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Punk Rock: An Oral History [Paperback]

John Robb
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.99
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Book Description

27 Feb 2006

'To see The Clash on the White Riot tour was like discovering how to be a rock star: you just did it yourself. You didn't wait for someone to come and discover you. That was the most important thing that came out of punk... We came home and we cut our hair and bought skinny trousers. It was year zero. That was the moment for me' Billy Bragg

Punk Rock is a book like no other. It is an oral history of a radical movement which exploded in Seventies Britain. With its own clothes, hair, artwork, fanzines and radical politics, Punk boasted a DIY ethos that meant anyone could take part. The scene was uniquely vibrant and energetic, leaving an extraordinary legacy of notorious events, charismatic characters and inspirational music.

John Robb has spent over a year interviewing more than 100 contributors including Glen Matlock, Mick Jones, Don Letts, Slash, Billy Bragg, Hugh Cornwell and Captain Sensible. Now, for the first time, they give the inside view on events such as The Sex Pistols' swearing live on the Bill Grundy TV show and staging their anti-Jubilee riverboat party on the Thames, famous gigs at The Roxy and 100 Club, and the groundbreaking records by The Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and others.

From the widely debated roots of punk in the late-Sixties through to the fallout of the post-punk period in 1984, and the ongoing influence on today's bands, Punk Rock is the definitive oral history of an inimitable and exciting movement.


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Punk Rock: An Oral History + England's Dreaming + Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984
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Product details

  • Paperback: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Ebury Press (27 Feb 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0091905117
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091905118
  • Product Dimensions: 13.6 x 4.3 x 21.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 191,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"John Robb is a great writer... and he is supremely qualified in my opinion to talk about punk rock" (Mick Jones, The Clash )

"John Robb is as punk rock as The Clash" (Alan McGee )

Book Description

The story of punk, in all its vibrant glory, told for the first time in the words of those who were there

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on punk 8 Oct 2007
Format:Paperback
Just read this book after several hearty recommendations from friends. What I love about it is that you get the feeling you are there right in the middle of the eternal arguments about punk! So many different perspectives and truths all clashing in the quotes from all the key players all these years later. The great thing about a format like this is that it gives you a glimpse of the truth. Add to that extensive footnotes and Robb's passion for the subject as well as the sheer scale of the book- nearly 600 pages and you got yourself a near as damnit history to the British punk rock scene.a
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant slice of cultural history... 11 April 2006
By Jason Parkes #1 HALL OF FAME
Format:Paperback
John Robb is one of the most passionate music journalists - a passion that overwhelmed any flaws in his book on '90s culture (though Oliver Craske's role as editor means less mis-spellings than Robb's 90s tome - we still get Eddie Cochrane rather than Cochran for some reason!)and one that is apparent in this book. Robb, through extensive researching, has collected the memories of many key figures of the punk scene - Howard Devoto, Budgie, John Lydon, Captain Sensible, Don Letts, Siouxsie Sioux etc/their fans (Billy Bragg, Ian Brown) and simply let them tell their story. The stories sometimes contradict each other and seem inaccurate or in the case of Marco Pirroni's criticism of Cabaret Voltaire, get a responding footnote from Robb. There are sections in italics that are similar to Robb's 1990s book - those who dislike or disagree with his opinions will probably think these short sections are about right, personally I'd like to have had more Robb, as he's always got something interesting to say whether I agree or not (there's a bit on The Stranglers' here that makes me want to check out 'The Meninblack'!).

'Punk Rock: An Oral History' is punctuated with lots of great photographs, from Don Letts' looking like the coolest dude in front of his Beatles memorabilia, to the gorgeus Gaye Advert, to The Jam (who get a warranted criticism over some of their apsects) to those art-rock gods Wire. It's all great stuff and a brilliant slice of cultural history - one to file alongside Jon Savage's 'England's Dreaming' as you sit down to watch Don Letts' recent film 'Punk:Attitude.' I won't go on much longer as you really should enjoy it for yourself - I had a browse in a bookshop and found myself reading several pages this Saturday. I had to buy it. & then I sat down, sometimes with the music of the artists featured here, playing on my mp3 player and was just lost. Lost in great anecdotes and attitude and feeling that this and Simon Reynolds' 'Rip It Up & Start Again' have set a benchmark for music history literature. Interesting to note how often Can were mentioned - while Billy Bragg's line about Roxy Music fans is worth the price of entry alone. I hope Robb follows this up with a related work - his outro here suggests that the focus of punk is quite wide, so I'd like to see him get to grips with the work that followed in its wake post-1984. This book simply has to be read...NOW!!!!!!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Straight Out Of The Horses Mouth 19 Feb 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is brilliant, Punk - as it happened, by the people that made it happen. I've discovered a lot of new (old!?) music because of this book. Some brilliant tales from Captain Sensible, Mick Jones, Ari Up and, of course, John Lydon. Well worth a read, especially by anyone with an interest in Punk, and those who think they know what it was/is all about.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Insight
Really got the the essence of the "movement" and the insight to the people in the build up to the Punk Era and to see what they were up to prior to Punk was the heart of a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Paz
5.0 out of 5 stars Punk Rock gubbins
Mr Robb has made a decent effort here and I for one congratulate him. Well Done sir. Teenage, I wanna be teenage. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dr Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book
For those who were too young to remember or be involved in the Punk scene, this is the story of how it evolved told by those that were at the heart of it all. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Phigam
3.0 out of 5 stars Well documented, badly written
With a wide span of interviews to draw from, from the people who were really there, this gives a clear story of the rise of punk.. Read more
Published on 18 April 2009 by B. S. Barker
5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you want to live through it all again
I was a bit too young( i was 14 in 1977) to fully embrace punk when it reached it,s zenith. The ideology passed me by , as it would seem it did for some of the participants, but i... Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2009 by russell clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars TRULY BRILLIANT
THE MAN HAS A PASSION FOR THE MUSIC AND BOY DOES IT SHOW,BRILLIANT RESEARCH AND DETAIL,CHECK OUT THE REBELLION FESTIVALS WEBSITE TO SEE MORE OF HIS INVOLVEMENT
Published on 26 Dec 2007 by IAN WILLOWS
5.0 out of 5 stars Even I, Japanese, want to pay the most compliment
What a thick paper back of total 576 pages! Isn't it a Bible? That was my first impression when I got it. Read more
Published on 17 July 2007 by Takemasa Wakuta
5.0 out of 5 stars if you want the truth about punk rock then read this book!
Finally after all the pontificating, the theorising, the ill informed rubbish written about punk there is finally a book about punk rock that tells the truth. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2006 by Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant book
For me this is the best book about punk. I always loved Jon Savage's 'England's Dreaming' but John Robb's book is the one now. Read more
Published on 25 July 2006 by Jos
5.0 out of 5 stars a handbook on leaving the 20th century
this book brought tears to my eyes. there have been a few books on the punk phenemonon, most of which have focussed on the products and players of the king's road scene from... Read more
Published on 6 April 2006 by Mr. S. Rix
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