14/10 On This Day in Punk History

Punk never went away! It was this day in 2002 that modern Punks The Libertines released their debut album Up the Bracket, produced by Mick Jones on indie label Rough Trade. During the early 2000s it seemed that Punk was being reborn with a wave of new inspired Post-Punk groups like Strokes, Cribs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Fraz Ferdinand. Where did all that energy go to?

In 1976 the album that made it all happen, Never Mind the Bullocks, is struggling to come together. The Sex Pistols are recording for EMI, but unhappy with the sessions they’ve done with Dave Goodman they record another half dozen with Mike Thorne – which still won’t leave them satisfied.

Two years later and Sid Vicious is on trail for the murder of Nancy Spungen two days earlier. On this day 1978 Malcolm McLaren arrives in New York and hires Prior, Cashman, Sherman and Flynn to represent Sid. Sid is currently in the hospital wing of Rikers Jail undergoing heroin detoxification. McLaren is trying to convince Virgin and Warner to pay Sid’s bail, assuring them his next album will make it all back.

Yesterday was the day in 1978 that Durham band Penetration released their first album Moving Targets but one year and one day later the band split. The band have apparently lost sight of their inital goal and are tired of trying to make hit records. They’ll reform in 2001.

Scabous Raticus

It wasn’t long ago that Rat Scabies announced he wouldn’t be drumming for The Damned anymore. Well, today in 1977 they released their single ‘Problem Child’ – inspiration for the track is not confirmed.

And finally, I’ll leave you with a song. It was on this day in 1979 that Talking Heads released their phenomenal single ‘Life During Wartime’; produced by Brian Eno of course.

Oi! Oi! Oi!

13/10 On This Day in Punk History

Punk history was made this day when The Who recorded ‘My Generation’ in 1965. Lester Bangs once said ‘Rock & Roll is an attitude, and if you’ve got the attitude you can do it, no matter what anybody says… whatever anybody ever called it, Punk Rock has been around from the beginning – it’s just Rock honed down to its rawest elements, simple playing with a lot of power… PASSION IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT’. What boasts that spirit attitude better than ‘My Generation’? This song sums up why we have Rock & Roll, why it is so necessary. This day in 1965 The Who made Punk history.

A couple of days ago in 1976 an unsigned Wreckless Eric gave a tape of his material to Stiff Records. Well, this day 76 he’s called back to the label and offered a contract. Eric will become a big name for the label and New Wave music in the UK.

It was also one day ago in 1978 that Nancy Spungen was killed. Today Sid Vicious appears in court, charged with second degree murder. The New York press infest the story, claiming he’s been proven guilty before the trail has even begun. Bail has been set at $50,000 and Vicious is now looking to Malcolm McLaren for help.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Penetration release their first album, the glow-in-the-dark Moving Targets. Here’s the lead track ‘Future Daze’:

This day 1990, Iggy Pop is in the charts with a duet withB52’s Kate Pierson entitled ‘Candy’. A decade earlier, Jim Carroll, the drug addict-cum-poet-cum-punk release his first album. Jim Carroll is probably most famous for The Basketball Diaries, an autobiographical account of his teenage years of heroin addiction (made into a film with Leonardo DiCaprio). He became a succesful poet in 70s New York and was an early supporter of Patti Smith. She in turn encouraged him to start a band, which he did. It was this day in 1980 that The Jim Carroll Band released their debut album featuring the classic song ‘People Who Died’. Here’s the late Carroll:

10/9 On This Day in Punk History

On this day in 1974 Chrissie Hyndes was apparently propositioned by her ex-employer Malcolm McLaren about a little punk curiosity. McLaren by this point is involved with the New York Dolls, supplying their red leather. He writes to Hyndes proposing a new band with her on guitar joint with Sylvain Sylvain and Richard Hell (at this point with Television) on bass. She declines the offer and from my point of view it seems every would-be in that Frankenstein band is better off without it.

Devo release their rendition of ‘Working in a Coal Mine’ 1981, featured on the Heavy Metal soundtrack; and a year earlier Jim Pursey (ex-Sham 69) releases his first solo single ‘Lucky Man’. Sept 10 1977 was the date that Radiators from Space (possibly Ireland’s first punk band) released a cover of Count Five’s Protopunk classic ‘Psychotic Reaction’:

Finally, in 1979 Penetration release their 2nd LP, while in Florence The Patti Smith Group play their ‘final gig’ before she ‘retires’ and moves to Detroit with MC5 legend Sonic Smith (http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=ps19790910d1).

As a personal comment – anybody unlucky enough to live in the Guildford area (home of Stranglers and I) can see Penetration alongside UK Subs, Spear of Destiny, 999 and Spizzenergi plus more at Undercover Festival next week in Woking – visit http://undercoverfest.com/ for more.