Track Listing

1. Paperback Bible
2. Prepared 2
3. Rise And Fall Of The Letter P
4. Day Without Glasses
5. Beers Before The Barbican
6. I Would Have Waited Here All Day
7. Crackers
8. Fear
9. Short
10. Decline Of Country And Western Civilization

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20177 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-14
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk
Eight albums in, and Kurt Wagner, the sleepy-sounding Nashville resident behind venerable country outlaws Lambchop, has still never once raised his voice. Damaged, however, confirms that for all this band's languid, porchside-at-twilight manner, their idiosyncratic outsider spirit remains: 'I have always thought that handguns were made for shooting people,' croons Wagner, on the opening "Paperback Bible", 'Rather than for sport...' Does a long-term Lambchop fan need this album? Well, few could deny this is ground already well trod by Wagner and co, the lush string symphonies harking back to 2004's double album Aw C'Mon/No, You C'Mon. If Damaged has a theme, however, it's that of human frailty, and how humans overcome such frailty. The quietly devastating "Prepared [2]" is one highlight, a song that sees Wagner relating the tale of a collapsing love affair in a manner that sums up all the fraught impotence of heartbreak, without ever needing to paint its melancholy in obvious, broad strokes. The album ends, however, with a lump-in-throat moment of redemption, the closing "The Decline Of Country And Western Civilisation" borne up on majestic swells of strings, piano and crashing cymbal. Kurt Wagner is doing just fine. –-Louis Pattison

CD Description
Eighth studio album, and their first since 2004's double-disc extravaganza 'Aw C'mon/No You C'mon', from cult Nashvilleavant-country troupe, follows hot on the heels of their rarities compilation 'The Decline Of Country And Western Civilization'. Hailed as their finest work to date, 'Damaged' continues Lambchop's patented formula of country and soul, with frontman Kurt Wagner producing profound observations on loveand mortality inspired by his own ill health and cancer scare.

Customer Reviews

Rich and subtle
The last album (AwComon/NoYouCmon) was a rather variable double, both in terms of quality and style. 'Damaged' is a big return to top form. Smooth and subtle in the manner of 'Is A Woman' it is however warmer and musically richer that that minimal masterpiece. 'Damaged' at times has the lush orchestration of 'Nixon' although not quite the same up-tempo swagger.

The mood is one of wry and gentle soulfulness. The lyrics are great, and enjoyment of them helped by the fact they are also printed in the booklet!

It is one of those albums that will win you over not by one or two standout tracks but by it's effect as a whole. It grows and reveals complexities on repeated listens and feels to be right amongst their best work.

Great Songs, Nice Production, Neat Playing.
The new Lambchop album kind of crept up on me, maybe Lambchop aren't getting the same publicity as they did in the "Nixon" days or maybe I'm getting out of the loop. Anyway, it was a nice suprise to see this on the shelves at my local music store. It was apparantly written under the influence of numerous health problems and even a cancer scare, hence the title "Damaged". Lyrically this is a very strong album, with frontman Kurt Wagner yet again proving himself as one the strongest songwriters around at the moment. This is helped by a really good mix which allows you to hear the words pretty clearly, which wasn't always the case on the last lambchop album, perhaps Kurt was particularly proud of his Lyrics for "Damaged".

As well as he should be, most of the songs on the album are sort of story based, or at least create a snapshot of a moment in the characters life. His feel for characters and sittuations seems very "real" and his writing reminds me for some reason of Douglas Coupland novels, perhaps because he is writing about mundane things in a beautiful way. Paberback Bible, for example, is taken pretty much word for word from a Tennessee radio show, Swap Shop on which customers would phone in to buy and sell everyday objects.

The sound on this album is, for the most part, pretty sedate. It's not what you would really describe as "catchy" but the laid back pace, atmospheric lead guitar and beguiling string parts certainly have a way of drawing you in. I find "the rise and fall of the letter P" to be paricularly melodically strong, with a really nice lead guitar part on the second verse and "I would have waited here all day" has a really nice horn section, it kind of sounds like a classic funk song slowed down to the usual Lambchop pace!

This album is definately a continuation of the high Lambchop standard, and some fans who found their recent double album a bit meandering will probably be won back over as this album is definately more focused.

Tasty Cut
I simply had to purchase this album after stumbling across the unbelievable brilliance of `Paperback Bible' by chance. That song slowly wormed its way into my affections to such an extent that it was causing me mental harm not to follow up my interest - and I'm pleased I did as `Damaged' is exactly the sort of album I hoped it to be.

It really is an elongation of that stunning opening track. The sound for the most part is distinctly minimal so the album requires patience for sure, but is well worth the effort. Other than `Paperback Bible' I find the final three songs to be particularly impressive and should provide the hooks to reel in any other first time Lambchop listeners out there.