gavreid
Pretty Words...
He's something worth arguing over
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/09/the-clash-40-greatest-songs-ranked
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/09/the-clash-40-greatest-songs-ranked
He's something worth arguing over
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/09/the-clash-40-greatest-songs-ranked
A lot of the best punk is fast distorted bog-standard rock! The thing with the MC5 is the political backdrop, the involvement of John Sinclair, the connection to the Black Panthers and the civil rights movement and more extreme counterculture of that era. Bands like The Clash, Crass etc certainly learned a lot from them. Obviously a huge influence on Patti Smith (married to the late Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith) too.
Kick Out The Jams is not an album I play that often, but it is certainly one I’d never sell (I was lucky to stumble over a really nice (uncensored) US original for very little money). It deserves its place in rock history IMO as there was nothing quite like it beforehand and it influenced a lot that came later, as all great albums should. Its one of those albums you’ll always find in punk, new-wave and indie band’s record collections along with VU, Stooges, Can, Bowie etc. There is a very good MC5 documentary film somewhere, and predictably I’ve forgotten what is called, but it documents their part in all the riots and everything that was blowing up at the time.
I would class myself as a skate-punk, my first wife and I were punk/new wave kids and both had mohicans (pink and orange) but we enjoyed american punk as well, D.K. Black Flag stuff. I was waiting to see if the US punk scene would get a mention, but it was generally London/South viewpoint. (no surprise given Packhams teenage haunts)
Saw it when it was broadcast. Chris Packham is an interesting guy and there is much to admire about him, other than he didn't have a singalong with his old band in the pub.Jack