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Protopunk is a term used to describe a number of respectively diverse music artists who were important precursors of the punk rock movement of the mid-1970s and later, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential.
The term 'proto-punk' is a retrospective term, something developed after the punk rock movement reached a point of critical significance. The invention of the term "punk rock" is generally credited to critic Dave Marsh who used it in 1970 to describe the group Question Mark & the Mysterians, who scored a major hit with their song "96 Tears."
The sounds of many of these bands were not distinctly similar. there was no single proto-punk sound, simply a concept and philosophy as artists that linked the bands together and the influences and even the foundation of the punk movement. What did link them together was the subversive interests and conscious awareness of their against the grain status. Raw, stripped down, simplified and primitive; the unpolished production of their recordings may have been the only musical connection these bands really had. Dealing often in taboo subject matter, describing the s**t of life quite with interest venting alienation more than any rock and roll bands had before. Many proto punk bands take their own influence from Beat poetry such as Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl".
Typically, protopunk bands were not considered punk themselves; the typification is, furthermore, not widely regarded to have been the result of a distinct musical genre as the precursors of punk rock came from a wide array of backgrounds, styles, and influences.
Acts like The MC5, Iggy and the Stooges, New York Dolls, The Modern Lovers, Captain Beefheart, T.Rex, Patti Smith, The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed are commonly cited as the most noteworthy protopunk artists that would ultimately influence punk musicians.
Though of lesser importance, influence has come from outside rock and roll. Genres such as classical music, the avant garde, outsider music, reggae (especially influential on English punk), traditional Irish music (especially Rebel songs) and free jazz influenced punk rock and later post-punk bands like Wire, Crass and Public Image Limited. however bands in these categorization are not considered proto-punk.
Jungle Boots · Tue Jan 06, 2009 @ 07:35am · 0 Comments |
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