The Damned are one of the iconic British bands to emerge from punk rock’s golden age, and their influence continues to this day.
Punk rock legend Darkadelic’s latest album Darkadelic continues the musical evolution, offering up sophistication and passion in equal measures. Definitely worth a listen!
Elouise
The Damned’s 1986 single “Elouise” showcases their ability to fuse punk rock with elements of new wave and pop. It features catchy guitar riffs, energetic rhythm sections, and lead vocalist Dave Vanian’s distinctive voice delivering lyrics about a troubled girl named Elouise.
This song was released as a single and is featured on several compilations featuring Damned. Additionally, reissued versions of their album Phantasmagoria have been issued in Australia, Germany and Italy.
Eloise, Michigan was home to one of the largest mental institutions in history. This 78-building complex sprawled over 902 acres and included numerous services like police and fire departments, railroad stations, post offices, slaughterhouses, bakeries, amusement halls and powerhouses.
Patients and inmates worked on the farm, growing and harvesting foods such as tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbages, peas, corn and beans. Some patients were paid fifty cents a day to help out on the farm.
As the asylum grew and expanded, it became a self-sustaining community that enabled its residents to be independent while receiving treatment for mental disorders. Doctors used advanced technology and treatments such as X-rays to diagnose patients, radiation therapy for cancer and open air treatments for tuberculosis to provide effective therapies.
Though Eloise General Hospital closed its doors in 1979, its property still holds special meanings for some. While some believe it to be haunted, others see it as a beacon of hope and inspiration.
Machine Gun Etiquette
Musically speaking, Machine Gun Etiquette is a landmark album for The Damned. After their two classics, the group reunited without founding guitarist Brian James and brought in Algy Ward (of The Saints) as their new bassist. The result was an immersive 35-minute opus packed with captivating tunes and innovative production techniques.
This record was an eclectic blend of ideas from many genres and movements, which the band put to good use. It remains one of their classic albums and a must-have for any true fan of the genre.
The Damned’s return to popularity with their album The Devil’s Due was heralded. Not only did it earn them their most prestigious award – Best British Album – but it cemented The Damned’s place among Britain’s premier punk acts.
The title track is certainly a highlight, but for me the song that best captures the ‘Mirror Occult Mister Morse’ spirit (and which has become one of the album’s most beloved tracks) is “Plan 9 Channel 7” or “Looking at You”. It was an epic piece of rock music that showed off their mastery over genre-defining art form.
The Black Album
The Black Album is one of Metallica’s most successful albums, placing them atop the heavy music world. Released in 1980, this groundbreaking work marked an enormous evolution in their sound and style.
It featured a variety of genres such as goth rock, punk and psychedelic music. Its lyrics often had humorous commentary on social issues or were highly political in nature.
Though The Damned weren’t yet ready to abandon their punk roots, The Black Album marked a shift in their music and style. There were more elements of goth rock and psychedelia on this record than ever before.
Lu Edmonds on guitar was a recent addition to the band, having only been with them one year prior. This marked his first time recording with them as part of The Damned.
He was also the first to use a guitar with an attached pick, rather than simply playing with his fingers. This combination of guitar playing and David Vanian’s vocals created an edgy yet powerful sound.
Though The Black Album wasn’t a huge hit when it first released in August of that year, it eventually went on to become an enormous success – ultimately selling over 25 million copies worldwide, becoming the highest selling metal album of all time.
The album’s lead single, “Enter Sandman,” became an instant hit and earned itself a place of honor on MTV with its creepy music video. Additionally, it won best rock video at the 1992 VMAs.
Strawberries
When we think of strawberries, we often picture delectable desserts or sweet treats. But the fruit can also be used in savory dishes and drinks as well.
Strawberries are members of the Rosaceae family, with over 20 species recognized and many hybrids and cultivars developed for commercial use.
Low-growing herbaceous plants with a fibrous root system, crown from which slender stalks emerge, and flowers. Generally white in color, some species may also display red or green hues.
Berries, composed of modified receptacle tissue and numerous partially embedded fruits known as seeds or achenes, are whitish-green when young and turn red when mature. They possess an intoxicating aroma and flavor.
Strawberry plants are allopolyploid, meaning they possess chromosomes from four distinct parental subgenomes. Unfortunately, in many allopolyploid systems, homoeologous exchanges and large-scale chromosomal changes make it difficult to confidently assign parent gene copies to each subgenome.
Additionally, some octoploid plants such as strawberries have been known to exhibit gene expression bias due to an imbalance. This imbalance can negatively impact various biological processes, such as strawberry-specific flavor production, color development and aroma production29-30.
Commercial strawberries have been around since antiquity, though not in significant amounts until the late 19th century. Nowadays, strawberries are the fifth-most important fruit in global agriculture and primarily grown in America where over half of their national crop is produced. You can find strawberries at various markets such as grocery stores, specialty retailers, farmers’ markets and U-pick or pick-your-own farms around the country.