Did UK Punk hit America?
- Walk In My Shadow
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Did UK Punk hit America?
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.
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?
The Pistols certainly toured there. They played their last ever gig (till the reunion) in Texas (I think).
(Just checked. It was San Francisco).
(Just checked. It was San Francisco).
Bugger off.
- The Prof
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
San Francisco's Winterland, January 1978
- Jumper K
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
The Damned played CBGBs in 1977.
I don’t think any of them were successful or sold any records. Except The Clash.
I don’t think any of them were successful or sold any records. Except The Clash.
Last edited by Jumper K on 20 Apr 2021, 12:09, edited 1 time in total.
- The Prof
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
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.
- Walk In My Shadow
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
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?
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.
Bugger off.
- Walk In My Shadow
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
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.
Gabba! Gabba! Hey!
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- GoogaMooga
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
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?
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?
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?
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.
If only they had managed to call Larry King a dirty old man. They would have been huge !!
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
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?
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?
I hope Charlie Harper made a few quid when Guns & Roses covered Down on the Farm.
- pcqgod
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Re: Did UK Punk hit America?
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?
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?
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.
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?
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.
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck