Ok link, here is a history of punk rock, some recording recommendations, a few links and such. I would suggest for full understanding of my point, to read the lyrics I post, my notes, and then go to the hyperlinks I post or search out some things for yourself if not linked. Remember it’s not the music, but the message. I will start with pure political punk and work my way into satire. Before we start, some bands and records for your audiophile pleasures… CONFLICT – All their albums. But I recommend the Ungovernable Force, The Final Conflict and Against All Odds. CRASS - Everything. SUBHUMANS – The Day the Country Died. Time Flies, but Aeroplanes Crash. Rats. Lots more, I will add to this list as time permits. In order to understand Punk Rock you merely have to go back to the Hippies. The Hippie movement consisted of 2 different groups. The activists who tried to change the world like the people who were involved in the Kent State massacre and the folks who were at the ’68 DNC in Chicago and the non-activist group mostly there for the drugs and sex, and just wanting to feel groovy. Punk Rock at its core was an extension of the extremist activist faction of the Hippie movement. This is the political punk rock I will speak about. On the flipside, there is the satirical punk, which is what has eventually evolved into the plastic bubblegum crap you hear on the radio stations nowadays. The early satirical punk was more melodic and somewhat more socially oriented compared to the political punk bands of the day. BAD RELIGION is a prime example of social/satirical punk. The first band I am going to introduce you to is one of my favorite’s of all time, and probably the most influential band in my life. CONFLICT is pretty much the definition of Punk Rock. They are surpassed only by CRASS who I will discuss next. The first song to look at is called the UNGOVERNABLE FARCE. Followed directly by the UNGOVERNABLE FORCE in the video below, I will put these two songs first. After that we will look at the rest of the album, and a couple EP songs. I believe they describe the point of the movement pretty accurately. Read the lyrics and then view the video(s) to fully understand the message…. THE UNGOVERNABLE FARCE Still the warning same fucked weary Government hell bent on war Wondering where the reinforcements for the next attack are coming from Afar they are led like cattle to be scapegoats to the scheme While the lady laps up double cream, Mr. Newman plans and dreams First, that means deception lets be clever "we can fool the poor" Secondly, attempts are made to cover up mistakes they make When all else fails the boot boys, jump, get kitted out in blue The rest is left to the imagination, you get the point, or it will get you Some people said "no more of this". Planned carefully their resistance Made plans whilst staying underground then up to overthrow the system Moves worked well and feeling spread that "victories" were made They raised their mighty fist again, and... Clamped down hard on passive resistance Slammed shut the door to freedom, no entry given Built bombs, tanks, threw shit at our reality Destroyed peace, made war, then called it sanity, no! THE UNGOVERNABLE FORCE Fuck off you, fuck your violent threats, your attempts to control the nation. Fuck off you fucked up racist cunt, understand the situation Back off you slimy worthless prick, you ain't got a clue what you're facing! Eat bricks you hed up bastard shits, scabs; you'll get what you are creating Who the fuck do you think you're pushing, 'stay in place or get it' I'd think again to save your skin,'cos if you come to close You'll fucking regret it, you whine on all the hell you like Repeat your warnings of plastic bullets, the gas, the batons, the water cannon The more you oppress the more we'll resist Riots, there ain't been a riot, but one's knockin' at your door You've seen nothing yet but housel hold pets, but you'll feel the lions claw Proclaiming laws last victory, of containing rebel shower When the time Is right you'll get the fight that will totally test your power Inciting, provoking trouble, that you know can easily be beaten To maintain the Image that we need you, so thus re-confirm your position You might trick some you scheming scum, but you'll never get our obedience You can batter, beat us, even imprison, yet still you'll never ever defeat us Belfast...Brixton...Toxteth...Totteham...St. Pauls...Hansworth... Reclaim the streets, reclaim the towns, reclaim the nation What revolution, this revolution, we all wanted a peaceful solution But this institution, that institution, smashed all hope of getting through to them. Confrontations, escalating violations of the law Repercussions of the mass destruction which in the end is sure to mean Them pumping out the bullets, their protection from the poor We will win 'cos we have to, we ain't got nothing to lose no more And what they lose they undoubtedly will forfeit forever "They've got the guns, but we've got the numbers" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94lThB3qPPQ So now you have an idea of what the fight was. Simply put, freedom and equality for all. The video above is footage of the Toxteth and Brixton riots in 1981. Here is some additional footage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1u39UxsIgo&feature=related CONFLICT, CRASS and SUBHUMANS are all vegans and animal rights activists. I am not a vegan, or vegetarian. I believe we are made to eat meat. However, I do believe in animal rights, that no animal should suffer from laboratory testing. I also believe in humane farming methods to provide food. On a personal note, I go vegan once a month to “support” animal rights. I used to do it once a week, but I haven’t been as vigorous in practicing my beliefs as I used to be. This song is about the A.L.F. It should be noted, these lyrics have been banned from reproduction because they promote protest, direct action and vandalism, now considered to be terrorism. Amazing that saving the lives of abused and tortured animals lands you in the same category as Osama. THIS IS THE A.L.F. What does Direct Action Mean? It means that you are no longer prepared to sit back and allow terrible, cruel things to happen. The camerman in Ethiopia took direct action, he filmed the worst disaster that has ever happened to human beings. He realised it was too enormous a problem to handle himself - so he took the films home in the hope other people would help. They did. Are you prepared to sit back any longer? Direct action in animal rights means causing economic damage to those who abuse and make profits from exploitation. START! It's possible to do things alone, slash tyres, glue up locks, butchers, burger bars, the furriers, smash windows, bankrupt the lot. Throw paint over shops and houses. Paint stripper works great on cars. Chewing gum sticks well to fur coats. A seized engine just won't start, sand in the petrol tank means that delivery's going nowhere. When the new death shop opens up make sure you're the first person to be there. If the circus comes to town remember what goes up must come down. Stop contributing to the abuse yourself - don't eat meat, don't buy leather. Buy non-animal tested make up, herbal soap and shampoo's better. Try and form a group of people that you know that you can trust and plan ambitious direct action, sometimes risky but a must. Only when you have animal liberation will we obtain human freedom, when the last vivisectionist's blade is snapped. It will be that one step nearer to peace. Direct action in the animal movement is sussed and strong, and our final goal is not far off. Animal lovers, vandals, hooligans, cranks; recognise the labels? They say we don't care about human beings. We say all sentient beings, animal or human have the right to live, free from pain, torture and suffering. They say because we are human and speak the same, we matter more. Is our pain and suffering any greater or lesser than that of animals? Human v. animal rights is as much a prejudice as black v. white or the nazis versus the jews an affront to our freedom. Vivisection is a violation of human beings, the same as it is for animals. We have a chemical world built on a pile of drugs to thanks for their experiments. Drugs are designed for profit, manufactured to suppress symptoms. Human freedom, animal rights. It's one struggle, one fight. When animal abuse is stopped then human abuse will soon stop also, an attitude of mind. "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind". Start by protecting the weak, the defenceless, animals, the sick, the disabled. Compassion and emotion are our most important safety values. If we lose them, then 'we lose' the vitality of life itself. Emotional? Hooligans? Cranks?.... I will warn all of you, this video is not for the squeamish. However, I highly suggest you all look at what is being done to animals in the name of science and cosmetology. I will also say, DON”T BUY GILLETTE! They are the world’s #1 corporation that performs animal testing. Whether you choose to eat meat or not, no animal deserves to be tortured, abused and murdered. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ_5Pev_44Y&feature=related Here are a couple more videos on the A.L.F. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNUK5I1DU1M&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TENudqTVls&feature=related This next one is a CONFLICT song about CRASS. CRASS was the most vocal and active group in the activist side of Punk Rock. CRASS Up rose a movement titled C.R.A.S.S. Who spoke of anarchy and freedom putting power to the test? A caring group of people who worked outside the system Aiming for liberty and peace using passive resistance They took on a larger battle challenging all the rights and wrongs The state, sexism, war, religion. Love and hope spread from their songs Punk is dead - now refuse to be led Fight wars - not wars - oppose all power they said They questioned institutions, reputations, the class systems Destroying power not people, but also rejecting revolution They never set out to profit from another The music took a backseat so the message got louder Unity, respect don't contaminate our earth Is what was screamed at leaders in asylum, morals, values, what's it worth? Those who couldn't take it tried to stop them with violence They refused to play their game, and watched the political minds subsidence Attempts failed feebly to create divisions in the movement For it was real, unmarketable, not the bullshit we were used to Yes we still have their fucked system, regulations, laws and threats Whose fault is that? Not theirs! They're still doing their bit, are you? People don't climb on the pedestal; they are pushed there Questions developing leadership When you know what's being said is right, why do you need proof? For fuck sake- why can't you understand what they are saying? The shit we get, the shit we get. Notice they said punk is dead? It is because a large group of us have long believed that true punk died with Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols. I agree. The Pistols came out as a voice of the movement, and then they signed to a major label and sold out everything we believe. Punk is dead, as a musical representation of the movement. But the movement continues on. A PISS IN THE OCEAN Punk played it's own important role in the fight against oppression Aired awareness, new opinions, destroyed formerly accepted obsessions Right out the window went stale traditions, false morals blinded hope Respect for authority joined them; we made them a standing joke We said, "fuck off" smarmy popstar shits portraying images of a perfect world Smearing a happy, clean face on reality, "it's the Queens Jubilee..." go to hell Refusing to be puppets with the promise of a future, there is no future So never mind the bollocks, because anarchy in the UK suits us The public screamed in outcry, demanded immediate termination The "scum of the earth" has raised its voice "How could they do this to our nation?" The media tried to destroy us, stop the 'poor mans' rock invasion The exposure only helped us reveal their hopeless situation Gaining in momentum and numbers, we needed spokesmen And that came from four people from the real world, just like the rest of us We now had a voice, an alternative, our message getting louder Nothing now could stop us rising up to meet their fast advancing challenge But when the challenge came, they crumbled, as the four proved easy prey For the states clever weapon money proved too tempting once again Big bastard business cheque books opened up and then swallowed Those leeches sucked hard slyly, and we couldn't believe the scenes that followed Punk shops - " roll up! Buy your rebellion here!" Badges, posters, bondage, books, colouring for your hair Like sheep they flocked to buy punk rock, a part of the new threat! The country laughed and screamed "punk flop"; it now seemed punk was dead! They toured the lands to Disneyland And ripped the state apart Destroyed the music status quo And created a new start Their jet set pads, the sunny land The songs of train robbings It's just all more money in the bank So come on boys and girls and sing We stood and could only watch As they took everything we stood for And made a mockery of it The four feeding finance straight back Into the system they supposedly despised What was once the black flag of anarchy Was now the colours of the Union Jack The movement, punk rock, who cares? We are just another band; they were just another band Direct action is what achieves change, not miming to words, how much longer must we sing the same old song? Crawling from the mess that they'd left standing as our future We realised we needed 'no one' to mouth off our message for us Told big business to take a running jump, went back underground where we started The tribe then split, as some stayed behind to mourn Here’s a song that’s bit more light hearted in theme, but still pushes the message out. This is a spoof on police policy. FORCE OR SERVICE A quiet sunny day, the scene is suburban Not much going off, in fact it's a boring one Ready and waiting in Bristol fashion For my radio to bleep and I will jump into action PC Caring's off duty for a while A right prat he is, always helpful and a smile Nineteen, well hard, DM's and truncheon Headcase 'ere and I've got some lunch 'Headcase' fuck me there goes me radio It must be a riot if they're calling for backup I'm at the scene Sarge, what's going down? There's a darkie in defiance, get that ****** off me, kill 'im Don't do it in the open, kick his teeth in later I thought I'd taught you police operations Take him away out the eyes of the media Then kill the bastard kill 'im Make sure you don't bruise him Oh, doesn't matter you won't see the bruises anyway He's in the van, pile in everyone, c'mon, c'mon That's it lads Ha, ha, ha, I love it, let me have him Let me kill him, yeah, nice one lads Now if you wanna get overtime, you better take my advice Promotion or demotion? Just never step out of line You want to make sure? Sure we can discuss a price But keep it shut, keep the image nice We nick the unemployed, for they are just lazy Scrounging off us taxpayers, it must be crazy Join the force and give a helping hand Because the rules of the force are the laws of the land (Police Policy) The CND are communists, we're sick of petty pacifists, Greenham dykes, Trotskyites, Greenpeace and the rest of it Rioters, muggers, looters, shooters, ******s are the cause of it Repatriation for the nation, the simple way to deal with shit Rastas, punks, mods and hippies, students, queers and dirty pakis Demanding more than nothing less, but never want to work for it Miners, printers, paddies, pickets, givin' it all the demo bit We'll smash them back with our attack, because we're the guys to deal with it You're here to serve? Protect the nation? Stop all the foreigners' illegal immigration You help old ladies across the road Even if she has got a face like a toad You re-assure, protect the rich from the poor To hell with muggings, rapists and the whores Maintain law and order, keep the public at large The police is your profession: got it? (In mass) We're here to serve? Protect the nation? Stop all the foreigners' illegal immigration We help old ladies across the road Even if she has got a face like a toad We re-assure, protect the rich from the poor To hell with muggings, rapists and the whores Maintain law and order, keep the public at large The police is my profession: that's right, eh Sarge? What to do when you get arrested for performing direct action. Or back in those days, because you look like a punk or other subversive. THE ARREST If you take part in direct action or the police don't like the look of you; you are likely to get arrested Here's some things to and not to do You don't have to say anything, nothing, but it is advisable (but still your choice) to give your name, address and date of birth, and then say nothing else If you don't give them this you'll find they will only hold you for longer While they establish your identity, but if you have been previously convicted Then don't give your date of birth, for you are on their computers in birth order Then you are not obliged to answer any further questions at all Most people that are caught are sussed out by their own evidence The police are cunning but thick, don't hand it to them on a plate You don't have to give your fingerprints, make them apply for a warrant This sometimes is refused - especially if the evidence is flimsy Never let them take your photograph this is only compulsory after You have received a prison sentence, so don't let them tell you different You can demand suitable food; you might not get it "keep on asking" You are entitled to make phone calls but the bastards won't let you Remember the arresting officer's number, or any scum that treat you badly Make a legal complaint afterwards. Look bored - but stay polite When they question say "no comment", don't admit to any weakness They are bastards trained by bastards To protect, detect, and prevent, us and our like from questioning Let alone, threaten the power that they cherish Whatever you go through in a police cell is nothing compared to the suffering inflicted by Governments The state destroys, tortures and murders, we must stop them, using force if necessary Remember that and good luck A song on nuclear proliferation… THE DAY BEFORE So what if we manage to stop cruise cruising in, will it make any fucking difference? To the inevitable countdown to world war three, the power monger's decision Will it be our lifelong stance, or our only chance, to prevent our world's destruction? Will it be? You fucked old Yankee crony git You screwed up bastard commie shit You evil hag with blood stained hands Fuck you, fucking hang... Fuck it, I just can't see any point in singing yet another wanky war song... the accepted target... can't see no point in mouthing off about atomic power... they know the risk involved, but still freely fuck with our lives... you know what they're doing yet still you let them... you think it will never happen... push it to the corner of the mind and forget it... for it's so much more comforting to 'relax' and don't do it... Alternative to this, the masses join the CND And fly it's helpless protest banner on demos Listen to the whining wanky labour party And wait for them to annihilate the fucking lot of us Pathetic! You fucking bunch of jokers When you hear the four-minute warning "It's too fucking late " See your family and friends perish - the eyes melting - the skin shrivelling - blood boiling - bomb, death, listen, now There's one minute left in the game to play Since that day in forty-five we have never had a say Was it a solution to combat the right? Or just to stay ahead and never done fight Thatcher's plaything in the name Manhattan Another Hiroshima for her to flatten The protest signs they are spread across the earth But will our protests pay their worth? A statement – 1986, THE BATTLE CONTINUES MAY 1986 - In the start all that seemed feasible was to question the house that state built, its policies, and its governing force, joined by others in unison rejecting state oppression and the way they abuse our earth and its inhabitants. A movement developed, anti-political and with no leaders, systems or rules, using natural, humane feelings to effect change instead of safe party manifestos. They label us anarchists. They brushed aside our pleas for peace and continued manufacturing their sick insane empire. We increased the pressure on them, demonstrated and screamed at its foundations. We only want what is rightfully ours, but they won't give it up. We asked for change and peace, they declared war: Sank Greenpeace, smashed events and demos, reclaimed Stonehenge, our scrap of freedom, started killing the community, imprisoned all who questioned, and announced the police state. The time had come to stop screaming at their foundations and start kicking them: from protest to resistance. "One way or another we will drive our vital message home, that is we won't let you destroy our world, we have the strength, will organize, and........." A news broadcast of the riots in Toxteth from 1981. “Hamstead Trevase Douglas Heard said anarchist groups have been in London stiring up trouble, and warned the police are ready to use CS Gas and plastic bullets. He said ”I will not shrink from such a decision.” It was the worst rioting ever seen on mainland Briton. Organization amongst the rioters was apparent, with crates of petrol bombs being brought to the front, and other groups assigned to dig up pavement and other masonery for use as ammunition. All the police attempted to do was hold their ground. Some police were hurt with pellets and a point 38 bullet. The rioters forced the policemen to retreat” Well, OK, that’s a lot of reading for now. And that’s just one CONFLICT record, not even the whole thing. But I chose to start with that because it explains the movement, it’s changes and history. I will ask, PLEASE DO NOT RELY if you disagree with the viewpoints in here. That is not what this about. If you would like to discuss something, say the ALF, Anarchy or Autonomy, start a different thread. This thread is about the history of punk rock. Lots lots more to come….
anarchy in the UK Enjoyed that post,the punk movement really took of big time in the uk here bck in the 80's at the time of all the 'new romantic' shitty music but bands like the clash or the ramones defined that era and now its evolved into political anarchy and a lot more ppl dont give it credit fior,cheers for your thread useless,nice bit of trivia for me to learn there man.Peace
Heh heh. I figured you, Mistical and Link would be the only ones to comment on this thread. Mistical is the only other person that could have any say in this thread. He was there. We fought side by side, despite the fact we are 6000 miles/7500 kilometers away from each other. The movement knows no boundries. Bristol. The feeding of the 5000 in 1986 (86 or was it 84?) was widely viewed by punks in the states as a momentous occassion. We watched the news on BBC from the newly founded cable TV companies. We looked at our brothers fighting the fight, and watched with with disbelief and PRIDE. CONFLICT was the first punk band I ever saw. There is a CONFLICT live record from the Nagasaki Nightmare festival in 1985 at the Olypmic Auditorium in LA. This was my first show ever. Dont remember what its called off the top of my head, but I do have it on vinyl. Small scale riots followed. This is just the preface. There are many many chapters to follow.
What about GBH? You like that at all? I grew up with that some old CRASS, the clash, the casualties, virus, the exploited, and some shit like that. Also, some of the newer stuff like anti flag. Can't forget NOFX, pennywise, rancid, bad religion, and against all authority. Not sure if rise against is really punk but it's got a good political message for the most part. Hell old rage was tight like that all though nothing punk at all.
Skunky, I will say, I do have original pressings of GBH on Clay Records. City Baby Attacked by Rats, and City Babies Revenge. Fuck the Exploited. I threw blows with that twat of a singer in 88 at Fenders (Grand International) Ballroom in the LBC. I don't take kindly to some fuck hitting my friend with a mic stand because he wants to diddle my homies girl. Neither GBH or the Exploited are what I consider to be activist punk. GBH is the NOFX of 80's punk. Worthless dribble with a punk rock sound. Exploited just tagged along the coat-tails of real political punk bands like Conflict in order to sell records. They have no political and very little, if any, social commentaries in their songs. They just want to sound punk. Bad Religion, and a bunch of other North American Bands will be gotten to in time. I am focused right now on the political punk that was far more predominant in the UK when I got into punk. Social/Satirical punk will come after that.
Ahh skunky, 84, that was prob one of my favorite years, that year had about everything. Take me Back, well not realy cause I'd have to go back to buyin but ya know what I mean lol. Wow, I can't believe that's been 25 yes I said 25 years ago man time:fly:
