Posted on 02/02/2007 8:34:10 AM PST by qam1
2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence of the punk music scene in the mainstream culture. It is strange for many to imagine their parents moshing as they might have 30 years ago during the very beginning of the movement. As the legendary and perhaps the most well-known punk group of the era, The Clash, put it best in their song, “1977”: There were “no Elvis, Beatles, or The Rolling Stones in 1977.” Author Roger Sabin declared 1977 as “year zero” in reference to the rise of punk. In memory of the 30th anniversary of this influential movement, here are ten groups definitely worth checking out (besides the big three of The Ramones, The Clash, and the Sex Pistols) that may pique your interest as much as the best of today’s prototypical pop punk oriented musicians:
- Wire: The release of their debut album, Pink Flag, was seen by many as perhaps one of the best examples of an entire album made up of short, hard hitting songs at or barely over a minute long. Wire re-released their first three albums this past year, while the band has been widely covered or paid homage to by their many followers. Although the group never achieved massive sales success and is often overlooked in favor of the aforementioned big three, the influence of Wire is certainly still prominent today.
- Blondie: Contrary to the belief of many, Blondie was not just another 80’s pop group led by a talentless yet outgoing front woman. The immediately recognizable Debbie Harry was quite the opposite; she and her group helped bring punk to the forefront of the American music scene in New York City during the late 70s. For better or for worse, Blondie fused punk with pop, reggae, and even hip hop with more success than almost any of their punk rock contemporaries.
- The Jam: Unlike many of the other punk bands that arose in 1977, the Jam were heavily influenced by classic rock and roll groups, particularly the Who, the Beatles, and even some early Motown staples. The Jam were unafraid to sing about the working class and their everyday lives, which helped make them a major precursor to the Britpop movement and other prominent punk bands like Green Day.
- Minor Threat: Similarly to Wire, Minor Threat produced short, incredibly rapid, loud music. They are often noted as the definitive hardcore punk band along with their contemporaries in Washington D.C., Black Flag and Bad Brains. Perhaps most interestingly, Minor Threat were leaders of the straight edge movement and took a stance against both alcohol and drugs in their songs. Also, lead singer Ian MacKaye went on to form the band Fugazi following the group’s break up.
- The Minutemen: Named after the colonial militia during the Revolutionary era, the Minutemen released what is considered by critics to be one of the best rock albums of the last thirty years, Double Nickels on the Dime. Featuring an epic 45 songs, the album mixes jazz, funk, and classic rock with punk to create an intelligent, full work.
- Generation X: Prior to Billy Idol’s appearance in The Wedding Singer and his up and down solo career, he actually fronted this often overlooked punk band. Both theatrical and brash, Generation X attempted to break many of the standards of the punk genre, whether it be covering a John Lennon track or releasing more experimental works in the latter stages of their career.
- The Misfits: The Misfits, who were named after a Marilyn Monroe film, based a lot of their lyrics on retro science fiction and horror, while they possessed a sound reminiscent of heavy metal. Possessing a signature hair style known as the “devilock” and known for their chaotic live shows, the Misfits are recognized as the best example of “horror punk” and have achieved a major cult following.
- Television: Another band based out of New York City in the 70s, Television used dueling guitars to create a more sophisticated sound than the typical punk band. They are also credited as playing a major role in a subsection of the genre now thought of as “art punk.” The group’s music was characterized by an unpredictable sound inspired by the Velvet Underground.
- The Slits: Known for having a snotty, avante-garde filled punk sound, The Slits followed other groups of their time by combining punk with reggae. This female punk band was more raw than Blondie and certainly had an impact on its successors like Sonic Youth, Le Tigre, No Doubt and Hole.
- Suicide: Unlike the other bands listed, Suicide used electronics as part of their act. The band’s 1977 self- titled debut was an early appearance for industrial music, the synthesizer and techno. Though only around for a brief period, the group has attracted many fans, among them being Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M.
He's really aged badly, hasn't he?
And he was so pretty 20 years ago. I was a HUGE fan of his for years, but now that he's been drifting farther and farther into abyss, especially with the extreme slide into middle eastern music, I just can't truck with the new sound he's putting out.
From androgynous art f@g in eyeliner to wannabe sufi and a so-called, "good Muslim" in twenty short years. Kinda sad.
which buzzcocks song? Was it orgasm addict?
Today, I was showing a buddy of mine at work all the albums I have on my ipod. (589) He saw I had the Circle Jerks album "Group Sex" and asked me 'what the hell is this?" How do you explain the circle jerks to someone?
The Dead Boys, the Damned, the Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Black Flag, and my hometown heros, the Replacements and Husker Du, are also all conspicuously absent. Given some of the bands considered punk by the list, I think Devo should be included as well. It also fails to mention the earlier bands - Stooges, MC5, Modern Lovers, etc.
Oh, I can't believe I forgot the Buzzcocks! Has anyone else seen that AARP commercial playing "Everybody's Happy Nowadays"? Nothing else has ever made me feel so old.
modern lovers - my hometown heroes.
my friend's friend Jonathan Richman to his Thanks giving last year. According to my friend who spend several hours with him, Jonathan Richman has no idea how has affected music. He was very shy guy, who didn't really want to talk about music and when he did, he minimized his contribution. It must have been weird having him at the dinner table. I bet he ate with gusto damn you bet!
And how do I explain the Revolting Cocks to someone? Especially at my age (45)!!
Yes, relatively speaking, Peter Murphy just looks old. The guys in other bands, like the Buzzcocks, just look a chubbier than they they used to.
I love Bauhaus, and I have four CDs by Peter Murphy without Bauhaus, but they're all old. I didn't even know he/they were doing anything new. I'll listen to it on Amazon or something. And I didn't know he had anything to do with being Muslim.
I can't imagine the existence of punk as we know it without 'Roadrunner' and 'Modern World'. The Modern Lovers were the antithesis of everything that had become bad about rock and roll in the mid 70's. In the midst of the overbloated egos, odd song structures, and heavy drugs use, came these straight, slightly nerdy, suburban Boston kids who played real rock and roll. The Ramones are credited with stripping rock and roll back the basics, but the Modern Lovers did it first.
LOL, for some reason I've had the line "I think I've got/Gyno-ca-ca-ca-cas" from "Why does it hurt when I pee?" stuck in my head today!!!
Are you talking about the AARP ad? It was "Everybody's Happy Nowadays".
And I guess we can add "Butthole Surfers" to our list of unexplainables! :D
I'm just south of Little Five Points, two miles down the road actually. But we won't be here for long as I'm stayin' home for the young 'un and our taxes are bound to go way up once we finish fixing the house up. Ahhh, Fulton County...
Man, I grew up in Mass and I can't believe anyone ever took that shrimp Du-ka-ka seriously! Or Kerry for that matter....the mind reels...
"Should I cry like a baby or die like a man while all the planet's little wars start joining hands" from the song Sweet Bird of Truth, love that line! You have to give Matt Johnson some credit for prescience I suppose, that song being written in the 80's and all. It pretty much sums up the world's attitude towards jihad these days.
Where is Social Distortion?
There's a group!
I saw the Buzzcocks back in 97? I think. I've seen Bauhaus twice now too, once in 99 and then last year. Peter had facial hair! What's up with *that*? It's funny that you say "decrepit", that's kind of appropriate for Bauhaus isn't it? Heh. They are, actually, my all-time sentimental favorites. Partly for the Bauhaus music and partly because most everything they split into was great as well.
It's funny, Peter was recently on the cover of some artsy-fartsy fashion mag called Metro Pop, and he was reeeeaaally made-up. He looked like a tranny! His music got so shlocky-sounding from Holy Smoke on, didn't it?
Hopefully my little one will prefer my music to that of her daddy's...Korn anyone? Daddy likes the "neu metal", and the old too. Yes, we will be hearing "Sweet Child O' Mine" sung at bedtime, LOL!
SoCal Punk Rules. Yeah, pretty much. Punk did pretty much die in most of the world around 1979/80, but what did survive in SoCal is what has infulenced so much that has been going on for the past 10-15 years.....
And Mike Ness is still rockin', I saw them live last summer at Red Rocks in Denver, what a great show.....
His wife is a ballet dancer from Turkey. They spend most of their time there, and it's rubbed off, unfortunately. Turkish pop culture is a tad on the cheesy side, not surprisingly (I spent a summer there as an exchange student when I was in HS, just before Deep came out).
I really like Atlanta, but the driving is hell. Check out that Whole Foods in Buckhead sometime -- it's like the Super Wal Mart of "holistic" grocery stores, and has a cheese section the size of my living room.
Back when I lived in Boston, I saw this ugly little troll walking ahead of me on Washington Street in Downtown Crossing. Some college kid walked up to it/him, shook his hand and said, "Mr. Dukakis, it's an honor."
He's as tall, or short, as I am (and Robert Reich) -- had to be a five footer. Weird little big headed man.
Yeah, Murph lives in Turkey, and admitted in an interview some years back that he had rejected Catholocism for Islam, because it just "made more sense". He was quick to distance himself from the "violent" fanatics, though.
Still, I'm not a fan of middle eastern music, so I don't really care for the touches he adds to his new solo stuff. His first three albums were amazing, but he started to flounder when he put Holy Smoke out.
I think I've seen him ten times since '88. His last gig, at the HOB in Orlando was just weird, with his bleach blond van dyk beard and beaded slippers.
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