Here's the link:
Right here
I always thought the best "punk" rock bands were the ones that came long before there was even a name for the movement. Stones, Kinks, Doors, Who, Stooges, MC5, Flamin' Groovies, etc. The Sex Pistols' one album was a good listen, but the whole thing went downhill quickly after them, with a few exceptions from the likes of Joy Division and The Clash.
There are people who will say that Greg Lake is just a fat 66-year-old man who's bitter because he never got much acclaim. But hey, fat 66-year-olds are entitled to their opinions, too. And ELP, whatever their shortcomings and excesses, were a much better band than most of what I was forced to endure during the '80s and '90s. -- mj
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Here are five of my favorite punk bands. Most of these bands had members who were accomplished musicians. (For example, The Stranglers' Jet Black, who is still drumming at age 75, was playing jazz as far back as the 1950s).
1. The Ruts. They only released one album ("The Crack," 1979) before their frontman died of a drug overdose. But that one album is an incredible blast of fury. Like The Clash, the Ruts were one of the few white bands capable of playing reggae rhythms without sounding foolish.
2. The Pop Group. A collision between free jazz, avant-garde noise and dub, their 1979 debut album, "Y" is a unique blast of fury that still sounds fresh today.
3. The Stranglers. Their first seven or so albums range from angry punk to truly bizarre "out-there" music that really doesn't sound like anyone else and is often sinister and deeply unsettling.
3. Husker Du. Minnesota band that can lay a claim to being perhaps the best U.S. punk band (certainly the best hard-core band). Capable of both ferocious punk as well as lovely melodies.
4. Essential Logic. Much of the best punk-era music was made by women. This unfairly ignored 1970s (mostly) female band doesn't sound like anyone else. Most chart music sounds cowardly, by comparison.
5. Crass. An idealistic punk band, they released records on their own independent label. The band members lived in a commune and organized political actions, supporting causes ranging from animal rights to environmentalism to labor rights. They were fiercely anti-commercial. Only one of a small handful of punk bands that ever truly "walked the walk." If punk is about rebelling against the system, then Crass were probably the best punk band.
Post a Comment