Proto-punk
Proto-punk | |
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Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement.[3][4] A retrospective label, the musicians involved were generally not originally associated with each other and came from a variety of backgrounds and styles; together, they anticipated many of punk's musical and thematic attributes.[4] The tendency towards aggressive, simplistic rock songs is a trend critics such as Lester Bangs have traced to as far back as Ritchie Valens' 1958 version of the Mexican folk song "La Bamba", which set in motion a wave of influential garage rock bands including the Kingsmen, the Kinks, the 13th Floor Elevators and the Sonics. By the late 1960s, Detroit bands the Stooges and MC5 had used the influence of these groups to form a distinct prototypical punk sound. In the following years, this sound spread both domestically and internationally, leading to the formation of the New York Dolls (New York City), Electric Eels (Cleveland), Dr. Feelgood (England) and the Saints (Australia).
Definition
The AllMusic guide defined it as "never a cohesive movement" but as "a certain provocative sensibility that didn't fit the prevailing counterculture of the time", most of the time combined with a sound which was "primitive and stripped-down, even when it wasn't aggressive, and its production was usually just as unpolished".[4] In contrast, in the book Screaming for Change (2010), it is defined as a specific sound which included simplistic instrumental work and amateurish compositions. The book cites this style as being pioneered in Detroit by the Stooges and MC5, who were influenced by the Velvet Underground and the earlier garage rock genre, with the sound then spreading to the United Kingdom, New York and Cleveland, Ohio.[5]
History
Influences
One of the earliest influences on both punk rock music and the punk subculture as a whole is folk musician Woody Guthrie, often described as one of the first punks, who sung songs about anti-facism and the conditions faced by working-class people.[6]
1960s
In his Book Protopunk: the Garage Bands, music journalist
One of the earliest written uses of the term "punk rock" was by critic
Musically distinct from most other punk predecessors, New York's
1970s
In Japan, the anti-establishment Zunō Keisatsu (頭脳警察, lit. 'Brain Police'), formed in 1969 and disbanded in 1975, mixed garage, psychedelic rock and folk; the band's first two albums were withdrawn from public sale after their lyrics were described in Mark Anderson's book The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture to violate industry regulations, with their "spirit... [being] taken up again by the punk movement."[33]
In the early 1970s, the
Bands anticipating the forthcoming movement were appearing as far afield as Düsseldorf, West Germany, where "punk before punk" band NEU! formed in 1971, building on the krautrock tradition of groups such as Can.[38] Simply Saucer formed in Hamilton, Canada in 1973[39] and have been called "Canada's first proto-punk band",[40] blending garage rock, krautrock, psychedelia and other influences to produce a sound that was later described as having a "frequent punk snarl."[41]
Origins
Debut albums by two key US proto-punk bands were released in 1969, both from
The immediate predecessor to British punk was the early to mid–1970s
A new generation of Australian garage rock bands, inspired mainly by the Stooges and MC5, came even closer to the sound that would soon be called "punk": in Brisbane, the Saints (formed in 1973) recalled the raw live sound of the British Pretty Things, who had made a notorious tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1965,[52] while in Sydney, Radio Birdman, co-founded by Detroit expatriate Deniz Tek in 1974, began playing gigs to a small but fanatical following.[53] The Saints are regarded as a punk band and as being "to Australia what the Sex Pistols were to Britain and the Ramones to America,"[54][55] while Radio Birdman are regarded as co-founders of punk[56] but have also been designated as proto-punk.[57]
See also
References
- ISBN 0415971977.
Furthermore, the indigenous popular music which functioned this way-and which represented in the same instance a form of localized resistance to the mainstreaming, standardizing drive noted earlier — was the proto-punk more commonly identified as garage rock.
- ^ Pell, Nicholas (January 26, 2012). "Deathmatch: Which Is Better, Pub Rock or Garage Rock?". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ISBN 0-679-73728-6.
- ^ a b c d "Proto-Punk". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Kristiansen, Lars J.; Blaney, Joseph R.; Simonds, Brent K.; Chidester, Philip J. (2010). Screaming for Change: Articulating a Unifying Philosophy of Punk Rock. Lexington Books. p. 11.
Although Velvet Underground served as an important influence, proto-punk is largely a term used to describe bands that followed in the wake of the first wave of garage rock. More specifically, it is a label normally reserved for bands such as MC5 and the Stooges that sprung out of Detroit, Michigan, and its surrounding areas. These bands, and most certainly the Stooges, broke down the widely shared illusion that musicians had to be talented. The Stooges' amateurish compositions and inability to correctly play their instruments rendered it fairly irrelevant whether it was the band or the audience who figured up on stage...
Although largely an American phenomenon, proto-punk can also be found in Britain. In Britain, however, it went under different names, and it is commonly referred to as either glam rock or pub rock. Notable pub rock bands would include Eddie and the Hot Rods, the Stranglers, Dr. Feelgood, the 101er's (Joe Strummer's first band), as well as Kilburn and the High Roads... In addition to the Michigan bands MC5, the Prime Movers, and the Stooges, other pre/proto-punk bands from the American Midwest have also earned their place in the chronicles of history. The vibrant pre-punk scene in Cleveland, Ohio, produced such bands as Pere Ubu and the Electric Eels, which have been highly influential to other bands of the era. On the east coast, and more specifically in New York, bands like Television, the New York Dolls, and the Ramones wreaked musical havoc in their respective neighborhoods. - ^ Bear, John (November 1, 2022). "Dropkick Murphys on "Proto-Punk" Woody Guthrie, Who Wrote "Shipping Up to Boston"". westword.com.
When Woody Guthrie emblazoned "This Machine Kills Fascists" across the top of his guitar in the '40s and belted out tunes such as "All You Fascists Bound to Lose," he became the first punk rocker.
- ISBN 0-679-73728-6.
Punk rock all goes back to Ritchie Valens's "La Bamba."Just consider Valens's three-chord mariachi squawk up in the light of "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen, then consider "Louie Louie" in the light of "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, then "You Really Got Me" in the light of "No Fun" by the Stooges, then "No Fun" in the light of "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones, and finally note that "Blitzkrieg Bop" sounds a lot like "La Bamba."
- ^ Panek, Aneta. Alchemy of Punk: Transmutation, Subversion, and Poetry in Punk Avant-Gardes. Logos Verlag Berlin. pp. 54–55.
In the early 1960s, numerous garage bands sprung up in the United States and United Kingdom. They mostly played garage rock and beat music-raw, loud, technically awkward, energetic rock. From England came The Kingsmen with their 1963 version of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie," which has been dubbed punk rock's "ur-text." The Kinks followed in 1964 with hit singles "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night," both inspired by "Louie, Louie." In 1965, The Who released "My Generation," which, according to John Reed, foreshadowed the kind of "cerebral mix of musical ferocity and rebellious posture" that would be representative of the later punk rock of the 1970s.
- ^ Starkey, Arun. "Were The Kinks the first-ever punk band?". Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ Spice, Anton (August 31, 2016). "Proto-punk: 10 records that paved the way for '76". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ Draper, Jason (December 17, 2015). "Live Wires: The Stones Captured In '66". uDiscover. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Watts, Jonathan; Collyns, Dan (September 14, 2012). "Where did punk begin? A cinema in Peru". Theguardian.com.
- ^ Taylor 2003, p. 16.
- ^ Woods, Scott. "A Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy Interview with Dave Marsh". RockCritics.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Hann, Michael (July 30, 2014). "10 of the best: garage punk". The Guardian.
- ^ "Mayo Thompson Pays Off Corky's Debt". Texas Monthly. January 13, 2020.
- ^ Mark Deming. "The Sonics | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ Richie Unterberger. "The Monks | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ "The 5: Proto-Punk Bands of the 60's and 70's – The Interrobang". July 24, 2013.
- ^ a b "10 Essential Proto-punk tracks". Treblezine.com. November 5, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ Sabin 2002, p. 159.
- ^ Canty, Ian (December 19, 2021). "The Electric Prunes: Then Came The Dawn - album review".
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-904772-47-7.
- ^ "Mayo Thompson Pays off Corky's Debt". January 13, 2020.
- ^ "The Chocolate Watch Band - Ace Records". acerecords.co.uk. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ "The Chocolate Watchband 'This Is My Voice' -". November 28, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-520-94388-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-5125-8.
- ^ "Detroit Punk Archive". Detroit Punk Archive. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ Hustle, Jac (2023). Punk: Loud Guitars, Louder Statements.
In the heart of New York City's burgeoning artistic scene, The Velvet Underground, led by Lou Reed and John Cale, were crafting a unique sound that defied categorization. While not as explicitly aggressive as some of their proto-punk counterparts, their experimental approach to music and lyrics made them trailblazers of punk's avant-garde edge. Their 1967 debut album, "The Velvet Underground & Nico," remains a landmark in rock history.
The Velvet Underground's music was marked by its dissonance, experimentation, and unfiltered portrayal of taboo subjects such as drug addiction, sadomasochism, and urban decay. Songs like "Heroin" and "Venus in Furs" explored the darker corners of human existence, challenging societal norms and pushing artistic boundaries. Their connection to the counterculture and the burgeoning punk scene of New York City positioned them as artistic provocateurs whose influence would be felt far beyond their contemporaries. - ^ Kot, Greg. "The Velvet Underground: As influential as The Beatles?". BBC. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Mark. "Zuno keisatsu" in Buckley, Sandra (ed.)The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture. Taylor & Francis, 2009, p588
- Louder Than War. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-789-14065-1.
- ^ Laing 1985, pp. 24–26.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (May 19, 2017). "Doctors of Madness: The punk band before punk, that predicted Trump before Trump". the Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ Neate, Wilson. "NEU!". Trouser Press. Retrieved January 11, 2007.
- ^ "All about Simply Saucer: 00: Timeline". Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
- ^ "Sonic Unyon Records :: Simply". Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Cyborgs Revisited Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
- ^ "The Stooges – Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-253-05690-0.
- ^ a b Sfetcu, Nicolae (May 7, 2014). The Music Sound.
The first and most potent example of glam punk, is the New York Dolls, they are often considered one of the creators of punk rock music in general. Though after the punk explosion in London during the 1970s happened the Dolls were considered "glam" in comparison. Which would lead to them been described as "Glam-Punk"...
Other more obscure groups from around this time such as Hollywood Brats, the Jook, Milk 'N' Cookies, Jet, and others can be heard on the compilation "Glitterbest: 20 Pre Punk 'n' Glam Terrace Stompers". - ^ Stegall, Tim. "11 bands influenced by New York Dolls, from Social Distortion to Guns N' Roses". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ISBN 0711996032.
The rise of The New York Dolls spawned dozens of local bands. Elda Gentile got The Stilettos together with former Max's waitress, Debbie Harry, and Rick Rivets started gigging with The Brats, while a rash of Dolls copyists like Teenage Lust and The Harlots of 42nd Street threw themselves on the bandwagon and fell belly-up. Aside from Aerosmith, the most significant group of that time to be influenced by The New York Dolls was Kiss. Sure, Kiss wore make-up but by painting their faces like comic book characters or goofy animals, they defused any sexual threat.
- ^ "Ruby and the Rednecks at the Mercer Arts Center". September 3, 2018.
- Far Out. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Bealmear, Bart. "Pub Rock Helped Pave the Way for British Punk, but What the Hell is "Pub Rock"". Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ Atkinson, Mike (January 21, 2010). "Give pub rock another chance". the Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ Robb 2012, p. 51.
- ^ Unterberger 2000, p. 18.
- ^ Cameron, Keith (July 20, 2007). "Keith Cameron explores the history of the Australian punk scene". the Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "The Most Primitive Band in the World – The Saints – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "(I'm) Stranded – The Saints – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "The Essential Radio Birdman: 1974–1978 – Radio Birdman – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Radio Birdman – Biography & History – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
Bibliography
- Bovey, Seth (2019). Five Years Ahead of My Time: Garage Rock from the 1950s to the Present. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-789-14065-1.
- Robb, John (2012). Punk Rock: An Oral History. PM Press. ISBN 978-1-60486-005-4.
- Sabin, Roger (2002). Punk Rock: So What?: The Cultural Legacy of Punk. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-69905-6.
- Taylor, Steven (2003). False Prophet: Field Notes from the Punk Underground. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6668-3.
- Lola, Edward (July 24, 2019). "Punk Before Punk". edwardlola.medium.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- "The History Of Proto-Punk". giantdrag.org. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- "Timeline of African American Music". carnegiehall.org. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- "Detroit Punk History Archive". detroitpunkarchive.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- "Goth So White? Black Representation in the Post-Punk Scene". post-punk.com. November 30, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
Further reading
- Bessman, Jim (1993). Ramones: An American Band. New York: St. Martin's. ISBN 0-312-09369-1.
- Buckley, Peter, ed. (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. London: Rough Guides. ISBN 1-85828-201-2.
- Heylin, Clinton (1993). From the Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-Punk History for a Post-Punk World. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14017-970-4.
- Marcus, Greil (1989). Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, Massachusetts: ISBN 0-674-53581-2.
- ISBN 0-394-73827-6.
- Taylor, Steve (2004). The A to X of Alternative Music. London and New York: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-8217-1.
- ISBN 1-85828-421-X.
- Unterberger, Richie (2002). "British Punk". In Bogdanov, Vladimmir; Woodstra, Chris; ISBN 0-87930-653-X.