Rating: 
Summary: Pistol-heavy "Punk"
Review: "Punk" clothes and "punk pop" are the most visible remnants of the 1970s punk movement. Ironically, they could easily have been from a different planet from the grungy, rebellious punks profiled in "Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution." It's not definitive, and it's top-heavy with Sex Pistols stuff. But it's worth a look to get the feel of the punk life.It starts off, oddly enough, with Andy Warhol and the collection of rich/artistic/beautiful freaks he collected in his Factory. One thing he did was sponsor the now-legendary Velvet Underground, which was the dark side of the rest of the music world. From the legacy of the Velvets came other bands who bent the rules, musically and stylistically (Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and the New York Dolls among them). With Max's Kansas City and CBGB's as a sort of ground zero, punk bands of all kinds began to blossom. There's Blondie, Television, the Sex Pistols, Siouxie and the Banshees, the Clash, the Dead Boys, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Patti Smith, and did I mention the Sex Pistols? Additionally, they take a hard look at the roots of punk, the different kinds of bands there were, the magazines that covered it, the drugs that were done, what effect the music had and what the punks did. "Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution" is a big, fat, clumsy, thick, aggressive-looking book that is almost impossible to read standing up. But if you can manage to keep the dang thing open, then you'll have a pretty good time watching as the punk revolution unfolds. It's basically a collection of quotes and interviews from all sorts of people who were around there at the time. One thing that "Punk" stresses is that punk itself was not merely a kind of music or dressing. Merely having safety pins or funky hair does not make you . It was a mindset, a way of life and the way you acted towards the universe in general. And this is backed up -- quite a few of the photographs don't feature people in outrageous clothes, but their attitude is evident in their faces. Some are taking the whole idea seriously, some aren't. What it lacks is enough stuff about the less rowdy aspects of punk -- what were they rebelling against? That's never quite clear. The outside world seems to be a haze for Colgrave and Sullivan. But they do give it their best. There are plenty of photographs that are worth checking out, many of them clear black-and-white candids (like the strangely pretty picture of Johnny Rotten and his "chalice"). There's definitely a leaning towards the Sex Pistols, even though they were by no means the only, most lasting or most important punk band. But there's lots of information about just about every band, from the mysterious German Nico and the dark Velvet Underground to the rowdy and raucous later bands, and finally to the remnants of it today. (Gisele wearing a Sid Vicious T-shirt?) "Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution" is a nice read about a now nearly-dead subculture. Die-hard fans of the Sex Pistols will run to read it, and fans of classic punk bands may want to give it a sniff, but a definitive history of punk it is not.
Rating:
Summary: Pistol-heavy "Punk"
Review: "Punk" clothes and "punk pop" are the most visible remnants of the 1970s punk movement. Ironically, they could easily have been from a different planet from the grungy, rebellious punks profiled in "Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution." It's not definitive, and it's top-heavy with Sex Pistols stuff. But it's worth a look to get the feel of the punk life. It starts off, oddly enough, with Andy Warhol and the collection of rich/artistic/beautiful freaks he collected in his Factory. One thing he did was sponsor the now-legendary Velvet Underground, which was the dark side of the rest of the music world. From the legacy of the Velvets came other bands who bent the rules, musically and stylistically (Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and the New York Dolls among them). With Max's Kansas City and CBGB's as a sort of ground zero, punk bands of all kinds began to blossom. There's Blondie, Television, the Sex Pistols, Siouxie and the Banshees, the Clash, the Dead Boys, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Patti Smith, and did I mention the Sex Pistols? Additionally, they take a hard look at the roots of punk, the different kinds of bands there were, the magazines that covered it, the drugs that were done, what effect the music had and what the punks did. "Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution" is a big, fat, clumsy, thick, aggressive-looking book that is almost impossible to read standing up. But if you can manage to keep the dang thing open, then you'll have a pretty good time watching as the punk revolution unfolds. It's basically a collection of quotes and interviews from all sorts of people who were around there at the time. One thing that "Punk" stresses is that punk itself was not merely a kind of music or dressing. Merely having safety pins or funky hair does not make you . It was a mindset, a way of life and the way you acted towards the universe in general. And this is backed up -- quite a few of the photographs don't feature people in outrageous clothes, but their attitude is evident in their faces. Some are taking the whole idea seriously, some aren't. What it lacks is enough stuff about the less rowdy aspects of punk -- what were they rebelling against? That's never quite clear. The outside world seems to be a haze for Colgrave and Sullivan. But they do give it their best. There are plenty of photographs that are worth checking out, many of them clear black-and-white candids (like the strangely pretty picture of Johnny Rotten and his "chalice"). There's definitely a leaning towards the Sex Pistols, even though they were by no means the only, most lasting or most important punk band. But there's lots of information about just about every band, from the mysterious German Nico and the dark Velvet Underground to the rowdy and raucous later bands, and finally to the remnants of it today. (Gisele wearing a Sid Vicious T-shirt?) "Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution" is a nice read about a now nearly-dead subculture. Die-hard fans of the Sex Pistols will run to read it, and fans of classic punk bands may want to give it a sniff, but a definitive history of punk it is not.
Rating: 
Summary: For a Pistols Fan, A Priceless Work of Art
Review: ... [This] book does come across as more of a Sex Pistols book, as opposed to the punk book it promises to be. Granted, there are moments in which artists such as The Ramones, The Clash, Blondie, and Siouxie and the Banshees [the horror!]. However, such moments are few and far between, and for a fan of all-around punk, these rare moments fade dismally into the background, blatantly overshadowed by the massive amount of Sex Pistols content. If the reader is a huge fan of the Sex Pistols [I am], this book is a rare and priceless addition to one's collection. There are countless photos of the Pistols which have never before been seen by the general public, and each of these photos is of superb quality and possesses great artistry. One such photo is the one of Johnny Rotten smoking some 'chalice' in Jamaica. His head is bent downwards, smoke wafting out of his nostrils and surrounding his head; the photo is oddly hypnotic, beautiful, and serene. There are soem early shots of Sid Vicious in which his hair is short, clean, and he looks scarily innocent and well-groomed[!], and also some photos of various early punks such as 'Catwoman' and quite a few shots of Malcolm McLaren that should have been in a different volume entitled "Punk - The Definitive Record of Money-Hungry Mongers" which would have big red bulls'-eye marks over each photo of Malcolm, Vivienne, and punk posers. Overall, the photos of the Sex Pistols make this a must-have for any hardcore Sex Pistols fans. The text of the book, however, is a different story. Most of the text consists of quotes from photographers and punk clothing entrepreneurs. It would have been nice to read more GOOD quotes by punk artists; many times their quotes were random and easily discarded as unimportant. There are, however, quite a few good quotes by Sid Vicious and Andy Warhol that make up for this. It also would have been an added bonus to have quotes by punk fans, but oh well. One page of quotes is about how Sid was accused of murdering Nancy Spungen. Every one of the quotes is a statement of why Sid had to have been innocent; not one of them says he was guilty. I personally believe he was innocent, but the authors should have made the quotes more well-rounded so the reader didn't feel as though a differing opinion was wrong. To sum the review up, the text of the book is probably a 3/5 stars, leaving some to be desired, though overall it is okay. The photos are exquisite, though most of them are of the Pistols. If you are a hardcore Pistols fan like me who can shell out the dough, this book is more than worth its impossibly heavy weight in gold. However, if you're looking for a more well-rounded history of punk, you should look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: good punk
Review: excellent photos
a very heavy book. i carried it around and nearly broke my back while reading it. excellent text. the pistols stuff is key. clash stuff could have been more. ramones stuff is good. layout of the book is pretty good. would have been perfect if the author would have included a cd taped to the back cover
Rating:
Summary: good punk
Review: excellent photos
a very heavy book. i carried it around and nearly broke my back while reading it. excellent text. the pistols stuff is key. clash stuff could have been more. ramones stuff is good. layout of the book is pretty good. would have been perfect if the author would have included a cd taped to the back cover
Rating: 
Summary: Definitive Recycling of a Revolution more like...
Review: I thought this book looked great when I first got my hands on it but the more I looked at the less impressed I was. If you've read any of the more popular books about the early punk scene, ie. Please Kill Me, England's Dreaming , Vacant.. then you'll already have read most of the quotes in this book. There are some great pics in there which I hadn't seen before but so many of them have been published many times before. There are quite a few errors in the original text as well..(like calling The Clash's second album "Thanks for Giving Us Enough Rope"'!!!.. made me laugh!). If you haven't got many other punk books then this is probably a great place to start.. otherwise only get this if you're an obsessive (like me unfortunately.. I'll keep it for those few new pics).
Rating:
Summary: It's a Big Beautiful Book!
Review: I was So Glad to see this book issued in America. So Big! So Cool. No need to simply document the London scene, but show all the many facets of a Rock Scene. It is more inspiring to see something rise from almost nothing into a cutural revolution. Great Texts, Graphics and Photographs all tell this story.
Hey Kids! Look to these pioneers, they were not posers who threw on a "uniform" They were not happy with what was there, so they took control & ran with it! Hopefully it will inspire you to do the same!
Rating:
Summary: More Pistols Than Punk
Review: If you are only looking for an excellent book on the sex pistols then this is the book for you. However, if you'd like a book about the punk movement in general, this book would give you little material. While it provides extensive material about punk in the context of the sex pistols, the sex shop/ Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, it treats other bands in the punk movement like the Ramones, The Clash, and the Damned as afterthoughts. Certainly both the Ramones and the Clash deserved as much attention as the Pistols seeing as they had more longevity and in the case of the Clash, more musical ability. The Book is certainly worth it's price for Sex Pistols fans and those looking for a photographic approach to the movement. However, if you are looking for a book that lends information on bands other than the Pistols, I would look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: More Pistols Than Punk
Review: If you are only looking for an excellent book on the sex pistols then this is the book for you. However, if you'd like a book about the punk movement in general, this book would give you little material. While it provides extensive material about punk in the context of the sex pistols, the sex shop/ Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, it treats other bands in the punk movement like the Ramones, The Clash, and the Damned as afterthoughts. Certainly both the Ramones and the Clash deserved as much attention as the Pistols seeing as they had more longevity and in the case of the Clash, more musical ability. The Book is certainly worth it's price for Sex Pistols fans and those looking for a photographic approach to the movement. However, if you are looking for a book that lends information on bands other than the Pistols, I would look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Yeah, it's pretty vacant, but...
Review: It's hard to find any real fault in a book like this. It isn't cheap, it doesn't do justice to the politics of the beast, it isn't actually 'definitive,' and yes, it basically belongs to the Pistols. But so did punk, and none of that matters anyways when faced with such a big, bad, monster of a book. Probably as powerful a visual record of the punk movement as we'll ever see. There's no point in even attempting to cover every missed note and torn shirt, but damned if it doesn't try. Don't buy it because you want a guided tour of the era, the text is essentially an afterthought; buy it for the pictures and the great design. Be careful with the paperback version, though; the book is so heavy that, when I moved, the binding basically stayed behind.
|
