Entertainment For Lively Minds
Proto punk
Posted by David Rothon on 30 October 2009 - 7:03pm.
On another thread I posted a Ramones clip from January 1975, a good 18 months before their debut album and the first supposed 'summer of punk'. Here are two more clips - the first from 1973 by the Hollywood Brats, who later morphed into 'proper' British punk group the Boys;the second from 1975 by the notorious Electric Eels from Akron - that are just as punk as anything that came out in or after punk's Year Zero. In fact, they're snotty as hell:
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Pink Fairies - Teenage Rebel (1971)
I know it probably usually gets classed under 70s rock, but this track, released in 1971 bears all the hallmarks of punk. Fast powerchords, motorik beat, half sung half shouted words, half thought out lyrics about being a rebel. If this was played by the Ramones then it would class as punk.
But its 5 mins, has lead guitar and drum solo and was made by long hairs. Ergo, proto, not actual punk. Though I think that "Teenage Rebel" certainly showed the way.
how about a bit of death
1975 and what's more they were black.
And of course can't get more proto punk than the stooges, playing here in 1969:
Alice
I was saying to our Lunaman only last night that the Stooges sound a lot like Alice Cooper to me
Detroit
In that BBC prog about the Detroit scene, the point was made that Alice Cooper basically took the Stooges schtick and made it commercial (maybe Iggy himself said this?). Nothing against A C, though - their first half-dozen-or-so albums are fab. Love that clip too.
yeah
Alice Cooper is Great but the Stooges most definately were protopunk first.
Deffo
you can hear the influence.
Death
Never heard of them, but that track is great. Kinda like MC5 meets Love, but with their own thang going on too. Thanks for posting.
Australia
had Radio Birdman and The Saints who were more influenced by The Stooges and Ramones than the UK Punk scene. These are excellent bands, definitely should get more credit.
Back in the USA - Fred "Sonic" Smith from the MC5 formed Sonic's Rendezvous Band with Scott Asheton from the Stooges.
Then Ron Asheton was in a band called Destroy All Monsters with a female vocalist - both these bands are worth checking out although there's not a lot of material released.
My favourite proto-punk bands though go back to the 60's psych scene - The Sonics had a really primal, raw sound and The Monks were just plain weird, extremely unusual tribal chants and strange rhythm changes. All played by American GIs stationed in Germany wearing Monk's habits and shaved heads - how Punk is that!