Top 10 Groups That Caused Punk
Top 10 Groups That Caused Punk
I am giving a list of the top 10 bands, which through excess, bloated albums or self-important drug induced lyrics forced punk to happen. Don’t agree? Give me your top ten.
Number 10
Edgar Winter
I saw Edgar Winter live at the Country Club in Reseda in 1981 or 1982 with Secret Affair opening for him (poor guys). He performed for about an hour, nothing but sci-fi sound effects, and rock star poses. Like many of the bands of the 1970′s horrible long instrumentals and solos were supposed to be part of his appeal.
Number 9
Queen
Though, technically, good musicians. I could never get into the vocal theatrics of Freddie Mercury.
Number 8
Pink Floyd
Adding the sound effects of a heart beating, making concept albums, sorry . . . it’s all bullshit.
Number 7
Jethro Tull
A flute should never be played along side a guitar. And if you insist on doing it, don’t stand with your foot planted against your knee.
Number 6
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Witty album cover titles, and extensive “progressive” soloing force these chaps onto this list.
Number 5
The Eagles
There are two bands (maybe three) that I have always felt were insanely overrated, Eagles and The Beatles (and maybe the Doors). The Beatles existed for about 10 years, hated each other after five. But continued to preach peace, and produced bloated tracks like Revolution #9. I can’t tell you how many copies of The Eagles Greatest Hits I have personally thrown out of people’s cars. I find it, I chuck it. No one I know will admit to owning the Eagles anymore.
Number 4
The Beatles
Self-important. Truly what did they accomplish? Other than encouraging a culture to grow their hair and take psychedelic drugs?
Number 3
The Doors
When I was writing my poetry book, my friend, poet, Clyde Wray (http://www.clydeawray.com/) encouraged me to study lots of other poets to see what different voices I could write in. I went to Barnes & Noble and bought the only author I recognized, Jim Morrison. 100% shit. One-line “poems,” like there is a monster at the door. The end. Self-important dope-head. I ended up buying Bukowski on my return trip, and never looked back.
Number 2
Boston
These guys would take a decade between albums to “adjust sound.” Every album sounded the same. And the album covers were oh so clever, is it a guitar, no a spaceship, whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Number 1
Yes
Crappy album covers, progressive music, and unneeded solos. What else is there to say?
Ha.. good ones. I remember the first punk garment I ever made, I found an old Yes concert T Shirt my brother had. I got some black spray paint and wrote NO right over the Yes logo, then ripped it to shreds and put it back together with safety pins. Oh man that shirt pissed off people whenever I wore it. I loved that shirt.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:07 amAnd I’ll agree with the bloated assholes you picked. I especially hate the fucking Beatles. Those were the sort of hippie assholes that drove us to be punks. And the same with Edgar Winter. But I’ll defend his brother Johnny. I saw Johnny Winter live in about 1974 and it is still one of my favorite concerts ever. If it weren’t for Johnny’s guitar skills, I might not have been inspired to play guitar myself.
Oh.. BTW.. back in the days before all the record stores died, I used to have a measurement I called the Pink Floyd Index. Every time I went into a record store, the first thing I did was go to see how many copies of Dark Side of the Moon were on the shelf. The more copies they had, the less likely I was to find ANY music I liked.
O(h man, you hit the nail on the head with all that shit music!! You forgot a few…Foreigner, Styx, Journey, Reo Speedwagon, J Geils Band, or anything else they played on the radio back then…it was 100% bullshit! Thanks again Mike
November 7th, 2009 at 12:56 pmGuys – thanks for writing in. The Pink Floyd index sounds like a method that would still work today.
I should have added Styx, you’re right! Unfortunately, I like a few Journey songs (I know, I’m a sell out!) and I even enjoyed Love Stinks by the J. Geils Band. Something’s wrong with me.
Thanks for reading!!
November 7th, 2009 at 2:10 pmIt’s cool…nothing wrong with liking what you like! “Big wheel in the sky keeps on turning”…
November 7th, 2009 at 11:16 pmha.. those bands all bring back sickening memories, truepunk. I have a stack of old NME and Melody Maker magazines from around 1977 through the mid 80s, I’m slowly digitizing them. I love them because you can go to the charts in the centerfold and see what was on the top 100 in England vs. the US. Most of the US stuff is pure shit. But the UK list has a lot of the stuff I still listen to. It’s amazing what was on the top of the charts back in the late 1970s, most people think of that era as Classic Rock, but it’s mostly Abba, Bee Gees, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Peter Frampton, Kansas, Englebert Humperdinck, Captain & Tennile, etc etc. I think I want to puke after seeing the 1977 Billboard Top 100:
http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1977
November 8th, 2009 at 2:14 amWithout the Beatles the Sex Pistols wouldn’t have existed.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:10 amGlenn Danzig wouldn’t exist if Jim Morrison hadn’t.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:31 pmCharles – thanks for sending the Billboard link. 1977, I grew up thinking Kiss ruled all the charts from 1976 until 1979, I was wrong.
Mr. Rabbit – I agree, the Beatles represented everything we all fought against. All the late ’60′s peace songs, but none of the guys could stand to be in a room together, lawsuits still going on to this day. Fakes.
Chris – better yet, Glenn Danzig wouldn’t exist if his parents hadn’t. Deep, huh?
November 10th, 2009 at 9:27 pmMike you rock. Man you had me laughing on this, right through to the comments and then Josh had me rolling. I think though that he completely missed the whole point of the article. Oh well, what does it mean when an idiot calls you an idiot? (That’s some serious Zen shit right there) Sadly I’d have to say that I like at least one song and probably own at least one album by all those bands except Edgar Winter and Boston. That for me was what made punk so essential, that contrast. Although I think that much of punk was, as you said, “through excess, bloated albums or self-important drug induced lyrics.” But to me you’re absolutely right, punk just had to happen as a result. I think in that “Hardcore” documentary it was Kieth Morris (3 foot dreads and all)who mentions bands like Fleetwood Mac as being some sort of cause for punk. There is so much that could be said on this topic, but I’ll shut the fuck up.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:11 pmI’m afraid to ask, but did you exclude the Bee Gees because you secretly LIKE high girly vocal parts sung by guys?
November 11th, 2009 at 6:45 pmjustin – always good to hear from you. I remember Keith Morris talking about Fleetwood Mac, and something about wine coolers, but Fleetwood Mac was not even on my radar as a youngster. It’s as if they didn’t exist. I liked looking at Stevie Nicks though.
c mchale – You’re right, that’s exactly why I left Bee Gees off, and Air Supply.
It doesn’t suck being me!
November 11th, 2009 at 7:22 pmWhat did the Beatles accomplish? Good lord, you could have picked on any single goddamn band from the ’60s – the Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, the Mothers of Invention, the Grateful Dead, pretty much anyone except the VU and the Beatles – and you’d have been right.
But yes, fuck the Eagles.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:33 pmSeb – why all the anger? I chose these bands based on the supposed cultural impact. In America, the Beatles, and Elvis are hailed as gods. I like some Elvis, but I have never been able to figure out the hullabaloo with the Beatles. Rolling Stone magazine featured them on the cover about a month or so back (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/29723450/why_the_beatles_broke_upbr_the_story_behind_our_cover). Why are they still relevant?
And the Eagles, just like the Northern Winds . . . they blow.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:23 pmAnd yet each of those bands made more money than the Ramones. Wah-fucking-wah.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:13 pmPS: Have you finished congratulating yourself on how hip you are?
Steve – finished?! Shit, I haven’t even started. Thanks for writing in.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:27 pmThis is a great topic Mike and you’re in a class all by yourself when you respond “Thanks for writing in.” I wish we had worked at the same Taco Bell. By the way I am only going to like bands that made lots of money and as far as my records, if it didn’t go platnum it’s going in the trash.
November 12th, 2009 at 12:18 amhey, there was and is a lot of crap rock and roll out there but putting the Beatles on this list IMHO is ignorance. The Beatles invented bands. What, punks didn’t do drugs? Who were some of the biggest junkies ever? Tracks like Revolution #9 were experiments.What other huge band would put out something that would never sell as a single? Their 3 minute pop songs were and are gems that will shine always. where are the bloated guitar and drum solos on Beatle records? What the hell are you guys talking about? Yeah, Punk had to come but so did The Beatles.
November 12th, 2009 at 2:54 pmYeah, the Beatles …. terrible. Here is my crap-board, in order of increasing ill: Genesis, Billy Joel, Peter Frampton, Doobie Bros., Chicago, REO Speedwagon, Whitesnake, Paul McCartney and Wings, Pink Floyd, ….. and finally, I can’t disagree….Beatles.
November 12th, 2009 at 4:18 pmblogger in search of audience. loses audience instantly. what a moron. i’ve been to more shows than that stupid ass
November 12th, 2009 at 6:21 pmSkull – You’re one of the few who got this posting (aside from Justin, onlytruepunk, and Charles). I wrote this to create debate. That’s the whole reason for me writing at the top: “I am giving a list of the top 10 bands, which through excess, bloated albums or self-important drug induced lyrics forced punk to happen. Don’t agree? Give me your top ten.”
But instead I got a handful of “punks” writing whiny shit like the old FlipSide letters column. No debate at all.
It’s as if I banged their Moms and they’re bitter because I never sent them any child support. Sorry guys.
dfyuaaaaan (or Barney) – what the fuck does this even mean??? Your comment pertains to the post how? If I alienated you, do I get a cut in pay??!!!
And last and least Tim – dude . . . come on WTF?!?
November 12th, 2009 at 8:53 pmWhile I don’t agree with all of the list (come on, Ian Anderson didn’t just stand on one leg, he pretended the flute was his dick more than that), I have to say I’m truly enjoying the comments.
November 12th, 2009 at 10:45 pmI have to agree with Scott and Aqualung was actually a very punk tune.
On a different note, not to be impatient or anything, but… kinda waiting on the next post here Mike.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:06 pm“without the beatles, the sex pistols would have never existed”
November 26th, 2009 at 11:11 amThese kind of statements are so fucking stupid. Yeah, without caveman beating on rock there would be no Buzzcocks. Shut up. The Beatles were the Backstreet Boys of their day, complete shit.
justin2 – Thanks for writing in. “without the Beatles, the sex pistols would have never existed,” I have repeated this to every person I know for the last few weeks. It gets funnier each time I say it. After all the whining about the Beatles, I debated whether or not all my reviews should be geared towards the Eagles and Beatles. I think these bands are everyone’s (except me) guilty pleasures. I pretty much hate both bands. But hey, what do I know?
November 26th, 2009 at 2:32 pm