Musik Express Staff. "Punk Scene in London." Musik Express, no. 11, Nov. 1977, pp. 32-34
Punk Scene in London
— Musik Express surveys London's punk explosion, profiling key bands like Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Stranglers dominating the UK charts, Sex Pistols' controversial rise with God Save The Queen hitting #1 despite radio bans and label dropouts
— The Stranglers' Rattus Norvegicus as a top-selling album blending punk aggression with Doors-like organ textures, art-punk experimentation (Ultravox!) with working-class anthems (The Clash's White Riot) and pub rock roots (Graham Parker). Emerging acts: Boomtown Rats' Stones-inspired swagger, Generation X's Your Generation parody, and Elvis Costello's unlikely success
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Musik Express
No. 11 November 77 DM 2.50 ÖS 20 SFR 2.80 DKR 7.20
Three hard-hitting colour pages: London
Musik Express | 11 November 77 | Page 32 & Page 33 & Page 34
Punk Scene in London
For a year now, punk rock has been making headlines. The music scene in England has radically changed since then: in America, Germany, France, Sweden and other countries, a similar development is currently taking shape. Meanwhile, in Great Britain and especially in London, new punk and New Wave groups are still springing up like mushrooms. Many of them are also reaching the charts relatively quickly with their first records. The Musik Express now presents the most important and successful English bands of the new wave. The overview is certainly not complete – names like Stinky Toys, 999, XCT are missing. But the printed photos and profiles will hopefully still make it easier to find your way in the burgeoning New Wave jungle.
The showpiece of the punk movement remains the Sex Pistols. Singer Johnny Rotten (photo top left), bassist Sid Vicious, drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones faced the strongest backlash from the rock establishment attacked by the punks, as well as from the narrow-minded and boring parent generation: for months they could not perform, and their records were not played on radio or television. Two record companies cancelled their contracts with the band after a short time. Nevertheless, the Pistols reached the Top Thirty with their first single and the Top Ten with the following three records. God Save The Queen reached number one in England, number two in Sweden and also entered the singles charts in Germany.
The Sex Pistols play energetic, rage-filled rock with critical lyrics. Their best songs are nonetheless genuine earworms. A big feature on the Pistols appeared in ME 9/77.
The most successful New Wave band so far are The Stranglers, who enrich their raw street music with complex soundscapes of organ and guitar, often reminiscent of The Doors. Their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus, stayed in the British Top Ten for half a year and is one of the year’s bestsellers. The second LP, No More Heroes, released just a few weeks ago, had already been ordered 62,000 times before its release. The Stranglers (see also ME 8/77) are Hugh Cornwell (guitar, photo middle left), Jean Jacques Burnel (bass), Dave Greenfield (keyboards) and Jet Black (drums).
The Boomtown Rats have learned a lot from the Rolling Stones, and are one of the most intelligent and musically fascinating New Wave groups (see Long-players). Their track Looking After Number One is a classic rocking number and could also be successful here. The Rats (photo bottom left) come from Ireland and play in the line-up Bob Geldof (vocals), Simon Crowe (drums), Johnny Fingers (keyboards), Garry Cott (guitar), Garry Roberts (guitar) and Pete Briquette (bass).
Very avant-garde, artful New Wave collages were included on the debut album by Ultravox! (apart from John Foxx, also Steve Shears, guitar; Warren Cann, drums; Billy Currie, keyboards, violin; Chris Cross, bass). In the Federal Republic, Ultravox! became known through several television appearances.
Juicy rhythm & blues, condensed into first-class songs with rousing arrangements, is the speciality of Graham Parker & The Rumour. The band forms a link between the former unsuccessful British pub rock scene and the new rock wave. Parker (photo bottom half right), who has also had success in the USA, is today considered one of the best rock singers of all.
Hard, unpolished, straightforward punk is played by Generation X (photo top left). Their single Your Generation ironically picks up on the Who song My Generation.
Very rounded, catchy and rock’n’roll-oriented songs are on the debut album by Elvis Costello (photo top right). The good Elvis, an absolute anti-type in the New Wave scene with his appearance, managed to place high in the British charts and has the makings of becoming one of the great creative rock interpreters of the coming years.
Fast, loud and hectic is the punk racket of The Damned (photo bottom right). On all their records there are no nuances and no virtuosity, just unrestrained, raw power. Their first LP was a big seller in England and a small but notable success in Germany. The group consists of Brian James (guitar), Rat Scabies (drums), Dave Vanian (vocals), Captain Sensible (bass) and Lu (guitar). Influenced by Roxy Music was Ultravox, the band around singer John Foxx. The veterans of punk, so to speak, are Dr. Feelgood (photo p. 34, top left). Like The Rumour, they draw heavily on rhythm & blues and are also a phenomenal live band. So far they have released five LPs. Current line-up: John Mayo (guitar), Lee Brilleaux (vocals), John Martin (drums) and John B. Sparks (bass).
Following a great role model, The Who, The Jam emulate them in both sound and in their stage clothing and stage acrobatics. The first long-player by Paul Weller (vocals, guitar), Bruce Foxton (bass) and Rick Buckler contains a few very good, fresh songs, especially the title track, In The City.
Eddie & The Hot Rods – now simply called The Rods – are among the first wave of punk bands and have now become quite commercial. Singer Barry Masters (photo middle) rose to girls’ idol status, yet the band’s singles kept getting better. In their lyrics, The Rods proved to be a credible mouthpiece for youth. The programmatic title of their debut LP: Teenage Depression.
Musically at least, The Clash belong to the hard punk core. The pointed, political commentary on the present carried by the unpolished, hard Clash music is seen by many other punk interpreters as an insincere, trendy pose. Nevertheless, singer Joe Strummer, guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon were fully accepted by audiences with songs like White Riot, London’s Burning or Police & Thieves and catapulted into the top group of the LP charts.
Musik Express | 11 November 77