Customer Reviews

Punk 365

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Despite being yet another book titled PUNK this-or-that (how boring) accompanied by yet another picture of the overexposed Pistols, what we have here is a rare and fine contribution to the small flock of top rate punk documentation. For the lost-in-space stalwarts of the "punk died in '77" variety, you will find ample obscure photos and tentalizing quotes/factoids about your beloved NY scenesters (Patti Smith, Richard Hell, Ramones; the usual suspects) and your typical UK actors (Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks, et al). But what is truly exceptional about this book is the wide territory it covers for the true punk listener. Not only does it include proto-punk legends (13th Floor Elevators, Stooges, MC5) but it ackowledges the crucially influential yet overlooked groups from both the US & UK such as the Avengers, Dils, Weirdos, Stiff Little Fingers, Angelic Upstarts, Dead Boys, Undertones, Black Flag, Germs, and on and on. As a bonus it includes the salt and pepper of much loved hangers-on who used punk to become rich and famous while not ever really being punk (Elvis Costello...you get the idea). This book is great and can be looked through over and over again without boredom. Highly recommended for every punk or jaded old rocker who has ever picked up a photobook on punk only to be bored to tears with 50 pages on Patti Smith/Talking Heads and another 50 pages of Sex Pistols/Clash and little else. And its cheap!

An excellent selection of photos with great text. This book was edited perfectly and it kept my attention throughout.

I bought this book for someone who was probably bouncing up and down at many of the shows depicted in this fine collection (which hardly does it justice) of performance and candid photographs of the seminal figures of Punk. Even though they are the epitome of a music snob and punk aficionado, they were delighted with the book. Now I'll have to go back and get one for myself.

I purchased this book in the bargain bin at a local book store. I am not disappointed.

This volume does a great job documenting this era of music. It gives credit where credit is due (to some obscure bands).

Visually this book gives history to a movement that I almost missed out on(I was born in 1970, so I did hit the 80's part of this movement). It has mostly candid black and white photo's, with few color photos.

The written information (commentary usually by the photographer that took the photo) is not as detailed as I would like to have (although the index is a great reference to find what you need quickly), but overall this is a great book giving credit and place to a movement that influenced the future of music.

PROS: This book has many highlights, including a really great layout - the book is longer than it is tall, lending really well to a lot of the photos, and a nice long 365 pages with photo on each right page and a short description and interesting facts of the band/musician featured on the left. Many of the photos are excellent, including a lot of obscure ones and some featuring too often overlooked, obscure bands and musicians. It also includes a lot of what have become to be known as "proto-punk" bands from the 60's such as The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, MC5, etc, and even some of those that attached themselves to the punk genre in one way or another but never played punk music, such as Elvis Costello.
While of course included, it doesn't at all over-kill The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, etc. It has an index, as well as a great introduction by Richard Hell, and it leaves the editorial content at that, i.e. the rest of the book is about the musicians of (mostly early) punk, not a textual novel about punk as a pop-culture element, its sociological ramifications, sometimes strict ethics, etc.; which there are plenty of other offerings if you're looking for that.

CONS: The book mostly highlights early punk, and while it does include its share of overlooked, obscure bands from that era, it also fails from being anywhere near definitive of early punk. One example of a jaw-dropping oversight is THE MISFITS (!?!?!?!) formed in 1977, perhaps the books most colossal blunder. And while the book makes other mentions of west coast punk, and also goes temporally as far as Nirvana, it fails to feature mention of Operation Ivy anywhere, as well as the legendary Gilman Street.
It also completely disregards early significant and influential Chicago punk such as Naked Raygun (formed 1979), Steve Albini (frontman for Chicago's Big Black (formed 1981) who later went on to be one of the most noteworthy producers of our time, including Nirvana's Nevermind and In Utero), Screeching Weasel as well as others.
Despite some of its obscure offerings, this all unfortunately puts it in the category of many other books about punk that remain narrow focused on the UK and NYC and the glory days of CBGBs, but not much else.
But, if you're looking for a great "coffee table" punk book with great photography that touches on a lot of the bands that made its early days and some of its roots, as well as something that is not over-textual, this is a decent one. I purchased this new on a bargain table for $5, which was totally worth it, while its cover price is $29.95: totally not worth it. You can get it cheap here on Amazon though, which is nice.