Punk rock
The Kingsmen released "Louie, Louie" in 1963, a song that later became known as punk rock's defining ur-text. This garage band from Portland, Oregon, played with a raw energy that would echo through the decades to come. By 1965, harder-edged sounds from British acts like the Rolling Stones and the Kinks began influencing American garage bands. The Sonics and the Seeds predicted the style of later punk acts with their aggressive riffs and screaming vocals. In Peru, Los Saicos formed in 1964 and used fast tempos, aggressive riffing, and screamed vocals about prison escapes and funerals. Their work was later credited with pioneering punk rock. The Monks, a group of stationed American G.I.s in Germany, released Black Monk Time in March 1966, which was retroactively described as a precursor to punk rock. The MC5 formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963 and released Kick Out the Jams in February 1969. Guitarist Wayne Kramer's style showcased an edge of atonality and barely controlled chaos. The Stooges premiered with a self-titled album produced by John Cale in August 1969. Fun House and Raw Power helped establish a blueprint for punk rock. Iggy Pop went on to be described as the Godfather of Punk due to his confrontational attitude.
In early 1974, a new scene began to develop around the CBGB club in Lower Manhattan. Television, described by critic John Walker as "the ultimate garage band with pretensions," became central to this movement. Richard Hell created a look with cropped, ragged hair, ripped T-shirts, and black leather jackets that became the basis for punk rock visual style. On the 5th of June 1974, Patti Smith recorded the single "Hey Joe"/"Piss Factory," featuring Television guitarist Tom Verlaine. This record has often been cited as the first punk rock record. By August, Smith and Television were gigging together at Max's Kansas City. In Forest Hills, Queens, the Ramones condensed rock 'n' roll to its primal level: 1, 2, 3, 4! bass-player Dee Dee Ramone shouted at the start of every song. The band played its first show at CBGB in August 1974. By the end of the year, the Ramones had performed seventy-four shows, each about seventeen minutes long. In Cleveland, Ohio, bands like Mirrors, Electric Eels, and Rocket from the Tombs emerged alongside the initial New York scene. The Dead Boys debuted at CBGB in November 1976. In London, Malcolm McLaren returned in May 1975 after managing the New York Dolls. He co-owned the Sex clothing store on King's Road. Johnny Rotten auditioned for and won the job as lead singer of a group called the Strand. They adopted a new name and played their first gig as the Sex Pistols on the 6th of November 1975, at Saint Martin's School of Art.
Typical punk rock instrumentation is stripped down to one or two guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. Songs tend to be shorter than those of other rock genres and played at fast tempos. Most early punk rock songs retained a traditional rock 'n' roll verse-chorus form and time signature. However, later bands often broke from this format. The vocals are sometimes nasal, and the lyrics often shouted in an "arrogant snarl," rather than conventionally sung. Complicated guitar solos were considered self-indulgent, although basic guitar breaks were common. Guitar parts tend to include highly distorted power chords or barre chords, creating a characteristic sound described by Christgau as a "buzzsaw drone." Bass guitar lines are often uncomplicated; the quintessential approach is a relentless, repetitive "forced rhythm." Drums typically sound heavy and dry, and often have a minimal set-up. Compared to other forms of rock, syncopation is much less common. Hardcore punk drumming displays a faster tempo. Production tends to be minimalistic, with tracks sometimes laid down on home tape recorders or four-track portastudios. Punk rock lyrics are typically blunt and confrontational; compared to the lyrics of other popular music genres, they often focus on social and political issues. Trend-setting songs such as the Clash's "Career Opportunities" and Chelsea's "Right to Work" deal with unemployment and the grim realities of urban life.
The classic punk rock look among male American musicians harkens back to the T-shirt, motorcycle jacket, and jeans ensemble favored by American greasers of the 1950s. In addition to the T-shirt and leather jackets, they wore ripped jeans and boots, typically Doc Martens. The punk look was inspired to shock people. Richard Hell's more androgynous, ragamuffin look, and reputed invention of the safety-pin aesthetic, was a major influence on Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren. John D Morton of Cleveland's Electric Eels may have been the first rock musician to wear a safety-pin-covered jacket. Young women in punk demolished the typical female types in rock of either "coy sex kittens or wronged blues belters" in their fashion. Early female punk musicians displayed styles ranging from Siouxsie Sioux's bondage gear to Patti Smith's "straight-from-the-gutter androgyny." Over time, tattoos, piercings, and metal-studded and -spiked accessories became increasingly common elements of punk fashion among both musicians and fans. Among the other facets of the punk rock scene, a punk's hair is an important way of showing their freedom of expression. The typical male punk haircut was originally short and choppy; the mohawk later emerged as a characteristic style. Along with the mohawk, long spikes have been associated with the punk rock genre.
By 1979, the hardcore punk movement was emerging in Southern California. A rivalry developed between adherents of the new sound and the older punk rock crowd. Hardcore, appealing to a younger, more suburban audience, was perceived by some as anti-intellectual, overly violent, and musically limited. In Los Angeles, the opposing factions were often described as "Hollywood punks" and "beach punks." By the turn of the decade, the punk rock movement had split deeply along cultural and musical lines. The "Great Schism" of punk occurred right as the 1980s were approaching, when melodic new wave artists began to separate themselves from hardcore punk. On one side were new wave and post-punk artists; some adopted more accessible musical styles and gained broad popularity, while some turned in more experimental, less commercial directions. On the other side, hardcore punk, Oi!, and anarcho-punk bands became closely linked with underground cultures and spun off an array of subgenres. Somewhere in between, pop-punk groups created blends like that of the ideal record, as defined by Mekons cofounder Kevin Lycett: "a cross between ABBA and the Sex Pistols." The Clash album London Calling, released in December 1979, exemplified the breadth of classic punk's legacy. Combining punk rock with reggae, ska, R&B, and rockabilly, it went on to be acclaimed as one of the best rock records ever.
A punk subculture began in Australia around the same time, centered around Radio Birdman and the Oxford Tavern in Sydney's Darlinghurst suburb. By 1976, the Saints were hiring Brisbane local halls to use as venues, or playing in "Club 76," their shared house in the inner suburb of Petrie Terrace. In September 1976, the Saints became the first punk rock band outside the U.S. to release a recording, the single "(I'm) Stranded." The band self-financed, packaged, and distributed the single. In Perth, the Cheap Nasties formed in August. In February 1977, EMI released the Saints' debut album, (I'm) Stranded, which the band recorded in two days. The Saints had relocated to Sydney; in April, they and Radio Birdman united for a major gig at Paddington Town Hall. Last Words had also formed in the city. The following month, the Saints relocated again, to Great Britain. In June, Radio Birdman released the album Radios Appear on its own Trafalgar label. Punk music also spread beyond the English speaking world, inspiring local scenes in other countries. Bands anticipating the forthcoming punk movement were appearing as far afield as West Germany, where bands like Can, Faust, and Neu! emerged from the burgeoning krautrock scene. In Japan, the anti-establishment Zunō Keisatsu mixed garage-psych and folk. Their live act at least once included onstage masturbation. The Fugs formed in 1963 in New York City's Lower East Side and became an influential early proto-punk band that bridged the beat generation with rock and roll.
In 1981, hardcore punk was exposed to mainstream television audiences following a live performance from Fear on Saturday Night Live, which prompted a live-broadcast riot and mosh pit. Among the earliest hardcore bands, regarded as having made the first recordings in the style, were Southern California's Middle Class and Black Flag. Bad Brains launched the D.C. scene with their rapid-paced single "Pay to Cum" in 1980. Austin, Texas's Big Boys, San Francisco's Dead Kennedys, and Vancouver's D.O.A. were among the other initial hardcore groups. By 1981, hardcore was the dominant punk rock style not only in California but much of the rest of North America as well. A New York hardcore scene grew, including the relocated Bad Brains, New Jersey's Misfits and Adrenalin O.D., and local acts such as the Mob, Reagan Youth, and Agnostic Front. Beastie Boys debuted that year as a hardcore band before becoming famous as a hip-hop group. They were followed by the Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law, and Leeway. By 1983, St. Paul's Hüsker Dü, Willful Neglect, Chicago's Naked Raygun, Indianapolis's Zero Boys, and D.C.'s the Faith were taking the hardcore sound in experimental and ultimately more melodic directions. Following alternative rock's mainstream breakthrough in the 1990s through the success of bands like Nirvana, punk rock saw renewed major-label interest and mainstream appeal exemplified by the rise of Californian bands Green Day, Social Distortion, Rancid, the Offspring, Bad Religion, Blink-182 and NOFX.
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Common questions
When did the Kingsmen release Louie Louie and why is it important to punk rock?
The Kingsmen released Louie Louie in 1963, a song that later became known as punk rock's defining ur-text. This garage band from Portland, Oregon, played with a raw energy that would echo through the decades to come.
Who formed Los Saicos and when did they begin pioneering punk rock in Peru?
Los Saicos formed in 1964 and used fast tempos, aggressive riffing, and screamed vocals about prison escapes and funerals. Their work was later credited with pioneering punk rock.
What date did the Ramones play their first show at CBGB club in New York?
The Ramones played its first show at CBGB in August 1974. By the end of the year, the Ramones had performed seventy-four shows, each about seventeen minutes long.
On what date did the Sex Pistols play their first gig after adopting their new name?
They adopted a new name and played their first gig as the Sex Pistols on the 6th of November 1975, at Saint Martin's School of Art. Johnny Rotten auditioned for and won the job as lead singer of a group called the Strand before this event.
When did the Saints become the first punk rock band outside the U.S. to release a recording?
In September 1976, the Saints became the first punk rock band outside the U.S. to release a recording, the single (I'm) Stranded. The band self-financed, packaged, and distributed the single.
Which bands were among the earliest hardcore groups that emerged by 1980?
Among the earliest hardcore bands, regarded as having made the first recordings in the style, were Southern California's Middle Class and Black Flag. Bad Brains launched the D.C. scene with their rapid-paced single Pay to Cum in 1980.