OK, who were the first 'Post-Punk' band anyway?
Some say it was Magazine, the band formed by DIY pioneer and ex-Buzzcock Howard Devoto? But I reckon they were more straight forward punk stained sneery prog, and not at all Post-Punk, which was a style I would ascribe to groups like Siouxsie and the Banshees,PiL,Joy Division,Gang Of Four,or even The Pop Group? Absolutely zero prog influences there?
Magazine just sounded like the trad stuff that had gone before but updated with a Devotian sneer.They even had a keyboard player who played two keyboards at the same time.....very Keith Emerson.
Some reckon 'Television' were post-punk before punk? Maybe style-wise, but musically they were absolutely late sixties/1970; Quicksilver Messenger Service has been touted as a comparison, not that i've ever heard them. From the Noo Yawk angle, Talking Heads have the best,and only, american claim for the title in my humble opinion.
Magazine were without doubt first out of the blocks for the rebirth of Prog,and were definitively the first Prog-Punk band, as these Demos from the end of the summer of hate in 1977 testify.
The Live tracks were rejects from the 'Live at the Electric Circus' ten incher on Virgin. Probably spotted as not 'punk' enough by the prog experts at Virgin; the home of Faust and Mike Oldfield among other progressive rock legends......and they'd be right.
Tracklist:
2.Sandwiches(3:08)
3.The Light Pours Out Of Me (4:56)
4.Motorcade (5:51)
5.Touch And Go (2:59)
6.Burst (3:56)
7.Shot By Both Sides (4:26)
8.The Light Pours Out Of Me (4:30)
9.I Love You You Big Dummy (4:58)
Tracks 1-6 demos, Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham September 1977
Tracks 7-9 Live at The Electric Circus, Manchester 2nd November 1977
14 comments:
Thanks!!!!!
I've always thought of Subway Sect as the first 'Post-Punk' band. Very unique sounding right from day one.
I usually count Ultravox! as one of the harbingers of post-punk. They were pretentious and arty enough to qualify, and to my (definitely non-prog) ears they wore their influences in their inner breast pocket as opposed to wearing said influences on the proverbial sleeve.
Regardless, THANKS for this post!
I'd say that Subway Sect were possibly the first 'Indie' band....at least proto-indie.
Ultravox......post-glam. The glaringly obvious influences were Roxy Music and...er...Roxy Music, before they desperately made their Roxy Music goes Punk record...ha! Ha! Ha!.....then came their Brian Eno collaborates with German electronic duo record....'Systems of Romance......all good stuff however.
Woooowww!!! .....THANK YOU!!!
I want to say thank you for your enthusiasm. It's not so often people take (this kind of) music so seriously and analyse things so sharply as you do. That's always inspiring and thanks to your writing style also entertaining, besides the great music you offer itself!
Many thanks mr Anonymous. I do try.
I adore Magazine, always have. Difficult to know where to place them really. I'd say definitely one of those bands who were punk and post-punk at the same time during that period...but the prog influence is undeniable, probably more down to the presence of Dave Formula and his musical history (St.Louis Union etc) than the others. I think Barry Adamson's basslines were highly influential to whatever it was that happened afterwards, and McGeoch's clipped, angular yet at times expansive style. Wow, what a band!
Thanks Jonny - think I have this on another HD but why not have a duplicate (might be better quality too).
Very interesting discussion! I'd include Wire in the post-punk canon.
Agreed Paulo. In fact I'd say Wire are a perfect example. They started out with rudimentary musical ability but incredible artistic vision, and basically as time went on their ability caught up with the ideas to the point where they were post-punk, the same band but moving forwards into new areas. I might have said this before somewhere online, but musos with limited ideas will always BE musos with limited ideas, whereas artists with vision can sometimes switch disciplines...pick up musical instruments and do something unique with them over time. I mean just look at the trajectory for Wire...from Pink Flag to Chairs Missing and 154. Astonishing.
Mmmmm, Wire.
Interesting one that.Definitely Post-Punk on musicianly inability.
They were on a prog rock label......the first album at least was a 'concept' album...the prog influence came mainly in their thoughtful and arty approach to their tunes....especially Gilbert and Lewis, who of course went onto the inescapably prog Dome series of albums.
http://dieordiy2.blogspot.fr/search/label/Dome
or wire related stuff:
http://dieordiy2.blogspot.fr/search/label/Wire
I have scheduled Wire's peel sessions for posting....the official albums are way too trendy for this blog.
Hello,from my perspective the first Post-Punk band came avant la lettre,Pere Ubu.They made a Post Punk sound already 1975/1976,don't you agree?
Very cool. I'm just getting into these guys. So far I like what I hear.
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