Music / Damaged (Album)

"My name's Henry, and you're here with me now."

"We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us, it's no use"

— "Rise Above"

Damaged is Black Flag's landmark 1981 album, released by SST Records (run by the band's guitarist Greg Ginn). Their first full length album, it's also their first with vocalist Henry Rollins (after previous vocalist Dez Cadena switched to just playing rhythm guitar), who would stay for the rest of the band's original run. It is also their only album to have a two-guitar lineup.

A newbie to the punk scene, Rollins met the band during his time as the frontman of State of Alert, a short-lived punk band from Washington D.C. After they broke up, he joined Black Flag as their new, confrontational singer. Meanwhile, the band was supposed to partner with Unicorn, a subsidiary of MCA, to release their new album. However, they ended up in a legal snafu, unable to release it because the head of the label thought their music was "anti-parent". They tried to get around this with an uncredited Compilation Re-release, but it ended up with the band sued and Ginn and bassist Chuck Dukowski spending almost a week in jail. Once Unicorn went bankrupt, the band were freed from their contracts, but would never attempt to associate with a major label again.

This also ended up the last material with Cadena and drummer Robo. The former moved on from the band, while the latter got held up due to complications with his visa during a tour, thus having to be quickly replaced.

Tracklist

Side One

1. "Rise Above" (2:26)
2. "Spray Paint (The Walls)" (0:34)
3. "Six Pack" (2:20)
4. "What I See" (1:56)
5. "T.V. Party" (3:31)
6. "Thirsty And Miserable" (2:06)
7. "Police Story" (1:33)
8. "Gimme Gimme Gimme" (1:47)

Side Two

1. "Depression" (2:28)
2. "Room 13" (2:04)
3. "Damaged II" (3:23)
4. "No More" (2:25)
5. "Padded Cell" (1:47)
6. "Life Of Pain" (2:50)
7. "Damaged I" (3:50)

"These tropes are gonna rise above!":

• Alliterative Title: "Gimme Gimme Gimme"
• Anti-Police Song: "Police Story"
• Downer Ending: "Life of Pain" and "Damaged I"
• Miniscule Rocking: This is Hardcore Punk, it comes with the territory. "Damaged I" is the longest at 3:48, with "Spray Paint (The Walls)" clocking in at a mere 0:31.
• Ode to Intoxication: "Six Pack," "Thirsty And Miserable"
• Oh, Crap!: The ending of "TV Party".
  "Hey wait a minute, my TV set doesn't work (It's broken!)
  What are we gonna do tonight, this isn't fair (We're hurting!)
• Protest Song: "Rise Above"
• Shout-Out: "TV Party" mentions Thats Incredible, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Fridays, Saturday Night Live, The Jeffersons and Vega$ (1978).

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