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Punk is a genre with a very flexible definition and could often be referred to as a mindset rather than even a genre of music. It's kind of DIY mindset has sparked that term being thrown around as “Oh that’s so punk,” which ultimately means that something is alternative, innovative or rebellious. There were various stages of this important movement in the rebellious genre/scene. It started off with early stages of proto punk, New York punk, British punk and hardcore. The start of this genre started in the early 1960s and the trend and characteristics of this genre continue and make its way into other styles of music. This essay will discuss the birth and evolution of the genre and analyze, what makes punk, punk?
In the early 1960s was the start of a movement, now referred to as “Proto Punk.” Proto Punk was a movement that started in New York and Detroit and dealt with a certain counterculture of musicians who felt that didn’t fit in with the mainstream music that was being made. It was a very niche market of music and also seemed like it didn’t match with other popularized hippie counterculture. Proto Punk wasn’t really like anything anybody had ever heard. Musicians in these proto punk groups often talked about subjects that were considered to be taboo at the time like drug addiction that led to alienation, and how their overall disgust with themselves as well as their disgust with all society. This mindset definitely conflicted with the previous happy go lucky nature of the neighboring hippy movement throughout the 1960s. Bands that were innovators of this musical movement were the Velvet Underground, The Stooges and the Mc5. These bands all had one thing in common that was their overall sound. Their experimental approach to this music making technique was quite innovative at the time. They often had minimalist production in their music, giving an overall grainy distorted sound to their music. Even though the production was very minimal, they incorporated various feedback, distortion, and white noise. This production was groundbreaking because this form of minimalism was not only an aesthetical choice but used as a reflection with how there were feeling. Between these 3 groups essentially kicking off this new genre, many important albums were created as a result from the experimental proto-punk revolution. The Velvet Underground from New York City, released their debut record in 1967, The Velvet Underground Nico, which paved the way for more bands of the same caliber to become more widely accepted from a critical perspective.Those bands were Iggy Pop’s The Stooges and the MC5, hailing from Detroit, Michigan. All though being cut from the same cloth from thematic standpoint all three groups differed from each other from as far as the way they wanted to play their music. The Velvet Underground’s music tended to be softer, while exploring different amateur recording techniques and overall seedy subject matter. The Stooges and the MC5 tended to have a more garage, heavy hitting, aggressive approach to the way their music sounded, which was clearly displayed on the 1969 releases of The Stooges self titled debut, and the MC5’s debut, Kick Out the Jams. All of these albums are ground breaking in the genre and ultimately paved the way for new punk artists to expand their viewpoints and overall experimental approach to making music.
By the early 1970s, the punk genre was expanded upon, but still using the same approach as was introduced in the 1960s, by The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, and The MC5. This movement was most relevant in New York City, with groups such as the New York Dolls, Patti Smith, The Ramones, Blondie, Richard Hell and the Voidoids and Talking Head. These Groups were quite different from each other but came out around the same time. The scene overall established a new wave of important musicians that further progressed the genre. Places like the CBGB, The Bowery, and Max’s Kansas City were introduced as the hottest clubs at the time. These New York Clubs allowed exposure from these bands and created a scene of people behind it. As far as who defined the scene, there are many bands that were involved but the band who really revolutionized the punk scene in New York, is a band called the New York Dolls. The sound that the New York Dolls created was extremely influential to the scene that was flourishing through New York City. They took influences from the Rolling Stones bluesy sound, with edginess and grit of the Stooges, while also incorporating the gender bending, get ups that were associated with Glam rock. This genre of music took aspects from early proto punk and incorporated different genres. Their self-titled debut album was taking over New York and defined a new sound in music. There were very many other bands that defined this style of punk in New York. Another New York band that was super influential was the Ramones. They were based in the Forest Hills, Queens, and took many themes of the already established sound of the 1960s garage rock, which took minimalist, hard hitting production, combined with a melodic approach. Songs like Blitzkrieg Bop, Now I Wanna Sniff some Glue, and Rockaway Beach were important for the New York punk movement,as far as mainstream success it was lacking at the time, but would eventually get a decent amount of radio play later in their career. They had many albums that expanded on that concept of garage punk rock such as, Leave Home, Russian Rocket, and Road Ruin. With these two bands that dominated the New York Punk scene, they were mainly male. Patti Smith was a strong female figure in this scene. Her music style was very innovative, and came off as very poetic. When she formed her band they recorded her first single, Piss Factory which was deemed the first true punk song at the time. By 1975 she released her first album Horses, was critically praised and had brought even more attention to New York punk, while also adding different innovative features such as different forms of word play with meaningful poetic lyrics, while also having loud noisy characteristics that punk rock records were known for having at the time. Even with all of these bands and the already established sound of the punk scene, it was far expanded on for years on, and the locations expanded as well.
Even with the genre originating in the United States, it eventually made its way to the U.K. It is often a common misconception that Great Britain was the birthplace of punk, with the eventual mainstream success of bands like The Clash and the Sex Pistols. However it was only innovated in the U.K. and provided an interesting bratty type mentality that was also pretty politically driven. This was referred to as the “London Movement.” While early New York punk bands like The Ramones constantly referenced the working class in their music, British punk constantly referred to the economically screwed lower class and the corrupt people who were screwing them and this was a voice for the aggressive british youth. The first british band to do this was the Sex Pistols. This especially was different because the production and instrumentation was even more stripped down and minimal than New York punk. They came out with their first single in 1976 called Anarchy in the U.K. which brought themes of rebellion and political awareness which would be a recurring theme in their songs. Some of those songs included, God Save the Queen, which was banned by the British media, and quite critical of Queen Elizabeth II. They would eventually release their debut album Nevermind the Bollocks in 1977, which was banned on all forms of British media and stirred up complete controversy because of the critique towards politics. The Clash was band that came after the Sex Pistols, that expressed the same level of political critism in their music as they did. Unlike the Sex Pistols, who were nihilistic in their approach to politics, the Clash had an idealistic leftist idelogy. This was quite reflective in their record, London Calling which was released in 1979. Another contrast to the Sex Pistols is the Clash wasn’t as one demential as they were. The Clash pulled many of their influences from a diverse amount of genres such as reggae, rock and roll, dub and rockabilly. These two bands were some of the most influential people in punk, and made way for british punk bands like The Jam, The Buzzcocks, The Damned, The Banshees, and the X-Ray Spex who were notable bands in the music industry that would inspire the next incoming punks.
The British Punk scene had a huge influence on what would follow in the United States years later through the early 80s on. This whole idea of the questioning of authority, definitely resonated with the current class of punks refered to as the “American Hardcore” movement. Washington D.C. was huge a breeding ground for people in this movement. Bands like Bad Brains put D.C. on the map and paved the way for a lot of young musicians to create this rebellious, aggressive music. Bad Brains were a group of very talented African American musicians, who used hardcore punk, as a way to spread a radical political message and an overall postive mind set known as PMA (postive mental attitude). They originally started out as jazz outlet, but found that this wave of U.K. punk would be a more effective way to spread their message. Hardcore tended to have the same formula, which was loud and unapologetic music, that questioned and critized authority. Bad Brains broke those boundaries by incorporating aspects, funk, reggae and jazz into their loud hardcore punk. Their self titled debut was released in 1982 and was critically praised. The Bad Brains influence many people in D.C. who ended up having promising careers while expanding the genre. Two people would be Henry Rollins who would end up being the front man LA hardcore Black Flag and Ian Makaye who would be the front man for D.C. Hardcore band Minor Threat, and post Punk band Fugazi, which were quite successful throughout the 80s. These bands ultimately defined the direction the genre was going in, and how Washington D.C. was now in the running for one of the most important cities for the punk movement. Ian Makaye’s was one of the most important people in hardcore that reigned from D.C. He preached a straight edge, anti drug and alcohol philosophy and alot of that was reflected in their music in songs like Minor Threat and Straight Edge, off their most celebrated album First Two Seven Inches. This set the standard for what the community stood for when it came to their expectations of themselves, and most of the hardcore community practiced this anti drugs and alcohol mindset. Another person who practiced this policy was Henry Rollins, a childhood friend of Mackye in D.C. who would later join California hardcore Black Flag, who were an already established band, who hired Rollins in 1981, where they recorded their first record with Rollins called Damaged which include one of the most important singles Rise Above which contained alot of politically charged content. The Decline of Western Civilization,” a documentary that was popular throughout hardcore fans, ultimately brought important coverage to the hardcore scene and it captured a bunch of different bands in the scene.Bands like Bad Brains, Black Flag, and Minor Threat ultimately paved the way for other groups Misfits, Dead Kennedys Circle Jerks, Fear, and The Germs.
These stages in the development of punk are ultimately among some of the most important in the progression of any genre ever. The evolution of genre shows how creativity came to make way for the progression of something that would have such an impact, societally, politically, and as far as overall effect on music and culture. Even with many considering the heyday of Punk Rock to be over, there is plenty of music to this day that reflects on the effect that punk has had in culture.