Punk Rock. It conjures up images of spiky Mohawks, dog chains, ripped clothes, slam dancing and safety pins. While this was how it was perceived by most of the public, it went much deeper than a simple fashion statement. It was as much a movement as the hippies in the late 60’s and early 70’s, only Punk was not promoting peace and love. Rather it was a “fuck you” to governments, suburban life and corporate rock. Although the Ramones are credited for inventing the form, it actually began in the 1960’s with garage bands such as the Stooges, the Velvet Underground and the New York Dolls. It wasn’t until the Sex Pistols’ revolutionary album Never mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols hit the stores and began to piss off Britain’s ultra conservatives in 1977 did the music adopt the label “Punk”. Unlike the Ramones, who played bubblegum punk, singing about cars, girls and high school, the Sex Pistols were full of anger and angst. Johnny Rotten sang of anarchy, abortion, violence, and fascism.Punk returned Rock to the basics and was basically stripped down, three chord rock and simple melodies. It just did it at an extremely high-speed and with an abrasive edge. With a machine gun tempo, bands would lyrically express their intense dislike for anything established. In the US the music was thought of as an underground sensation whereas in the UK it was a full-scale phenomenon. The Sex Pistol were thought to be a serious threat to the safety of the government and monarchy, however despite the controversy, the group held the number 1 spot on the UK charts with a song which wasn’t allowed airplay, God Save The Queen. The Pistols influence was nothing short of remarkable as bands followed their lead. Whether it was the tense pop of the Buzzcocks, the reggae influenced Clash or art experiments of post punk bands Wire or Joy Division, a new age had dawned. Soon Punk began to take on different labels. New Wave had a punk aggression with a disco beat. Goth, an off-shoot of post punk, was darker, gloomier, and often encompassed melodic soundscapes. While Punk had a recent revival in the mid-eighties with pop-punk bands such as Greenday and Rancid, it wasn’t until Nirvana released Nevermind did the agony inspiration of punk rear its ugly head again packaged as Grunge.
The Very Best of Punk & Disorderly was compiled from three previously collected works (Punk & Disorderly Series) , which captured the spirit and energy of early punk (late 70’s and early 80’s) with a fabulous insight of the history of this culture and those who played a role. The beauty of this collection is while there are a couple of recognizable names (Dead Kennedys, The Samples, Chaos UK) on the compilation, most of the showcased bands never even came close to the pinnacle of the Pistols. The compositions here are raw, pure and unpolished, and unlike so many other Punk or otherwise anthologies, the productions are as gritty as the day they were recorded. The disc opens with ‘Last Rockers’ by Vice Squad who featured Beki Bondage on vocals. The song was taken from the groups’ 1981 debut and is muted and under produced as Beki’s angelic vocals are almost drowned out by the wash of distorted guitar work and heavy percussion. Disorder are featured with ‘Complete Disorder’. Encapsulating the true attitude of punk by refusing to sign to a label while building an immense UK fan base, these punks had very little money to record, let alone be concerned about a clean production. The result of their efforts were a barely audible sound which gave the group a garage rock sound. Brighton England’s Peter & The Test-Tube Babies appear twice with ‘Run Like Hell’ and an enhanced video track of ‘Moped Lads’, which was recorded live at Brixton Fringe in 1983. Punk Royalty, the Dead Kennedys, contribute ‘Kill The Poor’, which was previous unreleased on a studio album but appeared on many compilations.
It would be impossible to make mention of these 41 tracks on this two disc set. However, if you are a fan of Punk Revivalist such as the Offspring, NOFX, Pennywise and are interested in the origins of the music, The Very Best Of Punk & Disorderly would be a great place to start the research.