Phantasmagoria – literally, a sequence of haphazardly associative imagery, as seen in dreams or fever – is the sixth album by punk/psychedelic/goth band The Damned, released by MCA Records in July 1985. After much wrangling, the band signed a recording contract with MCA in October 1984 (former member Captain Sensible’s hit solo career helped) and recorded the album at Eel Pie Studios between March and June 1985. It reached No. 11 in the charts, and was the band’s highest charting album ever. “Eloise“, their hit cover of Barry Ryan’s sixties pop song was later added to extended versions of the album.
Phantasmagoria is centred around vocalist David Vanian‘s deep voice, giving much of the album a gothic feeling especially the track “Sanctum Sanctorum”, although there are pop-orientated tracks too. The singles “Grimly Fiendish“, “The Shadow of Love” and “Is It a Dream?“. The striking goth cover images were photographed by Bob Carlos Clarke. The cover model is Susie Bick, who is married to Nick Cave.
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