Buzzcocks
They were probably best-known for "Orgasm Addict" but this was a mere novelty. Pete Shelley, Howard Devoto & co, emerging out of Manchester around 1978, rocked harder and better than that.
As in smash it up or money
The Clash
For some reason I whiffed on the Clash the first time around: I thought they sucked. Maybe I was comparing them for ferociousness with the Pistols, and for
skank with their Jamaican models. I didn't get them for them, and they were so good and so important: they brought
actual politics into play: decent politics. They were wildly eclectic too: plenty of reggae, later semi-ironic flirtations with disco. I think
of all these bands they were the realest and the most prolific and the most enduring. obviously "London Calling" (title cut) is one of the
few fundamental texts of punk, but they were great for years. I can also recommend Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros: low-key, though they rock. Alt.celtic and alt.country and alt.punk. guns of brixton
The Damned
Featuring the bassist with the all-time greatest name in punk history (well, maybe after Lee Ving), Captain Sensible, The Damned were early
on the scene in '76, and an early version was fronted by Chrissie Hynde. But Dave Vanian was the main singer, and, uh, Rat Scabies was the drummer.
They were a bit more musicianly than most of these, and definitely worked harder on song construction. They were also the longest-lived
of the early Britpunk bands with the exception of SLF; in fact they still might show up. In 1981 I saw them in DC, but they were completely swamped
by the fact that Minor Threat opened, and that most of the kids were there to see Minor Threat. The Threat show was incredible: insane manic energy,
stage diving, people rushing the stage and knocking over the players as they kept right on. The Damned seemed tame and half-hearted by comparison. I saw them again in '83 or '84 in London and was more
impressed. Howbver, I remain unconvinced by their kind of goth psychedelia or whatever it is. ignite
Sex Pistols
One of the most paradoxical and central acts in rock history. If you just put on "Anarchy in the UK" you'd say that it was primal, and most
people probably first heard punk in relation to various "isn't this sick" reports of the Pistols in the media, often featuring sub-titles and
pictures of Johnny Rotten spitting on his audience. They were portrayed as animals, and sold a bunch of records doing it. But they were also assembled
and equipped in almost Monkees fashion by the clothing-storee owner fashion consultant Malcolm McLaren, who had the idea of punk fashion, more or less
deriving from the Ramones but famously including saftey pins etc. I think that the ferocity and nihilism were fundamentally real, however, and
Rotten will forever be the paradigmatic punk vocalist snarling out his nohilist sentiment. But there is also considerably self-consciousness
in the approach. The songs are surprisingly strong and the material holds up surprisingly well. Just like the Ramones, if you listen to them
now you're struck by the mildness of it all, which is really bizarre. But then came Black Flag or whatever. bodies (i'm an abortion).
Just before the murder/suicide in NYC: Sid Vicious and the Heartbreakers (more or less): my way
Stiff Little Fingers
These boys from Belfast saw the Clash in 1977, and soon were a central UK punk act. Very smart and political and raw with good playing, they
were probably best known for their song "Alternative Ulster." Who could quibble with the idea that we need an alternative Ulster? Apparently they're now
making new records and touring. bloody sunday
Wire
Colin Newman (vocals/guitar), bassist Graham Lewis (bass), Bruce Gilbert (guitar) and Robert Gotobed (drums). Formed in 1976 in London,
Wire was probably the most arty and intelligent of the early British punk acts: an analogy would be Talking Heads, though of course they sound
very different. They made a remarkable series of records starting with Pink Flag, and jammed more ideas into a 90-second song or into a suite of
them than you would have thought possible. They were influential, but insanely neglected ever since. Some version of Wire has recorded intermittently
until now: the records are filled with smart, challenging moments. They are aptly named: stretched thin and tight. pink flag. fragile.
X-Ray Spex
This insanely smart, cool band should be feminist icons of the first water. No woman had ever come
with the attitude of Poly Styrene: fierce and funny and damn good. Lora Logic was one of the few horn players
in punk, and a damn good or at least smart saxophonist. They released only one album in their heyday:
"Germ Free Adolescents." They had a clutch of great songs, but their best known is also their best:
the highly ambiguous and unbelievably ferocious oh bondage, up yours
