Rating: 
Summary: Punk's Dead - Live With It!
Review: Most of us whose salvation and saving grace in the late 1970's came in the form of punk rock never thought it would come to this: a coffee table-style book on the genre so large it almost requires a truss to pick up and read. Exploding with stark black-and-white photos, the authors rightfully trace punk's origins back to the Stooges/MC5/Velvet Underground unholy triumvirate and primarily use quotes from musicians, hangers-on, and the fans to tell the story of the music so many thought would change if not the world, then at least the industry. Although an integral part of the whole sordid saga, it would have been nice if the authors had sacrificed some of the space devoted to The Sex Pistols and the Sodom and Gomorrah of punk (New York and London) and examined the scenes in Australia and elsewhere. Nonetheless, despite the small quibble, this is a glorious addition to the library of any music lover, punk or otherwise, and another testimonial to why music in the 70's casts such a huge shadow over everything that's come along since.
Rating: 
Summary: Hardly Definitive
Review: There were some good things here. Great pictures and some interesting historical information I wasn't previously aware of. However, the amount of attention given to the Ramones/Sex Pistols is way over the top. I was expecting a comprehensive review of the life and times of Punk in the mid-late 70's. In the end what I got was a biography of 2 bands and Malcom McLaren with fairly brief (comparitavely) impersonal descriptions of other icons of the time. Additionally the collaborators of this book leave the reader the impression that there were only 2 places in the world (New York and London) that were producing anything worth writing about.Worth the buy? Yes I would purchase it again. Disappointing? Again Yes. It could have been so much more.
Rating:
Summary: Hardly Definitive
Review: There were some good things here. Great pictures and some interesting historical information I wasn't previously aware of. However, the amount of attention given to the Ramones/Sex Pistols is way over the top. I was expecting a comprehensive review of the life and times of Punk in the mid-late 70's. In the end what I got was a biography of 2 bands and Malcom McLaren with fairly brief (comparitavely) impersonal descriptions of other icons of the time. Additionally the collaborators of this book leave the reader the impression that there were only 2 places in the world (New York and London) that were producing anything worth writing about. Worth the buy? Yes I would purchase it again. Disappointing? Again Yes. It could have been so much more.
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!] are mentioned. 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, 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." 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: Wildly Inaccurate
Review: This book is......well, frankly, it's a piece of sh*t. It communicates the idea that punk was a fad that happened from 1975-1979 and then ended when the truth is that the punk culture is still alive and thriving today. Bands like the Dropkick Murphys, Dirty Water, Bouncing Souls, and many many lesser-known bands in your local scenes are still out there and performing the music, living the life, and keeping the scene alive in the original punk spirit. There's so few books published about punk rock that it makes me sick to see people wearing blinders and ignorant of the true status of punk publishing one.
Rating:
Summary: Anarchy in the UK and Beyond!
Review: This is a masterpiece! If nothing else, it's gigantic, thick and full of wonderful pictures. This book is bigger than the phone book! It's done in the same style of "Please Kill Me" (which documented the NYC punk scene). It has oral recollections of punk from a great number of people who were involved. Many of the anecdotes may or may not be true but almost every one is interesting. The main focus seems to be on the Pistols and Clash though many wonderful bands like the Fall, the Undertones and Gang of Four also get mentioned. Too much of the focus dwells on the Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood fashion aspect of summer of '76 Britpunk but it was a part of it so I can't complain even though my interest is more on the music and the DIY aspect that fueled punk and post-punk. Very highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Anarchy in the UK and Beyond!
Review: This is a masterpiece! If nothing else, it's gigantic, thick and full of wonderful pictures. This book is bigger than the phone book! It's done in the same style of "Please Kill Me" (which documented the NYC punk scene). It has oral recollections of punk from a great number of people who were involved. Many of the anecdotes may or may not be true but almost every one is interesting. The main focus seems to be on the Pistols and Clash though many wonderful bands like the Fall, the Undertones and Gang of Four also get mentioned. Too much of the focus dwells on the Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood fashion aspect of summer of '76 Britpunk but it was a part of it so I can't complain even though my interest is more on the music and the DIY aspect that fueled punk and post-punk. Very highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: WOW! Don't leave home without this one!
Review: This is Quite an undertaking! Large format, many unpublished Photos & Interviews, make this an indispensible Book. It let's the insiders of this phenomenon tell their story without Journalistic translations! A close look at the Music, the Fashions and the lifestyle, all combined to change the world. Poseurs always get it all wrong, but these guys do not have that problem. WOW don't miss out, now be original!
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