The Damned – ‘The Light at the End of the Tunnel’ cassette

Whether or not they were guilty of a music business sell-out, by the mid 1980s The Damned were the sole surviving remnant from 1976’s original UK punk rock scene.

Immensely important historically, but until this point scantly recognised commercially, the band must surely have felt it was time they got a break. Equally, however, they must have known that any commercial success they did get could damage their cred with longtime fans – such was the inverted snobbery of punk…

Siouxsie and the Banshees – Once Upon a Time (1981)

The classic red paper label of Polydor Records, complete with Made in England denotation printed below the brand logo, adorns 1981’s Once Upon a Time – The Singles, by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the back of the case is not black – it’s very dark brown, and marked with the PolyGram branding. The album title is self-explanatory. This is a compilation of the band’s singles, released between 1978 and 1981. For the record, the tracks are set in chronological order.