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Title: Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution by Stephen Colegrave, Chris Sullivan ISBN: 1-56025-369-X Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: 10 October, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.75 (12 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: For a Pistols Fan, a Priceless Work of Art
Comment: This book does come across as more of a Sex Pistols book, as opposed to the punk book it promises to be. Granted, there are moments in which artists such as The Ramones, The Clash, Blondie, and Siouxie and the Banshees [the horror!] are mentioned. However, such moments are few and far between, and for a fan of all-around punk, these rare moments fade dismally into the background, blatantly overshadowed by the massive amount of Sex Pistols content.
If the reader is a huge fan of the Sex Pistols, this book is a rare and priceless addition to one's collection. There are countless photos of the Pistols which have never before been
seen by the general public, and each of these photos is of superb quality and possesses great artistry. One such photo is the one of Johnny Rotten smoking some 'chalice' in Jamaica. His head is bent downwards, smoke wafting out of his nostrils and surrounding his head; the photo is oddly hypnotic, beautiful, and serene. There are soem early shots of Sid Vicious in which his hair is short, clean, and he looks scarily innocent and well-groomed[!], and also some photos of various early punks such as 'Catwoman' and quite a few shots of Malcolm McLaren that should have been in a different volume entitled "Punk - The Definitive Record of Money-Hungry Mongers."
Overall, the photos of the Sex Pistols make this a must-have for any hardcore Sex Pistols fans.
The text of the book, however, is a different story. Most of the text consists of quotes from photographers and punk clothing entrepreneurs. It would have been nice to read more GOOD quotes by punk artists; many times their quotes were random and easily discarded as unimportant. There are, however, quite a few good quotes by Sid Vicious and Andy Warhol that make up for this. It also would have been an added bonus to have quotes by punk fans,
but oh well.
One page of quotes is about how Sid was accused of murdering Nancy Spungen. Every one of the quotes is a statement of why Sid had to have been innocent; not one of them says he was guilty. I personally believe he was innocent, but the authors should have made the quotes more well-rounded so the reader didn't feel as though a differing opinion was wrong.
To sum the review up, the text of the book is probably a 3/5 stars, leaving some to be desired, though overall it is okay. The photos are exquisite, though most of them are of the Pistols. If you are a hardcore Pistols fan like me who can shell out the dough, this book is more than worth its impossibly heavy weight in gold. However, if you're looking for a more well-rounded history of punk, you should look elsewhere.
Rating: 4
Summary: Yeah, it's pretty vacant, but...
Comment: It's hard to find any real fault in a book like this. It isn't cheap, it doesn't do justice to the politics of the beast, it isn't actually 'definitive,' and yes, it basically belongs to the Pistols. But so did punk, and none of that matters anyways when faced with such a big, bad, monster of a book. Probably as powerful a visual record of the punk movement as we'll ever see. There's no point in even attempting to cover every missed note and torn shirt, but damned if it doesn't try. Don't buy it because you want a guided tour of the era, the text is essentially an afterthought; buy it for the pictures and the great design. Be careful with the paperback version, though; the book is so heavy that, when I moved, the binding basically stayed behind.
Rating: 5
Summary: Punk's Dead - Live With It!
Comment: Most of us whose salvation and saving grace in the late 1970's came in the form of punk rock never thought it would come to this: a coffee table-style book on the genre so large it almost requires a truss to pick up and read. Exploding with stark black-and-white photos, the authors rightfully trace punk's origins back to the Stooges/MC5/Velvet Underground unholy triumvirate and primarily use quotes from musicians, hangers-on, and the fans to tell the story of the music so many thought would change if not the world, then at least the industry. Although an integral part of the whole sordid saga, it would have been nice if the authors had sacrificed some of the space devoted to The Sex Pistols and the Sodom and Gomorrah of punk (New York and London) and examined the scenes in Australia and elsewhere. Nonetheless, despite the small quibble, this is a glorious addition to the library of any music lover, punk or otherwise, and another testimonial to why music in the 70's casts such a huge shadow over everything that's come along since.
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Title: Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain ISBN: 0140266909 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Philosophy of Punk: More Than Noise by Craig O'Hara ISBN: 1873176163 Publisher: AK Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs : The Authorized Autobiography Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols by John Lydon, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman ISBN: 031211883X Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 April, 1995 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond by Jon Savage ISBN: 0312288220 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Punk Rock: So What? by Roger Sabin ISBN: 0415170303 Publisher: Routledge Pub. Date: 01 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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