From Uncut’s March 2022 problem [Take 298]. The making of “Neat Neat Neat” by The Damned…
“It’s fairly easy, actually,” explains Brian James, The Damned guitarist and composer of their traditional 45 “Neat Neat Neat”. “It’s a rock’n’roll track.” Kicking off with a corrupted Eddie Cochran bass twang, The Damned’s second single throws collectively bursts of thrilling guitar riffage over an addictively stuttering rhythm, a coolly impenetrable lyric and a refrain that lands like three swift rabbit punches. The result’s a supercharged blast of punked-up storage rock.
“Neat Neat Neat” was recorded stay in a room as soon as utilized by British fascist Oswald Mosley, squeezed between a terraced home and a storage, fuelled by low cost cider, copious ciggies and a surfeit of hostile power. “There’s nothing posh about it,” says Captain Wise, who performed bass on the document. “It’s tough and uncooked. It was made on this dingy room with 4 pretty aggressive folks shouting at one another! That’s why it sounds the best way it does.”
The Damned had fashioned in 1976. In October, 5 weeks earlier than the Intercourse Pistols’ “Anarchy In The UK”, they launched their debut, “New Rose”, the primary British punk single. Shortly afterwards they joined the Pistols, The Conflict and Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers on the notorious Anarchy Tour of the UK. “Everybody wished to be the pre-eminent punk group, particularly the managers,” says Captain Wise. “That they had this dreadful rivalry. The bands bought on, however the managers had been all sneering at one another. It was fairly humorous, actually.”
They recorded “Neat Neat Neat” lower than a month later, at Pathway Studios in north London, throughout classes for his or her debut album, Damned Damned Damned. As with “New Rose”, the producer was Nick Lowe. “All of us knew that one thing was occurring and our time had come,” says Lowe. “All of it appeared very pure. There was a definite assembly of minds, which was actually thrilling.” “Neat Neat Neat” emerged as the apparent selection for the album’s opening assertion, in addition to the band’s subsequent single. “That was the observe the place I believed we had one thing actually totally different,” says drummer Rat Scabies. “I at all times thought it had a actually good groove, with the snaky bassline. It’s sort of slippery. Dare I say it, it’s a correct piece of music!”
The unique Damned lineup cut up inside a 12 months of the track popping out. Later in 2022, they are going to reunite for a sequence of UK dates. “Clearly ‘Neat Neat Neat’ has to be there and ‘New Rose’,” says James. “They’re at all times a pleasure to play. Will we play them as quick because the recordings? Sooner!”
BRIAN JAMES [GUITAR]: “Neat Neat Neat” was written simply earlier than Christmas 1976. It will have been across the similar time because the Anarchy Tour, possibly a little bit after. In these days, songs tended to spill out. I used to be sitting round taking part in my Gibson SG and the riff got here out. I used to be an enormous Eddie Cochran fan. Overlook Elvis, it was at all times Eddie for me, and to a lesser extent Jerry Lee Lewis. I bastardised it a little bit, and that twanging riff fashioned the premise of the track, and the bassline.
CAPTAIN SENSIBLE [BASS]: The bass might be a very powerful instrument for the riff. I keep in mind when Brian taught me the track. He sat me down and stated, “It’s Eddie Cochran – with a twist!” The twist is that the third time you play it, there’s a little bit lurch, a kink, within the riff. I’ve seen bands taking part in Damned covers, they usually handle to not play the twist. I need to inform them off! I stroll into the dressing room afterwards and put them proper.
JAMES: I used to be going out with a woman referred to as Judy who lived at this man’s place simply off New King’s Street. Judy was American and she or he used loads of colloquialisms. That had a little bit affect on the lyrics. Additionally, there was an outdated Doorways album referred to as Completely Dwell the place Jim Morrison says one thing like, “Kinda good, kinda good, kinda neat, kinda neat…” Issues like that stick out, you keep in mind them. Actually, the track wrote itself…
FIND THE FULL INTERVIEW FROM UNCUT MARCH 2022/TAKE 298 IN THE ARCHIVE
