1 (edited by nadine2 2007-07-29 17:04:33)

Topic: Educate me, please...

O.K. So here's the thing....I'm reading all about the best punk songs thread. What is punk? I've seen the pictures of wierd dudes with their hair standing up like sonic the bloody hedgehog! But where I grew up punk was never played. Or maybe it was and I wasn't allowed to listen to it...I don't know.
The point is this....What is punk? What defines music as punk and who were the bands that played it.? What era was the punk era?

Re: Educate me, please...

Well now, this can cause controversy.

Most would agree that the Ramones were there at the beginning, they formed in New York in 1974.
They played very fast, very short songs without guitar solos and used a lot of distortion.

Most would also say that Iggy Pop & the Stooges, were if not a punk band as such, were a big influence on the bands that followed, see also the New York Dolls, Velvet Underground.

In the UK, the Sex Pistols formed in 1975, different style to the Ramones but very noisy, anti-establishment types.

Many bands followed, chief amongst them , the Damned, the Stranglers, UK Subs, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Stiff Little Fingers (from Northern Ireland), The Undertones (also from Ulster), and many, many more.

The ethic was, very much do it yourself, small independent record labels, minimal marketing, in some cases not too much in way of technical skill, and above all ant-establishment.

Oh and I've just found this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock

cheers

David

Re: Educate me, please...

In england the punk mouvement was tied to the raegae scene. The term Punk was coined by the Sex Pistols when someone called them a bunch of Punks. Lets not forget The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, and in this era, Greenday, Blink 182, The Offspring and many more.

Bonne Journée,
Michel

I may be goin' to hell in a bucket babe

Re: Educate me, please...

Yes the Clash were there at the start.

I hesitate to describe them as purely a punk band though, because of the several different styles they adopted and adapted over their lifespan.

It's a difficult one to call ...

Re: Educate me, please...

as you said its a movement and lifestyle, also the newwave movement was also starting up with bands such as the Boomtown Rats playing the same venues as the punk bands. Wasn't a good mix but it did influence many artisits of the time.

Michel

I may be goin' to hell in a bucket babe