What the f*** was PUNK?

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='JellyKnees' timestamp='1370702761' post='2104638']
It was a kick up the arse for a turgid rock music scene - all those dire metal, prog and aor 70s bands that were still around peddling all that tired overblown rubbish. It was an exercise in back to basics simplicity. A lot of it was crap but it served a necessary purpose. Most of the music I enjoyed as a teenager in the late 70s/early 80s wasn't actually punk, but it probably wouldn't have happened without it.
[/quote]
I agree with you 100%. At the advent of punk i was getting cheesed off with seeing groups and having to endure 12 minute synthesizer drenched dirges. I remember seeing groups like the 101ers with Joe Strummer just before punk took off and felt that they had broken the shackles and i wouldn't have to endure the likes of Yes at Kingston Polytechnic and Jon Anderson telling everyone to 'sit down, man'. I felt like shouting 'you can stuff your sodding karma mate. We wanna hear some music'. Thanks goodness for punk.

[BetaFunk]

http://youtu.be/JNU0c2v5ZiU

So why did punk happen?

[BassTractor]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1370708632' post='2104727']
So why did punk happen?
[/quote]

Not related to prog at all.
Someone just felt the need to sing "She Hates You, Yeah, Yeah, Yea".

best,
bert

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1370711312' post='2104767']
Not related to prog at all.
Someone just felt the need to sing "She Hates You, Yeah, Yeah, Yea".

best,
bert
[/quote]

Cosmic man.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1370694152' post='2104469']
Read [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Englands-Dreaming-Jon-Savage/dp/0571227201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370694110&sr=8-1&keywords=england%27s+dreaming"]this[/url]. Nuff said
[/quote]

Yes, indeed. One of those 'If you're only going to read one book about... etc.' books

And when everyone is done reading [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Englands-Dreaming-Jon-Savage/dp/0571227201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370694110&sr=8-1&keywords=england%27s+dreaming"]that[/url], they might read [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Please-Kill-Me-Uncensored-History/dp/0349108803/ref=pd_sim_b_7"]this[/url].

[flyfisher]

[quote name='JellyKnees' timestamp='1370702761' post='2104638']
It was a kick up the arse for a turgid rock music scene - all those dire metal, prog and aor 70s bands that were still around peddling all that tired overblown rubbish. It was an exercise in back to basics simplicity. A lot of it was crap but it served a necessary purpose.
[/quote]

Well yes, but don't forget that all that 'turgid rock' hadn't been around for very long itself and was just another short-term manifestation of the general desire for something different - whatever that means. Punk may have a been a refreshing change when it first appeared (same as prog rock) but it soon became commonplace (same as prog rock) and finally became tedious and boring (same as prog rock). Both were of their own times and those times inevitably changed.

Although there the analogy ends because prog rockers were musically talented and could actually play their instruments.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1370714145' post='2104806']
Although there the analogy ends because prog rockers were musically talented and could actually play their instruments.
[/quote]
That's exactly what i tell me friends when i put them in a locked room and play them my Richard Clayderman cd collection non-stop for 24 hours.

Edited June 8, 2013 by BetaFunk

[lurksalot]

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1370692028' post='2104438']
I reckon that John Hall is pretty punk..

And he don't care!
[/quote]

Ah but he does , it just that his grasp on the real world is pretty vacunt

[BigRedX]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1370714145' post='2104806']
Although there the analogy ends because prog rockers were musically talented and could actually play their instruments.
[/quote]

But it doesn't matter how "musically talented" or how well you can actually play your instrument if you're not actually going to do anything worthwhile or interesting with it.

Subjective I know, but I think too many musicians loose sight of the fact that it's the music that you play that is more important than your actual technical ability.

[BetaFunk]

I've just been sorting through my collection of Garage (the 60s type) band and Surf Group 45s and have found that some are not note perfect. Can you believe that? What a disgrace. I have decide to burn these 45 as some of these guys obviously can't play their instruments. (adopts 1950s BBC announcers accent) Let's rid the world of this type of thing.

[Lobster fingers]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1370680832' post='2104246']
Here in the UK punk was a wake-up call for pop and rock music that had become increasingly complacent, self-indulgent and dull. For me it wasn't so much the initial music which was fast furious and fun, but the DIY spirit that came immediately in it's wake and has ultimately led to the diverse range of music available to hear today.
[/quote]

[Lobster fingers]

I agree punk saved rock and led to the movement away from self indulgent music to more immediate rock. Maybe punk and what was influenced by punk wasn't the technical music beloved of musicians but it was something raw and must important of all fun

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1370714145' post='2104806']
Although there the analogy ends because prog rockers were musically talented and could actually play their instruments.
[/quote]

...and yet it was the punks who have the lasting musical legacy.

Whatever punk was, it was completely and utterly necessary.

[Roger2611]

Punk has massively influenced my life and I owe the movement a great debt of gratitude but musically I don't think it was anymore than just a period in time. I don't think it is possible to pinpoint a start or end point for punk as so much contributed to the punk sound, the Beatles contributed to the Buzzcocks pop punk ethos, the Who influenced a lot of the punk bands and sported the punk "smash it up" attitude long before punk came along, Bowie was another big influence to many of the early punk musicians.

Post punk....well we're still post punk now and you can still hear the influence of many punk songs in bands like the Vaccines.

If punk was anything to me it was bringing political awareness to a youth culture that was totally detached beforehand, to me musically we find ourselves back in the pre-punk dark ages again nowdays with the possible exception of some of the rap acts that still deliver politically cutting messages in their music

[sprocketflup]

"Punk is whatever we made it to be" D. Boon

p.s. was just gonna put "apologies if this has been posted but I haven't read the thread" but then I realised that's totally not in context of the quote, so instead I say "balls to ya!"

Edited June 8, 2013 by sprocketflup

[molan]

At it's best punk was raw excitement and Great fun to be involved in. I moved to London at pretty much the height of punk's popularity (into Billy Idol's room when he moved into the flat next door) and, at times, London was buzzing with great gigs, clothes and attitude.

Some of the music was inspiring and some of it was dross but, at the heart, it was mostly just great fun. Dying your hair crazy colours (or should that be Krazy Kolors?), wearing lots of leather & plastic, studs, lime green mohair, chains, black nail varnish (oh how I loved my black nails), mascara, cheap blues easily available and just generally hanging out with your mates at gigs.

This last point was really important for me. Live music was really what it was all about for a lot of people and we went to gigs 3-4 nights a week, every week and always finding new stuff.

Reggae really kicked in at the same time so visiting some sound system nights was pretty much obligatory. I spent a fortune on import 12" singles. £4.50 a throw in the late 70's and I was only earning £2,500 a year in my first proper job.

I'm sure there were some great other times, from a musical perspective, to be living in London but this was certainly one of the best in my lifetime

[Ben Jamin]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1370701510' post='2104615']

I think that's it really - they're all too materialistic & money grabbing to give a f*** about anything else.
(Obviously that's a generalisation, but certainly the only thing the majority of them seem to do in Cardiff is shop & hang out in expensive coffee emporiums where they text each other instead of actually talking).
[/quote]

As a 19 year old, I think that's pretty much hitting the nail on the head. Most nowadays can get into uni, borrow a few grand on a student loan, have all the toys, go out every other night - general materialism, shallowness and apathy really. Some people communicate so much through texting and social media it's like they've forgotten how to hold an actual conversation.
Could do with a bit of a punk renaissance really!

[ubassman]

As an teenager I remember that music leading into 1977 was just dead. Pop was just shockingly bad, rock at the time was getting more than a bit stale with guitar solo after guitar solo over familiar chord changes , and music had in the main just drifted into just a soul less money spinning exercise. There was high youth unemployment and a lot of brewing anger - the 'no future' generation.

Punk was 'of its time' and a reaction to everything 'given' . It was meant to make older generation and 'the establishment' feel uncomfortable and reclaim music and culture for the youth of the day - it was all about attitude and that energy comes over in the music. Punk was a necessary cleansing of the system.

Anyone remember the Bill Grundy interview that went out a 6.00 on live TV with the Pistols ? What a contrast to the politeness and happy nicey nicey world of pop music ....!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECcZ2juBDIw[/media]

Edited June 9, 2013 by ubassman

[ubassman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p25SdQEnhHI

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1370759402' post='2105122']
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p25SdQEnhHI[/media]
[/quote]
I watched that live and still can't believe that such an experienced presenter like Bill Grundy played into their hands. I realise what he was trying to do but it backfired completely and his career never recovered. Nowadays it would have MADE his career and a TV company would have given him his own talk show so not only the music was different back then.

[MacDaddy]

People have mentioned the DIY ethos, but the Pistols always signed to a major label and wore expensive clothes from Westwood and McLaren's shop.

What was unprecedented (and still is) is that an un-signed band did a tour, created a 'scene' and and at each gig influenced people to go out and start their own bands, many of which had their own success.

[Green Alsatian]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NQphQZXhFM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NQphQZXhFM[/url]

[BigRedX]

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1370776195' post='2105303']
People have mentioned the DIY ethos, but the Pistols always signed to a major label and wore expensive clothes from Westwood and McLaren's shop.
[/quote]

The Pistols signed to a major label and walked away with the advance and no obligations (twice). I'm sure the "expensive" clothes were provided at a discount if not free. I'm also pretty sure that most of us here wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of those kinds of opportunities - not that they are ever likely to come any musician's way in the near future.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1370728088' post='2105007']
...and yet it was the punks who have the lasting musical legacy.
[/quote]

. . . .and the butter adverts.

[Bikenbass]

Mostly cacophonous sh.t