Phantasmagoria (The Damned album)


Phantasmagoria is the sixth album by the Damned, released by MCA in July 1985. Special editions were available on white vinyl or picture disc; some versions included a free 12" of their No. 3 hit "Eloise".

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 between March and June 1985. It reached No. 11 in the charts, and was the band's highest charting album ever, until the release of Evil Spirits in 2018, which cracked the top-ten at No. 7. The non-album single "Eloise,", 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 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 in Europe.

Artwork

The cover image of Susie Bick was taken by photographer Bob Carlos Clarke at Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road.

Track listing

;Note
;Note
;The Damned
; Additional musicians
;Production
;Expanded Edition disc 2