Music for Pleasure was produced by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. The Damned originally sought out former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett, but were unsuccessful due to his reclusive lifestyle. In a brief interview for the documentary The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead, Mason reported the band were accustomed to a much faster recording schedule than he was familiar with from Pink Floyd. The Damned hoped to record several songs on their first day in studio, when Pink Floyd would still be fine-tuning the microphone set-up and tuning the drums. The album featured new member Lu Edmunds on guitar alongside original guitarist Brian James, as well as guest saxophonistLol Coxhill. The album was the last album-length studio release to feature James, who would rejoin the band in the late '80s and early '90s for a live album and studio single. It was also the group's final album release on Stiff. On this album, the band moved into more complex song structures, while maintaining the punk sound of their debut album. The sleeve was designed by Barney Bubbles.
Release
Released on 18 November 1977, Music for Pleasure failed to make the UK Top 100 album chart.
Critical reception
At the time of its release, the album was dismissed by critics as a poor misstep. In a contemporary review, Sounds compared the album to the second albums by the Jam and the Stranglers, where the formula was to "repeat the first album with a few minor modifications, more considered production but almost inevitably with less freshness of impact." Sounds also noted that "mostly they have really extended on the four-piece Wall of Sound style of their first album. And it's not just that they've added a sax player on one track and a second guitarist in the form of the monosyllabic Lu". Sounds responded to negative reception of the album, noting that "they've already been written off by many who should know better but like Mr. Vanian shouts on 'Don't Cry Wolf': 'Don't cry wolf, don't be a fool'". AllMusic's brief retrospective review said simply, "Music for Pleasure is not quite as bad as the Nick Mason production would indicate – though close." Trouser Press opined: "With added guitarist Lu Edmonds and no audible stylistic plan, the attack sounds blunted, and there aren't as many great songs as on the first LP. Music for Pleasure doesn't live up to the title.".
