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 tune.” 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 reside 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 vitality. “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 way in which 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 needed to be the pre-eminent punk group, particularly the managers,” says Captain Wise. “They’d this dreadful rivalry. The bands obtained on, however the managers have 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 happening 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 plain alternative 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 completely different,” says drummer Rat Scabies. “I all the time thought it had a actually good groove, with the snaky bassline. It’s type of slippery. Dare I say it, it’s a correct piece of music!”
The unique Damned lineup break up inside a yr of the tune popping out. Later in 2022, they may reunite for a collection of UK dates. “Clearly ‘Neat Neat Neat’ has to be there and ‘New Rose’,” says James. “They’re all the time a pleasure to play. Will we play them as quick because the recordings? Quicker!”
BRIAN JAMES [GUITAR]: “Neat Neat Neat” was written simply earlier than Christmas 1976. It might have been across the similar time because the Anarchy Tour, possibly slightly after. In these days, songs tended to spill out. I used to be sitting round enjoying my Gibson SG and the riff got here out. I used to be a giant Eddie Cochran fan. Neglect Elvis, it was all the time Eddie for me, and to a lesser extent Jerry Lee Lewis. I bastardised it slightly, and that twanging riff fashioned the idea of the tune, 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 tune. 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 slightly lurch, a kink, within the riff. I’ve seen bands enjoying Damned covers, they usually handle to not play the twist. I must 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 he or she used a variety of colloquialisms. That had slightly affect on the lyrics. Additionally, there was an previous 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 tune wrote itself…
FIND THE FULL INTERVIEW FROM UNCUT MARCH 2022/TAKE 298 IN THE ARCHIVE
