''Phantasmagoria'' is the sixth album by U.K. punk rock band the Damned, released by MCA in July 1985. Special editions were available on white vinyl or picture disc; some versions included a free 12-inch of their No. 3 hit " Eloise". It is the first album by the band without original member

Captain Sensible Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. Captain Sensible co-founded the punk rock band the Damned, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. H ...

, and was a style shift to gothic rock compared to the band's punk sound of its early and later career.

History

After much wrangling, the Damned received a new contract with MCA Records in October 1984 on the strength of the song " Grimly Fiendish", issued as a single the following March. They recorded the album in

Eel Pie Studios Eel Pie Recording Studios, formerly Oceanic, was a recording studio located in The Boathouse, Twickenham on the banks of the River Thames in Ranelagh Drive, by Twickenham Bridge, West London, and also simultaneously at No. 45 Broadwick Street, ...

from March to June 1985. It reached No. 11 in the charts, and was the band's highest-charting album ever, until the release of ''

Evil Spirits A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...

'' in 2018, which cracked the top-ten at No. 7. The non-album single "Eloise," (a Barry Ryan cover), released six months later, became a huge UK hit, reaching No. 3. The Damned centred the entire album around David Vanian's deep voice, giving much of the album a gothic feeling. The album was remastered and reissued by

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

in Japan in 2007, featuring replicas of the LP's outer and inner sleeves and a CD label resembling the white vinyl edition. In 2009, an expanded edition was issued by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

in Europe.

Artwork

The cover image of Susie Bick was taken by photographer

Bob Carlos Clarke Robert Carlos Clarke (24 June 1950 – 25 March 2006) was a British-Irish photographer who made erotic images of women as well as documentary, portrait and commercial photography. Carlos Clarke produced six books during his career: ''The ...

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

, Harrow Road.

Track listing

;Note * The non-album single " Eloise" appeared as a bonus track on the 1986 re-issued LP versions in Australia, Germany and Italy.

2009 expanded edition

;Notes * "Edward the Bear" (single version) is produced by Bob Sargeant and the Damned. * "Nightshift" and "Would You" are produced by the Damned. * "Let There Be Rats" and "Wiped Out" were originally released as a Rat Scabies 7" solo single in 1984; produced by

Will Birch Will Birch (born 12 September 1948) is an English music journalist, songwriter, record producer and drummer. Career Birch was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. He played drums in various bands in the Southend area before helping to form ...

. * Live tracks recorded at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

Coronet, 11 July 1985; engineered and mixed by Jon Kelly; all tracks feature Paul Shepley on keyboards; "Pretty Vacant"and "Wild Thing" features Rat Scabies on guitar and Roman Jugg on drums. * "The Shadow of Love", "Is It a Dream" and "Street of Dreams" recorded for

Janice Long Janice Berry ( Chegwin; 5 April 1955 – 25 December 2021), known professionally by her first married name Janice Long, was an English broadcaster who was best known for her work in British music radio. In a career that spanned five decades, ...

Session, 14 April 1985; produced by Harry Parked, engineered by Barry Adams and Peter Watts.

Personnel

;The Damned *

Dave Vanian David Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is an English rock musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, release an album, have ...

– lead vocals *

Roman Jugg Roman Jugg (born 25 July 1957 in Caerphilly, South Wales) is a keyboard player and guitarist. He began his career in the Welsh punk band Victimize in the late 1970s. An acquaintance of Paul Gray, Jugg was originally hired in late 1981, recor ...

– guitar, keyboards, lead vocals (7), backing vocals *

Bryn Merrick Bryn Merrick (12 October 1958 – 12 September 2015) was a bassist who was a member of Cardiff-based punk band Victimize. He later joined the Damned between 1983 and 1989, replacing Paul Gray, who had left for UFO. Merrick's first release wi ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Rat Scabies Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned. Career Millar was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor ...

– drums ; Additional musicians *Paul Shepley – additional keyboards (8) * Andy Richards – additional keyboards *

Luís Jardim Luís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim (born 4 July 1950) is a Portuguese percussionist, born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn. Family Jardim is a cousin of Alberto João Jardim (former president of the ...

– percussion *

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959 in Dover, England) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts a ...

– saxophone and brass *

Steve Nieve Steve Nieve ( "naïve"; born Stephen John Nason, 21 February 1958) is an English musician and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Nieve has been a member of Elvis Costello's backing bands the Attractions, the Imposters and Madnes ...

– keyboard inspiration (4) ;Production *

Jon Kelly Jon Kelly is a British audio engineer and record producer, who began his career as an engineer at Air London Studios. He has produced albums and singles for Chris Rea, the Damned, Kate Bush (where he co-produced with Bush on her third album ...

– production, engineering (except 6) * Chris Ludwinsky – additional engineering * Bob Sargeant – production (6) * The Damned – production (6) *

– cover photography * Booce – cover artwork

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantasmagoria (The Damned Album) 1985 albums Albums produced by Jon Kelly Albums produced by Bob Sargeant The Damned (band) albums Gothic rock albums by English artists