The Phenomenon That Is Punk Rock Andersen Skeels
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THE PHENOMENON THAT IS PUNK ROCK ANDERSEN SKEELS JUNIOR DIVISION HISTORICAL PAPER 2,499 WORDS WELL, WE KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOING There has always been music that has been considered revolutionary, whether it be the Elvis’s “race music”, to the British Invasion, to psychedelia, but no genre has transcended the influence that punk had over the youth. But like all other genre this one brought triumph and tragedies. At the time, punk was seen as a bad thing to like, an offensive and crude genre. Many gigs were violent and quite a few punk stars died, like Sid and Nancy, Darby Crash, and Ian Curtis. However, people came to embrace the change that punk brought to rock music, and is regarded as a very influential moment in rock’s history. GARAGES OF THE WORLD, UNITE AND TAKE OVER 1958 - 1966 Punk may have blown up in the 70’s, but it had a previous form, garage rock, which comes from the then popular genres of the late 50’s: rock ‘n’ roll, surf, and instrumental rock. A notable example is Link Wray’s 1958 “Rumble” (Wray also innovated the power chord, which would be used extensively by punks). The locational origin of garage rock is undoubtedly American; Lester Bangs, famed punk critic, claims that it started in the Pacific Northwest. Not more than a year after “Rumble”, garage rock was in the national spotlight: the Frantics and the Wailers, both from Tacoma, Washington. In 1963, however, is when it really broke out. This year saw the release of the most recognizable garage rock song: “Louie, Louie”, written by Richard Berry in 1955 and covered by the Kingsmen of Portland, Oregon. It included the basics of punk - three rhythm chords, one pounding beat, even one screaming singer. In fact, an FBI investigation was brought upon “Louie Louie” because no one could understand what he was saying, and was therefore assumed the song contained profanities. “Louie Louie” was easy-to-play and had danceable energy that spawned thousands who wished to replicate it. If you threw pins at a map, there was a band. From the Chessmen of Denton, Texas, to the Fifth Estate of Stamford, Connecticut, to the Cryan’ Shames of Chicago, to Paul Revere and the Raiders of Boise, Idaho. Even the Pulsating Heartbeats, of Anchorage, Alaska. One genre, although, cannot stay the same forever, which was what musicians learned by the British Invasion. Many bands became warped by the arrival of the Beatles, Britain’s new pop sensation, the Kinks, the Who, the Rolling Stones and the Animals, which stayed closer to the basic garage platform. Added to three chords were tricks and details in the melodies, intricate rhythms, and generally more of a dramatic flair. Example: the Who’s “My Generation” (1965), which seems to be just another rock song, but upon further listening, you can hear complexities unheard in previous garage tunes. Another sample is Dave Davies’ noisy guitar solo on the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” (1964). Come 1966, an even newer style was incorporating itself into music: psychedelia. Like the infectiousness of garage rock, it spread like “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”. In October that same year, an early peek into the future of garage was released: The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. Listening to their own “You’re Gonna Miss Me”, the power of garage rock can be heard, but it’s tweaked with psychedelic methods. And that’s how it played out. It was easy to see that garage rock was turning into something different - only so much can be made from three chords. What became of psychedelic rock were bands who strayed heavily from rock ‘n’ roll, which frustrated some musicians with the lack of rock and the abundance of acid. Two people were Lou Reed and John Cale, founders of the Velvet Underground. While they didn’t succeed instantly, in the long run, they influenced thousands while flower power crashed and burned. And they only used two chords. UNDERGROUND SOUND 1964 - 1970 Lou Reed was just out of college and not one of the great writers of the world, which believe me, was very frustrating for him. The chance did come in 1964 when he was offered a job at Pickwick City Records in New York, a budget rip-off label dedicated to the pop craft. REed got to work and wrote “The Ostrich”, a song about a fictional dance craze that included standing on your head. Anticipating the song’s success, executives created a band of Reed, Tony Conrad, Walter De Maria, and John Cale. They would be called the Primitives. The single’s chart performances were a flop, but that didn’t mean it was the end of Reed and Cale’s collaborations. Cale moved into an apartment on 56 Ludlow Street along with one of Reed’s college buddies, Sterling Morrison. In order to get a band started, they acquired the drumming talents of Angus MacLise. They were first the Falling Spikes. Then the Warlocks. Finally, Sterling Morrison found a book called The Velvet Underground by Michael Leigh. He suggested the title be their new name; it fit well with their subject matter. They became what we would know them as. After a few rehearsals, the Velvets finally had their first show: opening at a New Jersey high school for local stars the Myddle Class on December 11th, 1965. Hours before the show, MacLise quit - he thought they were selling out by playing for pay. They were saved by a last minute realization made by Morrison, who remembered that his friend’s sister, Maureen “Moe” Tucker, played drums. With the new lineup, they were now prepared to really rock it. After three twisted and raw originals, the crowd was literally rioting against them. The show stopped early for the Velvets. But that didn’t put them down! Residing at Greenwich Village joint Cafe Bizarre, they got spotted by one of Andy Warhol’s (legendary visual artist) associates, Gerard Malanga. He quickly brought them to the attention of Warhol himself, who produced a record and an art show for them. That record, The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967), sold poorly for something produced by someone so famous - approximately 30,000 copies in five years. With the drones of “Venus in Furs”, the cacophony of “European Son”, and, well, “Heroin”, it was definitely no Sgt. Pepper. Cher put it well: “The Velvet Underground won’t replace anything… except maybe suicide.” The rest is Velvet history - first, firing Warhol. The second album, White Light/White Heat (1968). Its feedback-laden noise is the first album to really sound like punk. Firing John Cale. Hiring Doug Yule. The third album, The Velvet Underground (1969), the precise opposite of WL/WH, with slow tunes like “Candy Says” and “Jesus”. And finally, Loaded (1970), the last and most pop-themed Velvet album. Due to decrease of interest in the band, Reed quit in August 1970. The band officially dissolved in ‘73. Although they were gone, they’d been heard, however unlikely it was. A young David Jones picked up a copy of their debut and changed his name to David Bowie. Ian Curtis (Joy Division), Michael Stipe (REM), Bono (U2), David Byrne and Jerry Harrison (both of Talking Heads) all heard their revolutionary sound too. Lou Reed continued to send the Velvet message throughout his solo career: “I am a graduate of Warhol University, and I believe in the power of punk. I want to blow it up.” ...AND THE REST OF THE SCENE 1969 - 1973 Other than just the Velvets, proto-punk was flaring in other parts of the US too. New York Dolls had formed out of the glam rock outfit Actress in March 1972. Their androgynous look led them to popularity in NYC underground clubs; soon enough, their sound spread to England (one Steven Morrissey was a fan). New York Dolls had their self-titled debut out on July 27th, 1973. They released their second, Too Much Too Soon, on May 10th, 1974. Both sold poorly and the Dolls’ record label dropped them. The group disintegrated in 1975. Fear not, however! John Cale went solo after Lou Reed fired him, and produced records too. In ‘72 he was working with the Modern Lovers from Natick, Massachusetts. They had the punky two-chord touch, but wrote lighter songs about driving, being straight, and Pablo Picasso. Out of all those songs, however, they just couldn’t manage to get an album out. There had already been recording sessions with John Cale, so what was happening? Finally, an album was released from those sessions… in 1976. By then, the classic line-up had dispersed. Although Jonathan Richman would gather new Modern Lovers and record with them, the punk sound was gone. And that left Detroit. MC5 was a garage holdover (formed in 1964) that somehow hadn’t been given the psychedelic treatment and had continued to sharpen their edge. Their proto-punk anthem “Kick Out the Jams”, the title track from their debut (1969), has become a classic of the genre. But no one could rival the Stooges. It’s like proto-punk, but frontman Iggy Pop throws up on stage. Their debut, The Stooges, (1969) contains “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, which has become a rock standard. Fun House (1970) incorporates improv themes. Their final album of the 70s, Raw Power (1973), was made after the band’s house was torn down and they had to live in an LA hotel. Meanwhile, New York was making a comeback with Television.