Grimly Fiendish

"Grimly Fiendish" was a single released by The Damned in 1985.

The band had been offered a deal by a major label, MCA, and moved further in the direction of goth music under the influence of guitarist/keyboardist Roman Jugg and vocalist Dave Vanian. Given a substantial promotional budget, including a video directed by Jonathon Gershfield, two separate 12" releases (each featuring a different remix of "Grimly Fiendish") and several limited edition 7" variants, the song was the band's biggest hit since 1979, reaching No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1985.^[1]

MCA also issued the single in Germany, Australia and Italy.

Inspiration

The song took its title (although misspelled for copyright reasons) from a character - Grimly Feendish - The Rottenest Crook in the World ^[2] - in the UK children's Wham!, Pow! and Smash! comics from the 1960s, as well as Cor!, Shiver & Shake, Monster Fun and Buster in the 1970s and 1980s.

Created by Leo Baxendale, Grimly was an over-ambitious and generally incompetent, childlike criminal mastermind, who was often shown wearing a long, black coat, starting initially as the villainous foil to Eagle-Eye, Junior Spy. Although popular enough to merit his own strip, the regular restructuring or shelving of his strip due to the comics he appeared in being merged with others meant that he never achieved longevity in any single publication, though he was a staple in many IPC/Fleetway comic annuals until the 1980s.

The inspiration behind the song was a throwaway remark by a BBC Radio One DJ, who wondered whether anyone still remembered the character. The lyrics depict Grimly on trial for being a bad influence on children, but protesting that he was never given much of a chance (an allegory to his fate in the comic world).

Track listing

1. "Grimly Fiendish" (Jugg, Scabies, Vanian, Merrick, Doctor) - 3:49
2. "Edward the Bear" (Scabies, Vanian, Jugg, Merrick) - 3:37

Bonus track on 12" single, version 1: -

1. "Grimly Fiendish (Spic 'n' Span Mix)" (Jugg, Scabies, Vanian, Merrick, Doctor) - 5:23

Bonus track on 12" single, version 2: -

1. "Grimly Fiendish (The Bad Trip Mix)" (Jugg, Scabies, Vanian, Merrick, Doctor) - 5:09

Production credits

• Producers:
  • Bob Sargeant
  • The Damned

• Musicians:
  • Dave Vanian: Vocals
  • Roman Jugg: Guitar, vocals on "Edward the Bear"
  • Rat Scabies: Drums
  • Bryn Merrick: Bass

References

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics