To think the 'punk' era of music was essentially over by 1978?

[StirlingWork]

I listened to a track by punk band The Toy Dolls last night - it was their only UK hit - 'Nellie the Elephant' - reached no.4 in the UK charts in December 1984. This is a track that although it reached a high chart position it NEVER seems to get radio airplay - so it was nice to listen to it and replay the associated memories.
In the UK, the peak of the punk era in my opinion was 1977 - with the Silver Jubliee and the Sex Pistols track 'God Save the Queen' and associated controversy. When the Sex Pistols split up in early 1978, being the iconic UK punk group, within a year or so the UK punk scene slowly came to a halt only to be replaced by New Wave, a few years later Ska and the New Romantics.
Whenever, anyone says punk to me - I associate the movement with the year 1977, after which it all seemed to go downhill.

Just saw Bauhaus. Still love them though they are goth (original and still the best). And the Fall.

Fun fact when John Lyndon was touring with his new band (famous but can't remember!) I shagged one of his musicians. Spent the night. It was fun 😮😮🙂

Vodka!!!!!!

You girl!

Bauhaus, The Fall. I liked the later post punk Liverpool scene esp Echo and the Bunnymen. Such a great band.

serenada - Oh yes I remember him talking about contracting meningitis etc - which resulted from his difficult living conditions.
I'm might have seen this Q & A on youtube

Vodkacranberryplease - haha excellent!!

Lots of stuff about PIL- and lots of members in the audience.

I think Thurston More (Sonic Youth) had produced some PIL stuff and he was there in the audience.

I was the photographer at that film festival (lots of indie films and I try and do the music ones).

@Aurora independent if you went to see bands, were in local bands that were encouraged to get up and diy it, record at tiny local offices, sell your own at gigs. Be loud and political before you were musically accomplished.

I didn't mention the Pistols etc.

But after 77/78 those local loud, political bands started to be replaced by more musically adept, fashion conscious bands.

The Pistols weren't the only UK Punk anything.

And I haven't seen Charlie Harper since about 1982. Might have been his birthday then, too

YABU. Punk is a genre and has been going for many years. Some of the best bands are from the 80s and early 90s - who are still going now.

I wouldn't even count Sex Pistols as punk

@CuriousaboutSamphire

So, Buzzcocks, early JD, etc?

ErickBroch
I wouldn't even count the Sex Pistols as punk

Why? They were the most high profile UK punk band or at least popularly thought of as such

On the topic of the Sex Pistols, who else thinks that when you look at most photos of him, Sid Vicious was so good looking he should really have been in Gen X?

@StirlingWork yes but they were basically manufactured pop appropriate music by Branson lol - I have been involved in the punk music scene for a long time and they would not be considered as actual punk music - not for the last 30 years. I understand at the time they were considered it though

ErickBroch - I know what you mean - you're saying the 'real' scene was less mainstream and more underground

Buzzcocks ! Yes!! And some truly local bands with female bass players called Sky, or the accidentally punk rockabilly wannabes. Or the band I had to stand in front of mouthing numbers in German so the singer could remember how the song started. Or my own short lived attempt... apparently being able to sing was a bad thing, though my hand made boots and deconstructed 50s dresses were dead good and well hard.

And if you like Jilted John do NOT look up what happened next!!

John Shuttleworth really won't be what you expect

Please Kill Me is a great book if you're into New York punk. I found what came after more interesting- Gang of Four; Magazine, The Pop Group and Joy Division.

Then there's DC post hardcore like Rites of Spring who became half of Fugazi, Soulside who 3/4 of became Girls Against Boys and lots more.

@Erick can I ask how old you are?

To dismiss the Pistols as not punk, and to equally dismiss the Virgin label of the time, seems quite revisionist to me.

At the time their chaos was the epitome of punk, losing 2 labels, being picked up and almost immediately self destructing was something unheard of. The violence, nihilism and sheer unlikeableness was quite stunning.

Then again, Val Doonican was still rocking and Lena Martel would shortly be asking Sweet Jesus for one day at a time.

Maybe they were just relief from the utter banality of mainstream music, and disco!

Too Much Too Young was recorded by the Specials who were the mainstay of the ska revival of the late seventies/early 80s. It was a cover though of a sixties song.

Ah thanks TinklyLittleLaugh

Still regularly going to punk gigs (well, until the lockdown). I've always been more into DIY gigs in squats or smaller venues. More into anarcho punk than the tame, plastic all wearing the "uniform" type bands.

Ska!! Real punk ethic, diy labels, political stance and its own internal stresses.

I may have been utterly enchanted by Pauline Black... 3 minute hero, my red radio, missing words got lots no of air time. They were brilliant live. Must look up her current gigs...

CuriousaboutSamphire - I've just looked it up!! I'd quite like to see John Shuttleworth live actually!!

I have seen him in both guises, way back then and more recently. I met him to talk to both times (perks of working hospitality) and he really does stay well in character.

Well worth an extended YouTube session

Anthing after 78 is post punk to me.
U.S. punk is a different animal and I think of it as a separate thing. Same with New Wave which I always thought was the American version of post punk but perhaps I'm wrong.
Basically punk was very straightforward...few chords, short songs, lots of screaming and cursing, lots of tongue in cheek covers. It was quite angry and very nihilistic because it was representative of a quite a bleak, sh*t time in U.K. society .. social upheaval, mass unemployment, workers' strikes...
I wasn't around at the time but I think real punk only lasted a few years. It was an underground, sub-culture kind of thing. Real punk was too obnoxious, obscene and disorganised for the masses. The Sex Pistols were the commercialised version so true punk really died with them. Malcolm McLaren killed it haha.
Post punk came out of punk. It was more musical, more coherent, diverse and appealed to broader audiences but retained some of that rawness. It was kind of aimless rather than nihilistic and more awkward than angry.
It incorporated elements of other genres and moved in its own directions.
IMO it is the best genre of music of all time.
Siouxie and the Banshees, The Pogues, The Only Ones, The Buzzcocks, The Cure, Joy Division, The Fall, Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, The Birthday Party, The Passions, The Smiths, The Raincoats....
If you like punk listen to Cud covering "You Sexy Thing" in 87! It's on Spotify.
Sorry, I didn't know this was going to be a dissertation when I started writing. I just like this subject.

I'd agree with most of that except...

The Pistols ended up being the commercial face of Punk. That was the end result of McClaren finding enough people to believe his Svengali schtick.

But the beginnings of The Pistols was about as Punk as you can get.

And was Siouxsie punk... or post punk gothic?

There were so many tribes within tribes....

I am interested in current punk, not the old timers finding a new audience, I can access them quite easily. But new punk.

If anyone younger than say, 40, has any recommendations I'd like to have a listen!

Ooh! Sorry Ruby... Re reading your list... Not many of those were Punk. Most of them were No/New Wavers looking for a home