedzy wokalem a instrumentami, bo rytmiczna gubi sie wsrod innych dzwiekow, ciekawa sprawa jesli chodzi o drumy jest to, ze wczesniej nie moglem dojsc do tego skad taki poglos sie bierze przy dzwiekach talerzy, a wiki mowi o tym, ze pan Robo w jakiej branzolecie gral i stad ten dziwny dzwiek, podczas walenia w wysokie talerze, a co do wokali, to jak przystalo na punka spiewem tego sie nie da nazwac, bo jest to raczej liryczna recytacja, bardziej lub mniej luryczna, a glos pana Rollinsa brzmi dosc neutralnie, wiec ani nie grzeje, ani nie chlodzi, reszta bandy takze udziela sie wokalne, zazwyczaj jako horusy czy jak na tv party dopowiadajace pewnie kwestie glosy, dawno nie sluchalem w calosci, wiec dobrze ze lista pozwolila sobie przypomniec takiego klasyka, ktory juz nawet sama okladka mowi, ze to jest wlasnie klasyG przez duze G
I really like the Chats, and it's clear that they are heavily inspired by Black Flag - a band who i was familiar with, but have never listened to this album. I will definitely listen to it again though as it's really good!
equal parts furious (Rise Above) and goofy (TV Party) - the authentic voice of American Youth. the better tracks are mostly placed earlier - it loses focus as it progresses to the end - but it still pelts along, full of rage and signifying something. iconic cover.
A reasonable punk record engineered to be loud and somewhat obnoxious. Short length tracks make way for urgency with allegro tempos and linear arrangements - 'Damaged' lays walls of overdrive guitars and hard-hitting drum patterns that ultimately incites strong dissentious emotions. While the production is short of modest for a 1980s album, the lyrics remain straightforward and upfront, though this makes the record simpler than it appears to be.
5 stars for the vibes, but I wouldn't be able to tell this apart from any other set of punk rock songs because I can't understand the lyrics, and there isn't a consistent melody throughout each song.
Listening to this made me want to listen to more punk. I appreciate the 15 songs coming in at just about 35 minutes. Not sure if it was intentional, but I found so many lines laugh-worthy. In Six Pack, "what do they know about partying or anything else and in TV Party, "tv's broke what are we gonna do, we're gonna miss our favorite show." I want to become a rock star so that I can cover TV Party only so that I can sing real loud, "No TV Party tonight." There's also a line in the dark, very dark Room 13 that I love, "as I'll see to it." Somehow it seems very Victorian for a punk band talking about death. I had no idea that Henry Rollins had just started as lead singer with them in 1981, while making this album.
I first heard Damaged when I was 18, which seems about the right age. But I perhaps wasn't angry enough to get the full impact of Rollins' ire. I'll tell you what though - change "TV Party" to "Internet Party", update the shows to website and nothing much has changed. We got nothing better to do.
Die rohe Energie ist schon echt geil, so eine unpolierte Faus in die Fresse hab ich lang nicht mehr gehört. 18 Jahre alter Stifte hätte wohl 6 Sterne gegeben, mittelalterlicher Mittelschicht Stifte gibt noch immer 4 :-D
Wie sagte Henry Rollins so schön, "The Blood Brothers are gonna save us all!", der Typ weiß wovon er spricht! Und was sollman zu Black Flag mehr sagen als LEGENDARY! Später dann gaaaanz anders... Urgestein des Punk, aber 'genießbar' würd ichs heute nicht mehr unbedingt nennen! ;) Dafür umso mehr 'in your face"! TV Party, wie geil!!!
Stevig punkalbum, met uitgesproken baslijnen. Best wel genoten van dit kort maar krachtig album
Introduced the world to the madman known as Henry Rollins. A lot of noisy punk, with some sludgey riffs happening later in the track list. I think the recording holds back just how truly chaotic this must've been to hear live. Favorite tracks: "Gimme Gimme Gimme", "Six Pack", "Damaged I", "Padded Cell"
YESSSSSSS!!!!! Rise Above punches people in the face. TV Party is funny. This is a decent punk record and you can hear the seeds of something more approachable and also the start of the more modern hardcore movement. But as an album on its own? not my favorite punk record.
Not usually a fan of older punk, and hardcore is hit or miss, but this goes hard and I get why people become such big fans of the genre. 4.5 for me but can't push it to a 5.
Visto con la perspectiva de los años, se hace durillo de aguantar. Aunque eso no quita que sea absolutamente rompedor. Personalmente, prefiero My War, pero Damaged es el principio de muchas cosas.
Despite them inventing it, I have never considered Americans to have ever really understood punk, or the potential of punk. Except for the Stooges and a fistful of others, American punk bands have never seemed that interested in the aesthetic liberation punk has offered. The Ramones, for instance, arguably limited punk by establishing a mannerism of punk, whereas the Sex Pistols concocted a philosophy of punk that emboldened a thousand and one British weirdo acts to philosophise further and stretch the possibilities of what music could be, from ABC to XTC. Or we have Nirvana trying to put punk's experimentalism at the centre of the American mainstream, but only resulting in so many whining gits writing so many feeble grungy dirges about stubbing cigarettes out on their wrists. No scene demonstrates this blinkered American take on punk than hardcore. Rather than exploring what they could do, the hardcore formula of "rough punk, played fast and heavy" not only became the creed of American punk for a decade, it became the standard definition of US punk: I once read an American review of Never Mind the Bollocks that insisted it wasn't a punk album because the songs were too long. That's the sort of warped mindset we're dealing with here, kids. (By the by, this pitiful American reverence towards the supposed edicts of a genre extends far beyond punk. How many rhythm and blues acts, pop groups, jam-bands and rappers act as if avoiding deviation from their genre's standard makes them the true inheritors of the craft? And will they ever realise that nobody cares?) So I worry that perhaps I'm approaching this album with a mild prejudice, which is that whenever I listen to hardcore punk, I feel disappointed that they didn't follow the British example of rejecting every example, and instead they just played a bit of punk. This is not to say I dislike hardcore punk: I don't. But it occasionally feels like the teenagers lobotomised themselves. Anyway, Damaged. It's a good hardcore punk album. Some of the tracks are a bit humorous, to its credit. I don't see this as a crippling existential howl at all, I see it as a good hardcore punk album. There are hardcore albums I prefer (e.g., Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables), and ones I like less (e.g., Milo Goes to College). Is there much more to say than that? Maybe you could say phrases like, "Oh, but they added mini guitar solos to the repertoire of punk," but that just means you're a trainspotter. Actually, I'll run with that. If your favourite form of punk is hardcore, you're basically a trainspotter of punk, writing down the BPM in your notebook as you slamdance. The reason you're straight-edge is because you've a thermos of weak lemon drink made for you by your mum. This album gets a clear four, but giving it a 5 marks you as spotty and bronchial. Also, I was reading about Black Flag before writing this review. After this, they turned to the Grateful Dead for inspiration. As much I should cherish such growth beyond hardcore, I'm not exactly squealing with glee at Black Flag harking to the Grateful Dead. Is there any better point to illustrate that hardcore punk is punk for trainspotters?
Ground zero for hardcore punk. Used to listen to this in high school quite a bit.
Influence on music: 5 stars How much I personally enjoy it: 3 stars at most, I like punk but not so much hardcore. Average: 4 stars
Powerful, fierce hardcore punk, a classic among classics. Pissy, hard driving, badass, and also just a lot of fun. This is an album that grabs you from the first riff and and does not let go. I love how they burn though 15 songs in 35 minutes, like a freaking brush fire. Fave Songs: Rise Above, Police Story, Room 13, What I See, Damaged I, Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie, Life of Pain, Padded Cell
No offense to Darby Crash, but this sounds like a more polished Germs. It's angry and free, with Henry Rollins saying whatever comes to his mind. It's anthemic with plenty of lines to scream along to, a bit of order among the chaos of spoken word lyrics. "TV Party" is the best example of this, with the clear back vocals, chants, and clapping. His lyrics are unexpected and fun cause you never know when he's done. There are breaks where you think the song's over but then he just keeps going. But the greatest strength of this album is the distortion-heavy doom-like instrumentation. Each songs starts off almost sounding like a Black Sabbath song, but then speeds up out of control, and the crashes really set this apart with chaotic bangs. Out of 15 songs, only 4 of them are over 2.5 minutes (and only 1 of them are in the first 10), so it really flies by and keeps it interesting thinking what the hell he's gonna complain about in the next song. Loved every song, but the energy dies down in the last third (which does fit with the slow and eery starts of "No More", "Life of Pain", and "Damaged I"), which is why I see so many other bands like Minor Threat just settle with EPs.
My punk experience is admittedly low (and hardcore punk even lower than that), but my understanding and impression is that this album is a pillar, one of the goats. Not at all difficult to hear why. I've heard it before, and I'm a big fan of this one. Opens with a true classic in "Rise Above," and just maintains a caustic edge throughout. It's angst and rage expressed with frightening, piercing clarity. You know these guys hate everything. My absolute favorite track has to be "TV Party," not just because of how funny and angry it is about the stupidity of television watchers, but because it's a genuinely catchy song, which makes you think if these punks were stupid sheep instead of the free-thinkers they are (please bear with my layers of irony here), they could make a decent rock record for the masses to swallow with ease. But they aren't that, man! They're fucked up in the head, they wanna smash mirrors and kick fire hydrants or whatever. I love it, what a rush. I can only imagine how liberating it would have been to discover this album as an angsty teen in the early '80s. Shout out Henry Rollins for this one. Favorite tracks: TV Party, Rise Above, Six Pack, No More, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Life of Pain. Album art: Iconic for sure. Rollins punching a mirror, what more do you need? It gets everything across, this album sounds like a group of guys trying to shatter the world as we know it. 4.5/5