Did UK Punk hit America?

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Walk In My Shadow
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Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Walk In My Shadow » 20 Apr 2021, 10:09

More of a question to our U.S. brothers and sisters.

Except for the Clash and the odd single here and there, I've never been a big fan of the phenomenon.

But did bands like the aforementioned, Damned, Pistols and their ilk ever toured the States or sold in big numbers?

I'm curious.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Rorschach » 20 Apr 2021, 11:02

The Pistols certainly toured there. They played their last ever gig (till the reunion) in Texas (I think).

(Just checked. It was San Francisco).
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby The Prof » 20 Apr 2021, 11:57

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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Jumper K » 20 Apr 2021, 12:04

The Damned played CBGBs in 1977.
I don’t think any of them were successful or sold any records. Except The Clash.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby The Prof » 20 Apr 2021, 12:08

Depends on what you mean by big numbers. You'd probably have to wait 4 or 5 years for U2 to ride on the punk coat tails for sizable gigs and sales.

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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Walk In My Shadow » 20 Apr 2021, 12:28

Jumper K wrote:The Damned played CBGBs in 1977.
I don’t think any of them were successful or sold any records. Except The Clash.



That's my feeling as well.


Also, I think US Punk is very different from the UK equivalent.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Rorschach » 20 Apr 2021, 12:49

Walk In My Shadow wrote:

Also, I think US Punk is very different from the UK equivalent.


Hell, yes. Apart from some elements the Brits copied from Richard Hell and the New York Dolls, they were totally different beasts.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Walk In My Shadow » 20 Apr 2021, 12:50

Rorschach wrote:
Walk In My Shadow wrote:

Also, I think US Punk is very different from the UK equivalent.


Hell, yes. Apart from some elements the Brits copied from Richard Hell and the New York Dolls, they were totally different beasts.




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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby GoogaMooga » 20 Apr 2021, 12:52

Also US punk started at least a year before UK punk broke. In fact, if you include the first wave, you can trace US punk back to the Monks in 1966, followed by the Stooges in 1967.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby BARON CORNY DOG » 20 Apr 2021, 13:54

I think people who were open to it and tuned into things had their chances to see the punk greats. But the United States is so huge, with so many different media markets, so it was very difficult to create the kind of hothouse media frenzy that happens in the UK. It would've taken a much greater investment of time, energy, and money than any of those bands or their backers could have given at the time.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Mike Boom » 20 Apr 2021, 14:28

I would say it was more the so called New Wave acts that hit America harder, the Police, Costello Pretenders , Squeeze etc followed by the electronic pop of Eurythmics, Duran Duran etc

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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby jimboo » 20 Apr 2021, 15:37

Dr. Baron wrote:I think people who were open to it and tuned into things had their chances to see the punk greats. But the United States is so huge, with so many different media markets, so it was very difficult to create the kind of hothouse media frenzy that happens in the UK. It would've taken a much greater investment of time, energy, and money than any of those bands or their backers could have given at the time.


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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby harvey k-tel » 20 Apr 2021, 15:39

I remember a window display for "Never Mind The Bollocks" at the local record store in my sleepy town on the Ontario/Quebec border. I was 8 and thought it was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Mike Boom » 20 Apr 2021, 16:16


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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Jumper K » 20 Apr 2021, 16:52

I think the likes of Discharge, Chaos, GBH etc had a bigger influence on the nascent US hardcore scene.

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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby The Prof » 20 Apr 2021, 16:55

I hope Charlie Harper made a few quid when Guns & Roses covered Down on the Farm.

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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby pcqgod » 20 Apr 2021, 19:43

Punk basically bombed with mainstream America. I remember trying to find Ramones and Sex Pistols albums in stores in small-town Texas and people would just look at you strangely for asking. Punk bands didn't get played on the radio. I was about one of four kids in my entire high school who even knew what punk was.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Six String » 20 Apr 2021, 20:58

Yeah, I think punk was a big city thing much like many movements. It slowly worked itself towards the middle of the country but it lost steam before it got anywhere close to popular in a big way.
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby Hightea » 21 Apr 2021, 15:40

:lol: :lol: Well If you lived in my home you would have thought we were British. My older brother was Punk fan and spent endless nights at CBGB's and other clubs. He was a NY Dolls., Television, Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie etc fanboy. When the Uk punk scene hit he bought them all. He was at one of those 77 Damned CBGB's shows. Remember him playing that album for weeks, hated it back then. The sex pistols only played a few dates in USA and not in NY. He became a big Stiff records guy.

As far as Uk punk in America I think it was mostly a big city thing in America. Although Elvis Costello and The Clash made it pretty big. The radio stations in NYC played Elvis and The Clash all the time. Some other Uk punk but not as much. Of course NY punk was played all the time Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, Television. I always thought some of the New Wave bands made it sort of big in America. Certainly Blondie, Talking Heads.

The later hardcore Punk movement was very underground.

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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?

Postby GoogaMooga » 21 Apr 2021, 19:12

But hardcore punk was every bit as big in America as it was in the UK. In fact, I think the straight edge movement originated in America.
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