ONE CHORD WONDERS Power and Meaning in Punk Rock Dave Laing Foreword by TV Smith One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock © Dave Laing This edition © 2015 by PM Press Every effort has been made to trace the copyright owners of illustrations used in this book If any have been inadvertently overlooked, they should contact the author and publisher ISBN: 978-1-62963-033-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2014908071 Cover: John Yates/Stealworks.com Layout: Jonathan Rowland PM Press P.O Box 23912 Oakland, CA 94623 www.pmpress.org 10 Printed in the USA by the Employee Owners of Thomson-Shore in Dexter, Michigan www.thomsonshore.com Contents Foreword by TV Smith Preface Acknowledgements Introduction One Formation Two Naming Three Listening Four Looking Picture Section Five Framing Six After Seven Conclusions Eight Chronology Appendix Song Titles Appendix Punk Singles in Top 30 Charts Appendix Select Discography Bibliography Notes Index v vii viii 55 69 103 123 141 149 167 181 191 193 195 199 201 209 Foreword W hat just happened? That’s what I was thinking when my band the Adverts broke up at the end of 1979 after two years of being in the forefront of the UK punk scene What was punk anyway? I had been writing songs since I was at school, I’d had various bands that went nowhere, and then suddenly it all changed I wasn’t just in a band anymore—I was in a punk band, part of a movement that I was helping create even as I was simultaneously swept up in it People were suddenly interested in what my band was doing, even though we were just beginners and as musicians strictly amateur Now—and this had been inconceivable just a year earlier—the question of how well or badly we could play didn’t matter anymore, apart from to a few old-school critics who were clinging desperately to the sinking ship of pre-1977 rock For the rest of us, the so-called professional musicians had nothing we wanted, nothing we could relate to The doors had opened for people with ideas; the renegades and mavericks who took an alternative view of the way bands should look and sound, and what their songs could be about Lack of conventional musical talent was a spur to try harder, not a handicap In January 1977, within months of forming the Adverts, I found myself on stage at the Roxy club in London in the company of kids—on stage and off—who were desperate for music made by people like themselves, ‘normal’ people talking about ‘normal’ lives—not an untouchable and self-indulgent rock ’n’ roll elite living a life of absurd extravagance paid for out of their audience’s pockets Many of those watching us that night went on to form bands themselves, no longer intimidated After just a few gigs we were signed by Stiff Records and were able to put out a single, ‘One Chord Wonders’ By the summer of 1977 we were in the UK top twenty with ‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes’ and appeared on mainstream television’s Top Of The Pops, previously the heavily defended territory of the old guard music business, the very people who a short time earlier had scorned punk rock and actively tried to stop its progress v vi | One Chord Wonders So, what happened? Why now? What led up to this? What had changed? And for a movement that still has powerful resonance nearly forty years later, why did it all fall apart so quickly? These are some of the questions Dave Laing addresses with impressive rigour and objectivity in this fascinating book, and in developing his argument tells us something about not just punk rock but also the social and political landscape that brought it about, as well as giving us a razor-sharp insight into music, and the music business, in general There are many books that describe what happened during the punk rock era A few even dare to ask questions about it Here at last is one that provides some answers TV Smith Preface to the PM Press Edition O ne Chord Wonders was originally published in 1985 and after about a decade it was out of print and very difficult to find Over recent years, I have had many requests from scholars and fans for copies and, if only for their sake, I’m pleased that PM Press have decided to bring out this new edition I’ve taken the opportunity to correct a few misprints and expand the index Otherwise, the book is unchanged Thinking about republication, I considered whether to add new material but soon realised that punk has taken so many new forms and new directions since the 1970s that it would be impossible to justice to them in a few pages In addition, there have been numerous chronicles and analyses of that later history of punk and its derivatives I shan’t mention any here, but I will recommend a few studies that bear directly on the music and the era that One Chord Wonders attempts to illuminate First, Jon Savage’s England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols And Punk Rock (1991), which was published several years after my own book and also places the Sex Pistols at the centre of the scene Unlike me, Jon was an active participant and so brought a more direct perspective to the evocation of British punk Another participant was the singer, songwriter, guitarist and scholar Helen Reddington Her The Lost Women Of Rock Music: Female Musicians Of The Punk Era (second edition, 2012) opens up a highly important topic that is only briefly touched on in One Chord Wonders A third book, that goes into greater depth on another aspect, covered in chapter 6, is Rip It Up And Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984 (2005) by Simon Reynolds I’ll be thrilled if my book finds its place alongside these, and other, excellent chronicles of punk vii Acknowledgements Although nobody else should be held accountable for the ideas put forward in this book, I have benefited greatly from the ideas and arguments of a number of people in the process of writing it They include Phil Hardy and Mike Flood Page, with whom I collaborated in the late 1970s; Martin Jacques who allowed me to develop my ideas in the pages of Marxism Today; Dave Harker and Richard Middleton who are critical and constructive editors; in discussions on general and specific points, Simon Frith, Gary Herman, Deborah Philips, Jenny Taylor, Penny Valentine and Richard Woodcock; and Sally Quinn for her encouragement and friendship viii Introduction I n the mid-1980s, punk rock is in danger of being taken for granted Like Elvis or the Beatles, the term is used in a way which assumes we know exactly what it was and what it meant The music which in 1976–8 caused uproar and alarm among critics, politicians, media pundits and record company executives has now become one more convenient landmark in the conventional periodization of recent British musical and cultural history We are in a ‘post-punk’ world, it seems One aim of this book is to question the assumptions upon which punk’s landmark status is based, to make it problematic and even unrecognizable To that means questioning the various identities that have been provided for punk rock both by close observers and participants and by critics and theorists Punk was particularly well-served by contemporary observers, notably in the books by Caroline Coon, Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons, and Fred and Judy Vermorel, which are listed in the Bibliography The more considered explanations are often less rewarding, though those of Dick Hebdige, Greil Marcus, Robert Christgau and Simon Frith are all of value In the present account, ‘punk rock’ is used in no special sense Its meaning is that established through the consensus of users in the 1976–8 period, a consensus made up of the authors listed above together with musicians, journalists and other participants in published discourse Chapter deals directly with the range of nuances within this consensus, while elsewhere ‘punk rock’ refers to a complex of artefacts, events and institutions which flourished in the years 1976–8 The artefacts include the many hundreds of recordings and many dozens of ‘fanzines’ and other published writings, plus the items of visual style that make up the material archive of punk rock The events of punk were both the live performances of the era and certain other key incidents, such as the notorious television interview involving Bill Grundy and the Sex Pistols and the series of concert cancellations and acts of censorship that 202 |   Notes to Pages 24–56 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 London bands who feature a certain proportion of punk material in their acts?’ In the same paper in October John Ingham took up that ‘punk purist’ position, arguing that since the Sex Pistols, Clash and Damned were ‘viciously original’, it was ‘historically inaccurate’ to use the same word as referred to ‘American garage bands’ of the mid-1960s Ingham preferred ‘(?) Rock’, but he had already been outflanked by his own sub-editors, who had announced his article as a survey of ‘Punk Rock’ Interview with Malcolm McLaren in Melody Maker, 23 June 1979 Quoted in Richard Middleton, ‘Introduction’, in R Middleton and D Horn (eds.) 1981:1, Donald Hughes, ‘Pop Music’, in D Thompson (ed.) 1973:141 Melody Maker, 28 June 1975 Nicholas Garnham, ‘Concepts Of Culture, Public Policy And Cultural Industries.’ Discussion Paper for Greater London Council Conference on Cultural Industries and Cultural Policy, December 1983 New Musical Express, 21 February 1976 Daily Telegraph, 18 September 1956 Music critic Sigmund Spaeth in 1928, quoted in N Leonard 1962:32 Sounds, February 1979 Cream, December 1971 F and J Vermorel 1978:13 Ian Hoare, Let It Rock, October 1972 Roland Barthes, ‘Lesson In Writing’, in R Barthes 1977:170–8 Jean Rook of the Daily Express, quoted in G Tremlett 1976:115 Susan Sontag, ‘Notes On “Camp”’, in S Sontag 1966:277 C Coon 1982:63 Sounds, February 1979 C Ackroyd et al 1980:110 D Hebdige 1979:86, 87 Peter Jones, ‘Pop, Undated And Posthumously Prospering’, in P Scaping and N Hunter (eds.) 1978:19 This term was coined by Stan Cohen—Cohen 1973 It describes the process by which the mass media and various ‘opinion leaders’ define a particular incident or social group as a ‘threat to societal values and interests’ R Stevenson 1978 Daily Mirror, December 1976 2: Naming Sniffin’ Glue 4, October 1976 Reprinted in P., Mark (ed.) 1978 J Harrowen 1977:120 K Allsop 1967:196 Notes to Pages 57–96   | 203 See R Barthes 1973 For a more detailed explanation of this idea see J Fiske 1982:111–2 3: Listening 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 See Sean Cubitt, ‘Maybellene: Meaning And The Listening Subject’, in R Middleton and D Horn (eds.) 1984:211 P Tagg 1981:14 R Barthes 1977:182 For an explanation of these terms see above, p.3–4 R Hoggart 1957:102 For comments on this concept see above, p.150 and 170–1 P Tagg 1981:13 S Frith 1981:161 Tom Carson, ‘Rocket To Russia’, in G Marcus (ed.) 1979:108 Robert Christgau, ‘New York Dolls’, in G Marcus (ed.) 1979:135 C Gillett 1970:30 Robert Christgau, ‘New York Dolls’, in G Marcus (ed.) 1979:139 See the articles by Alan Beckett and Richard Merton in New Left Review 47, January–February 1968 See, e.g., Richard Merton in New Left Review 47, January–February 1968, and D Laing 1969:144 See, e.g., Susan Hiwatt, ‘Cock Rock’, in J Eisen (ed.) 1971:141–7 R Barthes 1979:119 B Copper 1975:275 R Barthes 1977:47 For a stimulating and related analysis of this song, see Greil Marcus, ‘Anarchy In The U.K.’, in J Miller (ed.) 1980:460–1 See P Oliver 1963:151–2 Even in those few lyrics which deal with work, the addressee is almost never defined as a ‘worker’ as such These songs of work include ‘Chain Gang’ (Sam Cooke), ‘Working Girl’ (Merilee Rush), ‘9 to 5’ (Dolly Parton), ‘Part of the Union’ (Hudson-Ford), ‘Right Said Fred’ (Bernard Cribbins) and ‘Crushed by the Wheels of Industry’ (Heaven 17) The lyrics of these songs can be found in A.X Nicholas (ed.) 1971:55 and 61 T Eagleton 1983:138 S Frith 1981:270 Dave Laing, ‘Interpreting Punk Rock’, in Marxism Today, April 1978:126 This detailed information comes from an unpublished manuscript by Spencer Leigh, ‘Censorship in Popular Music’ W Benjamin 1970:239 204 |   Notes to Pages 96–111 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 For example, Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers, News of the World, December 1976; Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sounds, 10 May 1977 W Benjamin 1973a:115–8 R Barthes 1977:30 T.W Adorno 1973:9 W Benjamin 1970:251–2 Ibid., p 240 See Christian Metz, ‘The Imaginary Signifier’, in Screen 16, No 2, Summer 1975:59–61 Sean Cubitt, ‘Maybellene: Meaning And The Listening Subject’, in R Middleton and D Horn 1984:212 Laura Mulvey, ‘Afterthoughts On “Visual Pleasure And Narrative Cinema” Inspired by Duel in the Sun’, in Framework 15 R Barthes 1977:182 Stephen Heath, ‘Translator’s Note’, in R Barthes 1977:9 4: Looking 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Melody Maker, 24 December 1977 See C Coon 1982:38 J Landau 1972:40 Melody Maker, June 1977; Sounds, 20 September 1977 (on the Sex Pistols); Sounds, May 1977 (on the Stranglers); Melody Maker, December 1979 (on the Damned) Sounds, 27 October 1979 Could it be significant that while the Clash fan actually sang with the band, the Stranglers’ fan only mimed? New Rockstar, December 1976 Sounds, 18 December 1977 Rolling Stone, 20 December 1977 Melody Maker, October 1976 (on Johnny Rotten) Sounds, July 1978 Sounds, April 1978 Susan Hiwatt, ‘Cock Rock’, in J Eisen (ed.) 1971 John Ingham in Sounds, 31 July 1976 Village Voice, January 1978 Melody Maker, February 1979 Sniffin’ Glue 7, February 1977 See Laura Mulvey, ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, in Screen 16, No 3, Autumn 1975 J Ellis 1982 J Ellis 1982:47 Ibid Notes to Pages 112–150   | 205 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 J Burchill and T Parsons 1978:80 In Sounds, 13 May 1978 Ron Watts, manager of London’s 100 Club, quoted in F Vermorel and J Vermorel 1978 Rolling Stone, 20 October 1977 Village Voice, January 1978 P Willis 1977:136 Melody Maker, October 1976; Sounds, 16 October 1976; C Coon 1982:105, 110 D Hebdige 1979:107–8 This item was already part of the ‘kinky’ milieu in the 1960s: ‘When not mixing in high society, they enjoyed to go slumming, Christine (Keeler) wearing a dog collar around her neck and Stephen (Ward) leading her by a dog’s lead In this fashion they visited seedy London clubs to buy pot.’ From M Rice-Davies 1980:98 J Burchill and T Parsons 1978:46 New Musical Express, 13 January 1979 D Hebdige 1979:107 F Reynolds 1969:8; H.S Thompson 1967:256 D Hebdige 1979:117 5: Framing M Foucault 1977:199 Socialist Teacher, 1978; B.N.P quoted in Sounds, 30 April 1977 See, for example, the interview with Joe Strummer in Sounds, 13 December 1980, and the interview with Mark Perry in New Musical Express, 29 June 1978 David Riesman, ‘Listening To Popular Music’, in B Rosenberg and D.M White (eds.) 1957:412 P Frame 1980:29 Dave Laing, ‘Interpreting Punk Rock’, in Marxism Today, April 1978:126 Sources for unattributed quotations in this chapter include a very wide range of printed media, from fanzines to national daily papers Few detailed references have been provided because part of my argument is that a variety of authors ‘combined’ to produce and reiterate the punk discourse 6: After A term used in jazz circles to denote a diehard adherent of an early style (usually New Orleans jazz) for whom all later jazz is a dilution or a betrayal Time Out, 17 December 1976 Josh Dunson, ‘Folk Rock: Thunder Without Rain’, in D De Turk and A Poulin (eds.) 1967:293 206 |   Notes to Pages 150–164 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Let It Rock, August 1973 John Clarke, ‘Style’, in T Jefferson et al (eds.) 1975:188 S Frith 1983:160 Sounds, 13 December 1980 Sounds, 13 May 1978 Sunday Times, November 1981 Melody Maker, 14 November 1981 Sounds, 28 October 1978 See T Jefferson et al (eds.) 1975:101 Sounds, September 1978 Sounds, 28 August 1976 Temporary Hoarding 5, Spring 1978 Eddy Morrison, ‘Don’t Condemn Pop’, in Spearhead, April 1981, quoted in Searchlight, the anti-fascist monthly, May 1981:8 Jerry Harris, ‘Oi!—The Story’, in Punk Lives, nos and 10, 1983 A very useful history of the genre See the courageous report from inside this event by Vivien Goldman, in Melody Maker, 25 August 1979 New Musical Express, 19 February 1983 See K Humann and C.-L Reichert (eds.) 1981 Between 1980 and 1982, 40 new labels appeared in West Germany, plus some 300 ‘self-produced’ albums Information from Wolfgang Hamm, ‘Phonographic Industry And The Mass Media: The Case Of West Germany’, unpublished paper delivered at the International Conference on Music and Information Systems, Milan, December 1983 Anna Szemere, ‘Pop And Rock Music In Hungary’, in R Middleton and D Horn (eds.) 1983:121–42 Rolling Stone, October 1977 Sounds, 10 October 1981 D Hebdige 1979:124 Simon Frith, New Statesman, October 1981:24 Record Business magazine, Small Labels Catalogue (London 1980) Phil Hardy, ‘The Record Industry, The Case For Public Intervention’, Greater London Council Economic Policy Group strategy document no 16, London 1983:23 In July 1980 Music Week estimated the indie market share as 12.6% D Hebdige 1979:96 Angela Carter, ‘Year Of The Punk’, in New Society, 22 December 1977 Notes to Pages 167–177   | 207 7: Conclusions 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 John Shepherd, ‘Sociomusicological Analysis Of Popular Musics’, in R Middleton and D Horn (eds.) 1982:169 The artists in each sample were: Punk Rock: Sex Pistols, Stranglers, Clash, Damned, Jam, Poly Styrene, Sham 69, Mekons, Gang of Four, Adverts, Ruts, UK Subs, Alternative TV, Angelic Upstarts, Wah!, Slits and Buzzcocks Beat Groups: Beatles, Rolling Stones, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Bee Gees, Cliff Richard, Alvin Stardust (Shape Fenton), l0cc, Fourmost, Billy J Kramer, Gary Glitter, Slade, The Who, Brian Poole & the Tremeloes, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Nashville Teens, The Hollies, Manfred Mann and Dave Berry S Frith 1981:76 Ibid., p.266 New Statesman, September 1983 F Vermorel and J Vermorel 1978:154 The best discussion so far is in S Frith 1978 Unfortunately this is somewhat curtailed in the revised edition—S Frith 1981 D Hebdige 1979:73–99 Phil Cohen, quoted in D Hebdige 1979:77 John Clarke in T Jefferson et al (eds.) 1975:179 D Hebdige 1979:81 John Clarke in T Jefferson et al (eds.) 1975:179 Angela McRobbie, ‘Settling Accounts With Sub-cultures: A Feminist Critique’, in T Bennett et al (eds.) 1981:111–23 Ibid., p.117 The End Of Music, 1982:1 Anon W Benjamin 1973b:87 Ibid., p.87 Greil Marcus in J Miller (ed.) 1980:452 G Nowell-Smith, ‘Introduction To Julia Kristeva’s “Signifying Practice And Mode of Production”’, in Edinburgh Film Festival Magazine, 1976:60 R Barthes 1975:14 Index Abba 3, 10–11, 41, 73, 74, 87, 92, 158 Ace 17 Adam and the Ants 59, 64, 66, 95, 151, 157, 162 Adorno, Theodor 96–98 Advert, Gaye 110, 115, 116, 126 Adverts, The v, 33, 62, 70, 110 Alternative TV 28, 53, 62, 71, 79, 110, 137, 146 Altman, Billy 23 A&M Records 45, 145, 184 Angelic Upstarts 64, 88, 108, 151, 156 Apple Records 27 Ari Up 66, 115–117, 123, 124 Au Pairs 161 Bangs, Lester 150 Barthes, Roland 36, 57, 60, 71, 75, 82, 84, 96–97, 100–101, 177, 178–179 Bay City Rollers 11, 12, 26, 45 BBC 19, 48, 50, 59, 86, 94–95, 141 Beach Boys 12, 13 Beatles 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 26, 36, 41, 45, 46, 57, 58, 60, 67, 70, 78 Bees Make Honey 16, 17 Beggars Banquet 20, 29, 65 Benjamin, Walter 96–99, 101–102, 173–174 Berry, Chuck 78, 109, 155, 162 Bickerton, Wayne 14, 16 Birch, Ian 144, 151 Blackhill Enterprises 15 Blondie 162 Bondage, Beki 66, 156 Boney M 47 Boomtown Rats 62, 74, 162 Bowie, David 11, 12, 36–38, 74, 81, 100, 105, 117, 154 Brecht, Bertolt 100, 174 Brinsley Schwarz 17, 18 Bruce, Lenny 23 Burchill, Julie 112, 117, 143, 149, 151 Bushell, Garry 143, 151, 156–157 Bush, Kate 111, 115, 118 Buzzcocks, The 61, 62, 74, 95, 173 Cale, John 108 Camp 37 Captain Sensible 66, 108, 117 Carroll, Ted 20 Carson, Tom 76 Cartel, The 29 Carter, Angela 164 CBS Records 10, 29, 45 Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (Birmingham) 150, 153 Charles, Tina 12, 87 Chelsea 43, 64 Chic 12 Chiswick Records 18, 20, 27, 29, 65 Christgau, Robert 77, 79–80, 110, 113, 114, 159, 168 Chrysalis Records 27, 45, 46 Clapton, Eric 154 209 210 | One Chord Wonders Clash, The 18, 34, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41–42, 43, 44, 53, 61, 63, 74–75, 77, 80, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 103, 110, 114, 121, 122, 123, 130–131, 151, 153, 158–159, 161–162, 173, 179 Collis, John 145, 149 Cook, Paul 35 Coon, Caroline 24, 107, 145 Cooper, Alice 34, 35, 37, 76, 108, 117 Cooper Clarke, John 45 Copeland, Miles 28, 29–30, 33 Cornwell, Hugh 104, 106, 107, 114, 145 Cortinas, The 29, 61 Costello, Elvis 17, 46 Count Bishops, The 20 Crass 157 Cribbins, Bernard 38 Cubitt, Sean 100–101 Dada 97–98, 173 Damned, The 18, 20, 34, 39, 40–41, 61–62, 63, 74, 77–78, 88, 92–93, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 114, 136, 151, 157 Dead Kennedys, The 63, 107 Decca Records 9, 10, 11, 16 Derelicts, The 18, 44 Desperate Bicycles, The 28, 32, 59, 77 disco music 12, 47 discourse 5–6, 21, 60–62, 94, 142, 145–148 discursive formation 6–7, 94, 120, 141–144, 147, 175 Doctors of Madness 14, 25 Donovan 41 Dr Feelgood 17, 18, 24, 109 Ducks DeLuxe 18 Duran Duran 152 Dury, Ian 17, 18, 38, 46 Dylan, Bob 41, 44, 73, 87, 88, 89, 91 Eagleton, Terry 93–94 Eddie and the Hot Rods 18, 24, 61, 109 Electric Prunes 22, 58 Ellis, John 111 ELO 12 EMI Records 7, 9–10, 11, 16, 19, 27, 29, 31, 32, 45, 48–50, 146 Essex, David 15 Exploited, The 73, 151, 153, 156 Factory Records 28, 65, 163, 173 fanzines 23, 24–25, 27, 65 Fast Product 28, 65, 163 Ferry, Bryan 41 Fife, Fay 74, 115, 123, 127 Fleetwood Mac 11 Foucault, Michel 5–6 4-Skins 151, 156 Frith, Simon 74, 94, 168 Gang of Four 99, 152, 163 Garnham, Nicholas 31–33 Generation X 34, 53, 62 Genesis 12 geno-song 71–72, 100–101, 177 Gillett, Charlie 17, 20, 28 Glitter, Gary 66, 76, 114 Good Vibrations Records 27, 29, 65 Grateful Dead 23, 58 Green, Derek 145 Grundy, Bill 1, 48–50, 71, 173 Haarma, Jukka Haley, Bill 33, 51, 57, 73, 77, 78, 107 Harron, Mary 110 Harry, Deborah 145, 162 Harvest Records 27, 45 Heartfield, John 86, 174 Heavy Metal Kids 14 Hebdige, Dick 4, 43–44, 116, 118–120, 151, 160, 164, 170 Hell’s Angels 119 Hendrix, Jimi 77, 109 Hiwatt, Susan 109 Hoggart, Richard 72 Holly, Buddy 77, 101 Human League 161, 163 Index | 211 Idol, Billy 66, 172 Iggy Pop 22, 37, 107 Island Records 27 Jackson, Michael 10 Jagger, Mick 82, 100 Jam, The 61, 143, 162 Jenner, Peter 15 John, Elton 12, 40 Jones, Allen 118 Jones, Mick 103 Jones, Steve 49, 107, 109 jouissance 100–101, 178–179 Joy Division 62–63, 109, 158, 163 Kelleher, Dan 18, 44 Kilburn and the High Roads 18 Kingsmen, The 22 Kristeva, Julia 177–178 K-Tel Records 13 Laker, Freddie 29–30 Landau, Jon 104 Last, Bob 28 Lawrence, D.H 147 Led Zeppelin 11 leisure apparatus 7, 94, 174–175 Lennon, John 34, 38, 42, 67, 73, 76, 89, 95, 168 Lewis, Jerry Lee 73, 77, 80 London SS 34, 62 Lowe, Nick 17, 18, 20, 46 Lydon, John See Johnny Rotten Manilow, Barry 106 Marcus, Greil 1, 159, 174 Mark P See Perry, Mark Matlock, Glen 48–49, 61 MC5 22, 34, 77 McCartney, Paul 12, 31, 41, 67, 73 McGuire, Barry 42 McLaren, Malcolm 35, 44, 114, 121, 164, 173, 174 McRobbie, Angela 171 Mekons, The 77, 110 Melody Maker 14, 24, 26, 56, 143, 144, 188, 201, 202, 204, 205, 206 Merseybeat 17, 52, 104 Mitchell, Joni 23, 95 mods 4, 150, 170, 171 Monkees, The 58 Moody Blues, The 23, 26 Moore, Scotty 77, 78 moral panic 48 Most, Mickie 19 Mothers of Invention 23 Mulvey, Laura 100 Murray, Pauline 115 Murvin, Junior 53 Nashville, The 18 Newley, Anthony 38, 74 Newman, Randy 81, 82, 100, 101 New Musical Express 142, 143, 146, 149, 151, 157 new wave music 51, 143, 152 New York Dolls 22, 34–35, 37, 62, 77, 79, 162 Notting Hill Carnival 43 Numan, Gary 29 Ochs, Phil 161 ‘Oi’ music 113, 151, 156–157, 159, 160 Oldfield, Mike 12, 23 101ers 18 Oval Records 20 Parsons, Tony 112, 117, 143, 146, 149, 151 Paxton, Tom 26 Penetration 63, 115 Penman, Ian 117 Perry, Mark 5, 18, 23–24, 25–26, 28, 36, 53, 71, 74, 96, 110, 137, 139, 144, 145–146 pheno-song 71–73, 75, 82, 100, 177 212 | One Chord Wonders Phonogram Records 27, 45 Pink Floyd 12, 59, 64, 108 plaisir 100, 178 pogo 47, 79, 104, 106, 112–113, 122 Poison Girls 157 Police 28, 53, 68, 152, 162 Polydor Records 29, 45 PolyGram Records 10 polysemy 6, 179 Poly Styrene 53, 58, 66, 70, 74, 78, 111, 115, 127, 128 positive punk 151, 157, 160 post-punk 160–161 Presley, Elvis 56, 67, 101, 107, 159, 161, 172 progressive rock 12 Public Image Limited (PIL) 149, 152, 160 pub rock 16–21, 114 Pursey, Jimmy 64, 123, 135, 153–156, 173 Queen 16, 75 radio 47–48 Raincoats, The 101, 161 Rak Records 19 Ramones 34, 57, 62, 75, 76, 80, 151, 162 Rastafarianism 53, 171 Raw Records 20, 65 R&B, British 17, 52 RCA Records 9, 10 Reddington, Helen vii Reed, Lou 37 reggae 53–54 Reynolds, Simon vii Rezillos, The 20, 115 Richard, Cliff 57–58, 65, 66 Richards, Keith 24 Richardson, Barry 16 Robinson, Dave 20 Robinson, Tom 162, 179 Rock Against Racism 154, 173 Rolling Stone 23, 112, 159 Rolling Stones 17, 46, 50, 58, 81–82, 87, 161, 162, 172 Rotten, Johnny ( John Lydon) 3, 24, 34, 36–37, 38, 49, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75, 85, 101, 104, 105, 107, 114, 143, 145, 146, 149, 152, 160, 176, 177 Rough Trade 20, 29, 30, 65, 163 Ruts, The 74, 107 Saints, The 45 Sargent, Malcolm 33 Savage, Jon vii Scabies, Rat 66 Scritti Politti 27–28, 160, 161 semiology 2–3, 4, 6, 60 Sensational Alex Harvey Band 34 Sensible Records 20 Sex Pistols 1, 7, 14, 18, 21, 22, 24, 33, 34, 35, 39, 41, 44, 48, 50, 52, 53, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 67, 68, 71, 75, 79, 84, 87, 90, 91, 94, 95, 101, 103, 104, 107, 109, 112, 114, 121, 123, 132–134, 137, 142, 145, 146, 149, 151–152, 153, 158, 159, 160, 173, 174, 176 Sham 69 64, 69, 83, 90–91, 151, 153–156 Shaw, Greg 23, 159 shock-effect 5, 96–99, 101, 121, 152, 171, 173, 176–177 Simon, Paul 41 Sinatra, Frank 107 Siouxsie and the Banshees 37, 49, 62, 66, 86, 91, 103, 111–112, 114–117, 119, 145, 151, 157, 174 Situationism 44, 173 skinheads 4, 153–156, 170 Slade 35, 38, 76, 89 Slik 16 Slits, The 53, 63, 90, 115, 117, 124, 161 Sire Records 45 Small Faces 34 Small Wonder Records 29, 65 Sniffin’ Glue 5, 18, 23, 25–26, 27, 33, 34, 47, 51, 55, 65, 75, 96, 120, 139, 145, 146, 151 Sontag, Susan 37 Index | 213 Sounds 143, 145, 146, 149, 151, 153 Southern Death Cult 151, 157 Specials, The 162 Springsteen, Bruce 162 Squeeze 29, 46 Step Forward Records 28, 29, 53 Stevens, Cat 23 Stewart, Al 95 Stewart, Rod 11, 41, 59 Stiff Little Fingers 62, 88 Stiff Records 18–20, 27, 29, 64 Stooges, The 22, 34, 37 Stranglers, The 18, 21, 24, 36, 39, 40–41, 45, 53, 61, 71, 76, 77, 82–83, 91, 95, 99, 106, 106–107, 114, 122, 123, 134, 143, 161 Strummer, Joe 18, 38, 44, 66, 75, 95, 103, 104, 144 subculture 51, 73, 150, 164, 170–171 See also youth subculture Suburban Studs 61, 63, 108 Subway Sect 108 Supertramp 42 Swansong Records 27 Sweet 34 Tagg, Philip 3, 11, 70, 73 Taylor, James 23 teds 4, 35, 104, 143, 160, 170, 171 teenybopper music 12, 26, 69, 77 Thatcher, Margaret 30 Third World War 42 Threshold Records 26, 27 Throbbing Gristle 61, 65, 110 Times, The 43 Tom Robinson Band 45 Top Of The Pops 52, 94, 141 Townshend, Pete 80, 109, 146, 168 T Rex 16, 35 Troggs, The 22 TV albums 13 UB40 162, 163 Undertones, The 45 United Artists Records 45 Vanian, Dave 108 Vanilla, Cherry 112, 115 Velvet Underground 22, 37, 58–59, 64, 79 Vertigo Records 27 Vibrators, The 39, 40, 45, 61, 62, 74, 87, 88, 92, 151 Vicious, Sid 57, 61, 66, 67, 79, 112, 119, 133, 169 Virgin Records 27, 45, 46, 50, 51, 61 Warhol, Andy 22 WEA Records 10, 11, 29, 45 Westwood, Vivienne 114, 116, 164 Who Put The Bomp 23, 159 Who, The 14, 34, 77, 80, 155, 162 Willis, Ellen 22 Willis, Paul 113, 168 Wilson, Tony 28, 44, 173 X-Ray Spex 53, 74, 77, 85–86 XTC 57 Yes 12, 23 youth subculture 4, 151, 153, 164–165, 170 Zappa, Frank 24, 51 ZigZag 27 Zoom Records 20, 65 About PM Press politics • culture • art • fiction • music • film PM Press was founded at the end of 2007 by a small collection of folks with decades of publishing, media, and organizing experience PM Press co-conspirators have published and distributed hundreds of books, pamphlets, CDs, and DVDs Members of PM have founded enduring book fairs, spearheaded victorious tenant organizing campaigns, and worked closely with bookstores, academic conferences, and even rock bands to deliver political and challenging ideas to all walks of life We’re old enough to know what we’re doing and young enough to know what’s at stake We seek to create radical and stimulating fiction and nonfiction books, pamphlets, T-shirts, visual and audio materials to entertain, educate, and inspire you We aim to distribute these through every available channel with every available technology, whether that means you are seeing anarchist classics at our bookfair stalls; reading our latest vegan cookbook at the café; downloading geeky fiction e-books; or digging new music and timely videos from our website Contact us for direct ordering and questions about all PM Press releases, as well as manuscript submissions, review copy requests, foreign rights sales, author interviews, to book an author for an event, and to have PM Press attend your bookfair: PM Press • PO Box 23912 • Oakland, CA 94623 510-658-3906 • info@pmpress.org Buy books and stay on top of what we are doing at: www.pmpress.org FOPM MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM These are indisputably momentous times—the financial system is melting down globally and the Empire is stumbling Now more than ever there is a vital need for radical ideas In the seven years since its founding—and on a mere shoestring—PM Press has risen to the formidable challenge of publishing and distributing knowledge and entertainment for the struggles ahead With over 300 releases to date, we have published an impressive and stimulating array of literature, art, music, politics, and culture Using every available medium, we’ve succeeded in connecting those hungry for ideas and information to those putting them into practice Friends of PM allows you to directly help impact, amplify, and revitalize the discourse and actions of radical writers, filmmakers, and artists It provides us with a stable foundation from which we can build upon our early successes and provides a muchneeded subsidy for the materials that can’t necessarily pay their own way You can help make that happen—and receive every new title automatically delivered to your door once a month—by joining as a Friend of PM Press And, we’ll throw in a free T-Shirt when you sign up Here are your options: • $30 a month: Get all books and pamphlets plus 50% discount on all webstore purchases • $40 a month: Get all PM Press releases (including CDs and DVDs) plus 50% discount on all webstore purchases • $100 a month: Superstar—Everything plus PM merchandise, free downloads, and 50% discount on all webstore purchases For those who can’t afford $30 or more a month, we’re introducing Sustainer Rates at $15, $10, and $5 Sustainers get a free PM Press T-shirt and a 50% discount on all purchases from our website Your Visa or Mastercard will be billed once a month, until you tell us to stop Or until our efforts succeed in bringing the revolution around Or the financial meltdown of Capital makes plastic redundant Whichever comes first Punk Rock An Oral History John Robb Introduction by Henry Rollins $19.95 • 8.5x5.5 • 584 Pages ISBN: 978-1-60486-005-4 With its own fashion, culture, and chaotic energy, punk rock boasted a do-it-yourself ethos that allowed anyone to take part Vibrant and volatile, the punk scene left an extraordinary legacy of music and cultural change John Robb talks to many of those who cultivated the movement, such as John Lydon, Lemmy, Siouxsie Sioux, Mick Jones, Chrissie Hynde, Malcolm McLaren, Henry Rollins, and Glen Matlock, weaving together their accounts to create a raw and unprecedented oral history of UK punk All the main players are here: from The Clash to Crass, from The Sex Pistols to the Stranglers, from the UK Subs to Buzzcocks—over 150 interviews capture the excitement of the most thrilling wave of rock ’n’ roll pop culture ever Ranging from its widely debated roots in the late 1960s to its enduring influence on the bands, fashion, and culture of today, this history brings to life the energy and the anarchy as no other book has done Burning Britain The History of UK Punk 1980-1984 Ian Glasper $24.95 • 9x6 • 456 Pages ISBN: 978-1-60486-748-0 As the Seventies drew to a close and the media declared punk dead and buried, a whole new breed of band was emerging from the gutter Harder and faster than their ’76–’77 predecessors, not to mention more aggressive and political, the likes of Discharge, the Exploited, and G.B.H were to prove not only more relevant but arguably just as influential Several years in the making and featuring hundreds of new interviews and photographs, Burning Britain is the true story of the UK punk scene from 1980 to 1984 told for the first time by the bands and record labels that created it Covering the country region by region, author Ian Glasper profiles legendary bands like Vice Squad, Angelic Upstarts, Blitz, Anti-Nowhere League, Cockney Rejects, and the UK Subs as well as the more obscure groups like Xtract, The Skroteez, and Soldier Dolls .. .ONE CHORD WONDERS Power and Meaning in Punk Rock Dave Laing Foreword by TV Smith One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock © Dave Laing... Essex, Uriah Heep, Elton John and the Rolling Stones, who were even visited backstage by Princess Margaret 16 | One Chord Wonders In so far as anyone was concerned seriously about the future of... called (in Chapter 4) the ‘punk look’ This contrast is a crucial one which I believe explains the critical attitude of One Chord Wonders to any notion of a punk ‘subculture’ separated from some