Punk on 45: Revolutions on Vinyl 1976-79 [Paperback]

An excellent source for some pretty obscure records. The cover may show pretty popular records but the inside of the book has some amazing (and not-so-amazing) rare and hard to find records. A lot of the covers are very punk and DIY which is the good and bad of the book. If you like punk and the image that goes/went along with it, pick up the book.

As someone who was 14 years old in 1977, when Punk music first began becoming a new style of music that would wind up changing the music scene from that of the boring 70's rock scene (and the 10 minute drum solos) to one that had high energy, originality, and a voice for the disgruntled youth of the day, I instantly fell in love with the sound and the scene, becoming the 1st one of my group of friends to grasp Punk by the balls, and run with it...leaving behind the 70's arena bands and their "tiring sound".
For others like me, who loved the Punk scene as soon as it came out, and who went to their local record stores weekly to buy the latest releases from the new Punk bands that began to emerge in (and after) 1977, especially with the success of bands like the Ramones and Sex Pistols, this book is one that any punk fan can truly admire and cherish. There's been hardly any books published that are devoted to the actual punk record (especially 45's). These terrific records are what put a lot of punk bands on the map. They's get up a few hundred buck, press 500, 1,000 or 2,000 copies, and that's how the kids would often find out about a new band. Costing from $1.00 to $2.00, it was a cheap way for
someone to pick up a record from a new band and give it a listen to.

The artwork on many of these records, which often goes overlooked and underappreciated, tells a collective story of what Punk is all about.
Often printed and glued together by the bands themselves, they were truly a work of love and dedication. The picture sleeves alone, as artwork, is something special that had never been done before, or duplicated since.

Thankfully, living in Northern NJ and only 20 minutes from NYC, I was lucky enough to be in an area that caught on right away to the Punk scene, and even luckier to have a local, family owned record shop that carried all the latest punk releases, only 5 minutes from my house. And the world famous Bleeker Bob's (in NYC), was a short drive away, and if my local shop was sold out of their limited copies of records they had, or couldn't get an import I was looking for, Bleeker Bob's was always their to aquire those rare, low pressing, records I coveted.
Throughout the years, I've continued my passion of collecting Punk records (and the even rarer 8-Track tapes), amassing a personal collection of over 2,500 45's, and over 600 LP's.
Thankfully, my taste in Punk music wasn't shared by the majority of the record buying masses, causing many of my favorite records to be pressed in very low numbers (from 100 for a Clear #'d Gang Green "Sold Out") record, to those of the Misfits, which had pressings for their 45's ranging from a few hundred to 7-10,000.
Because not that many were originally pressed, they were never common items and were almost immediately rare and hard to get.
And, as the years passed, 10 years, 20, even 30 years later, many of those punk 45's are now near impossible to find (especially in the conditions I kept all my records in..excellent, near mint, and even mint
and unplayed. So now, all these years later, and with people interested in aquiring old punk records (as an investment or just to remember their youth), as least my buying of all those records wasn't a waste. I've sold many of my favs (from $200 to $800 for a $1.00 record) on eBay,
and continue to do so. Thank god I wasn't a huge Styx fan...ouch....records worth $1.00 if you're lucky.
So, as such a fan and collector, it's GREAT to see a book like this FINALLY in print. It's been a long time overdue, and VERY appreciated by the fans. Just looking at all those pics of those 45 picture sleeves brings back a flood of memories for nearly every one. You can remember, like it was yesterday, a place and time, that looking at a certain picture sleeve can take you. I've even recalled smells when seeing a few (like purchasing a 45 at Bleeker Bob's and walking to the corner to get a slice of pizza after it..like it was yesterday...but it was really 25+ years ago. Amazing book, great pictures, nice selection of bands and some 45's they put out. I wasn't disappointed at all.
FOr others looking for Punk Record books, I'd highly recommend getting a copy of "FLEX - US Hardcore Discography" The 3rd edition, called BOOK 3, is the latest edition printed and is about 800 pages. It's a labor of love that took years of compiling, and is done by a German guy named Burkhard Jaerisch, it sold out quickly after it was published. Aother book, related to punk records is the Goldmine Price Guide To Alternative Records (by Neely). And lastly, the "International Discography of The New Wave" (B.George & M. Defore). The last 2 should be available from Amazon, but note that the last book, long sold out, goes for over $200 from Merchant Seller's on Amazon.
But as far as a comprehensive book dealing with just Punk 45's (both from the US and UK), this book "Punk on 45" is unquestionably one of the best, if not the best ever published. You won't be disappointed!!