Was punk necessary?

[annie]

As mentioned above, neither question is correct.

eccentric man is absolutely right…the core of the movement had a lot more to do with social issues than musical ones. It was not "excesses" in rock prompting a counter reaction. And whether anyone noticed it or not, as Aktivator posted, proto-punk bands existed before any excess in rock. Youth are always rebelling against the establishment, music or no music. The name “Punk rock” was invented by newspapers. The first music critic used the term “punk rock” in the May 1971 issue of Creem. In June 1972, the fanzine Flash included a "Punk Top Ten" of 1960s albums.

Next, the 70s punk rock scene did not begin in 1977 but rather in 1974 in New York and London, which has probably been mentioned before, and the first wave was in decline in 1978. The only “excessive” band mentioned in this thread that was in its heyday before the onset of the 1974 punk rock movement is Yes, who turned to symphonic rock in 1971-72. The other “pompous” bands mentioned here were all just beginning their rise in 1974 and later. This includes Journey (1978-87), Camel (1974-), Foreigner (1977-), and Electric Light Orchestra (1974-80). Electric Light Orchestra’s star began to rise in 1974, it’s heyday was from 1975-77, and then began to fade after 1979. As Electric Light Orchestra and punk started and ended simultaneously, one could not have been a counter reaction to the other, if such a thing existed and I don't think it did.

 

[Aktivator]

hm interesting point made in one of these posts. Wasn't punk rockers more into how they looked and dressed then what music they were playing? sounds like art punk. Wait isn't that they were rebeling against excess (you know the Emerson rug, the big production of PF and ELO). Like I said before punk came from proto-punk which exsisted in the late 60's before the word excess was ever used to discribe anything regarding rock. It seems that both Punk and prog/arena rock both had excess and both cared about what they looked like.

and yes Annie is right-Johnny Rotten liked a buch of prog. ONe of his favorite drummers is Christian Vander and he love Peter Hammill. hm

 

[PinkFreud]

I wouldn't say "necessary" so much as I'd say "inevitable". I mean, youth has a tendency to be angry and full of angst, and I'm sure they channeled that angst into music. First it was the "hippies", whose anger and angst was really not in a literal sense, but more of a mental sense (they were angry, but didn't bring it out in a physical manner. Different times then), then came punk, which was a response to the hippies/psychedelic era imo; then came metal, which was like punk, but more about anger and less about angst; and then grunge, which was back to the angst aspect. What's next I can't say, maybe emo/screamo followed suit?
Then again, this is just the way I see it. Each generation will be angrier than the last because they grow up being desensitized by the music and culture the previous generation created, and it will just continue, like a vicious cycle. I'd like to think I'm completely wrong about this...

 

[Foxhound]

and yes Annie is right-Johnny Rotten liked a buch of prog. ONe of his favorite drummers is Christian Vander and he love Peter Hammill. hm

Interesting that the front man of the Sex Pistols, the man that became the face of the English punk movement, was wet beneath the surface image he presented. Of course it was also Johnny Rotten who rebelled against Malcolm McLaren and quit the Sex Pistols when it was proposed that the Sex Pistols record a track or two in Brazil with Great Train Robber Ronald Biggs whom Johnny didn't want to glorify. (That plus the detail that McLaren was keeping most of the money the Pistols were generating.)

It seems that Johnny Rotten's ertswhile buddy Sid Vicious was truer to the spirit of punk. I can't imagine Sid praising a prog rock musician. Sid was more apt to spit on other musicians he encountered. It's sad that he succumbed to the embrace of heroin. With his commitment to nihilism, he and the Pistols could have accomplished so much more. I mean they'd already gotten themselves attacked by a mob on the street for their cover of "God Save the Queen". You can't get a much better start than that - but they failed to build on it. Drugs kill so many dreams.

 

[Foxhound]

I have to concede that Johnny Rotten and the other surviving Sex Pistols redeemed themselves when upon their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 24 February 2006, they called the Hall "a piss stain" and skipped the ceremony. Now that was punk!

 

[Aktivator]

yes syd was the real punk.

explain to me how glam rock fits this idea? Glam Rock is one of the roots of punk rock but it also has strong ties to prog. This idea that prog and punk don't mix never made sense to me because of glam.

 

[0000]

yes syd was the real punk.

explain to me how glam rock fits this idea? Glam Rock is one of the roots of punk rock but it also has strong ties to prog. This idea that prog and punk don't mix never made sense to me because of glam.

I like to think of glam as the "transitional" genre, punk music(for the most part) basically strips rock down to the simplest form possible, but prog makes it complicated and intricate, so i don't really think prog and punk mix at all, two totally different planets in the solar system of music(horrible analogy thing wasn't it?)

 

[snakes&ladders]

Well, if we really wanna be precise as to when "punk" was born, we should go back to Listz, heheheheh

 

[TheFeldster]

There is not a genre of music that wasn't "necessary" to get the music industry to what it is. Every action has a consequence, and that includes writing songs. Things influence everything differently, and if punk didn't arise in the 70's a heap of songs throughout the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's also would never have been written. Of course, what Fox would describe as the "excesses" (Queen, Fleetwood Mac and his other pet hates) are just as vital as punk to getting music to where it is.

Whether that's a good thing is more the question...

*stops being philosophical*

 

[snakes&ladders]

True, but let's not talk of only the commercial side of music....remember, music is a (HUGE) form of ART first of al