PUNK ON 45
Revolutions on Vinyl 1976-79
by Carl Macki

 

Punk on 45:
Revolutions on Vinyl 1976-79
by Gavin Walsh
London: Plexus, 2007
$24.99
ISBN 0859653706

Elements of punk culture can be legitimately traced back well before the sliver of years detailed in this fine publication. For example, an early punk signature style, haphazard or carefree cut and paste graphics, is straight out of the nineteen twenties, and that old Dadesque art master Kurt Schwitters.

The mid to late seventies were a primary point for the appearance of punk music and its acceptance or controversy. Be that as it may, interest in the first wave of the Punk movement that started in the mid-seventies continues to build like a tsunami.

Just look at the success of mainstream or popular bands like NOFX, The Offspring, Green Day, and Rancid and the Hives: if not a full scale revival is going on, then at least those moments in history are remembered as newer artists and musicians continue to receive inspiration from the dynamic that occurred at the junction of a so-called 'new' movement in art and music.

Punk On 45 gives the reader a visceral feel for the uniqueness of those times. This elegant and full color trade paperback book has 400 color image of the single sleeves of 45s release during that heyday period. Plus a comprehensive discography for every band included in the book, as well as a rolling commentary by author Gavin Welsh, who also wrote God Save the Sex Pistols: A Collectors Guide to the Priests of Punk (2003). I was blown away by the awesome simple grandeur of the jackets displayed.