Just incredible! Laugh = 3:14 and I don’t want it to stop. Total killer punk complete with loud guitars and snotty vocals. Listen to the background guitar how it builds up from a low chugga chugga on one string up till the chorus. And the Ha! Ha! Ha! parts oh my… The solo works too. It’s a complete dorky rock solo but fuck me if it dosen’t blend in perfect. Automatic Lips ain’t as bad as it’s reputation. A little quirky powerpop song that suits me just fine. Actually I think Automatic Lips is great. Give it some spins.
How does their 12″ from 1982 sound? Anyone?
Country: USA
Year: 1979
Label: Broken
Format: 7″
Songs:
Laugh.mp3
Automatic Lips.mp3
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“Laugh” is one of the eternal great moments in music. Incredible song – like a giant dose of power being rammed up your arse.
This is brand new to me so I guess I should be ashamed. Anyway, the “ha ha ha ha” part is really amazing! Bra jobbat Sweden!
Funny you commented Martin since I’m sitting here ripping the AWESOME Lognhalsmottagningen 7″ you sent me :).
The B side sounds like the Cars. Yuck.
Anyone know the connection to Rubber City Rebels who covered this tune (Laugh). They came from the same state but…
Me says: this rips!!!!!!!
“The Rebels moved to Los Angeles in 1978, minus Pelton (who was replaced on drums by Mike Hammer) and Sake (keyboards were deemed unnecessary for the band’s change to a “heavier” sound),…”
http://www.clepunk.com/bands/hammerdamage/index.htm
http://www.cleveland.com/music/index_story.ssf?/music/more/local/timeline/1980/1980newwave.html
“Formed in 1978 as a Rubber City Rebels spin-off, Hammer Damage quickly became Akron’s best draw as well as the house band at the notorious downtown club, The Bank. Looking to pick up another band before relocating with the Rebels to L.A., drummer Michael Hammer and bassist Scott Winkler hooked up with guitarist George Cabaniss and singer Dave Zagar, a move that led them to quit the Rebels and stay in Akron to play with Hammer Damage. The hard pop foursome released a 45, “Laugh,” in ’78, before Cabaniss left to join the Dead Boys. The band continued without Cabaniss, releasing another EP in ’82, before breaking up that same year.”
“Laugh” is an amazing song!!! I was blown away when I first heard it on KBD #9 many years ago. “Automatic Lips” has “grown on me” over the years, it’s kinda catchy in some parts but then some of the guitar licks on it are wimpy rock. The Hammer Damage 12″EP from 1982 is fucking garbage, really bad!! Avoid it!!! Ugly Things zine had a great 2 part Rubber City Rebels story in the 2006 and 2007 issues. If I remember right from that story, Mike Hammer and Donny(?) Damage moved to L.A. with the Rubber City Rebels (RCR) in like ’77 and then moved back to Akron, OH in 1978 to form Hammer Damage. I grew up in Cleveland, OH which is about a 1/2 hour from Akron. Like Cleveland, Akron had a bunch of bands come out of there in the late 70’s like the RCR, Devo, Bizzaros, etc. FYI- Akron was called Rubber City because Firestone Tire Company used to be based out of there. Speaking of the Rubber City Rebels, a lot of their stuff was too rock for me but they managed a few great songs like “Young and Dumb” (the 7″ version). Their cover of “Paper Dolls” on the same 7″ is tits too. The first RCR LP on Capitol Records in 1980 has a cover of “Laugh”, but the Hammer Damage version is about 20 times better!
As always thanks for the info Tony :).
i got their second release on ebay last year. cost me $40. it was a 12″ 3 song single. nice to own but not as good as the first release, that release. (msg for the poster: email me if you want it on mp3, i just ripped it, it’s sitting on my lap and i found this post cause i was looking for the proper name to name it.. i knwo it’s named after one of the songs on there but i don’t wanna get it wrong.. doesn’t have any label on it so it’s not very aparent to what the official name of the single is.. anyways.. let me know)
OMG, I’ve been looking for this for EVER!!!!! Hammer Damage was one of my favourite bands from the late 70s and I don’t know how many times I saw them way back when. It was cool when the Rebels moved to LA with a plan, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. There was a deal with Doug Fieger of the Knack that, whoever made a record first would produce the other band’s record, so that’s why Fieger is the producer for the Rebels LP. I had the privelege of seeing the Rebels and the Dead Boys for six shows over the course of a weekend at the Whiskey in LA in 1980. Hung out backstage with Stiv and the Boys (including Bebe Buell, when she was still with Bators) and it was an incredible weekend.
One other Akron band I’m dying to find is The Action, who had a single or two out around the same time as Hammer Damage.
…i can’t stop it …Ultra negative energie PuNK !!!!!!!!!!
“We like some brains to go with our fries!”….?
I remember loading up the car with fellow madmen in the late 70s and driving to The Bank in Cleveland to see Hammer Damage blast out both of these great punk tunes. The crowd was always rowdy and brawls were frequent, but these guys just kept playing. Great memories!
I had that very 45 and bought it one drunken night i seen the band at the bank…which was in Akron not Cleveland as another posted. I seen the band a few times as well as others in the days in Akron /kent.
One day i am looking at Scene mag from Cleveland and i see and ad from a punk record collector from Texas looking for that HD 45. He was willing to pay 125.00 plus shipping!!! I said YES!!! Called my pops who found it in a box of my old stuff. The guy sent the check, shipping instructions etc and was cool. I made a nice score and he added to his collection. Oh the days LOL. BTW Dave Zagar (Donny) is doing well giging in Akron area in a blues band and does HD reunion shows here and there. I run ito him at the blues shows…good dude.
Thanks for stopping by Red. I guess 125 was a lot back then nowadays it’s a bit more expensive:
http://www.popsike.com/php/quicksearch.php?searchtext=hammer+damage&x=0&y=0
Dear Red:
Thanks for correcting my faulty memory. Of course The Bank is in Akron. We couldn’t have safely driven all the way to Cleveland! When we did hazard a road trip that far north it was to Pirates Cove to see the Wild Giraffes.
hey what the freak is going on i need real time clarification????? call me @ 330.322.0982!!! namaste ; the real donny damage
use to play the Bank in downtown Akron.use to be a bank.had this huge vault in the back.kept PA equip locked in there.remember there was this huge bouncer guy think his name was Gary.like 400 lbs and a black belt.HD always kick butt down there.great times
Coming to this ten years after you posted it but someone did post a (really low quality) rip of the 12″ to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYH7FHWkhOg&t=10m35s … nothing approaches “Laugh” in terms of quality. The third track (“Keeping My Eye On You”) is probably the best of the three, kind of dark and sinister… but no killer gems to be found. Also found this compilation track: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpF8UwUqV3g) which is even more Cars-y than “Automatic Lips” but not bad if you like that style.