According to Rolling Stone, punk is
now 40 years old, as celebrated in The 40 Greatest Punk Albums of All
Time.
Sure, you could call the release of The Ramones a start. Or you could go back to the 60’s with MC5 or The Velvet
Underground. Or you could look at
pictures of The Beatles in Hamburg and marvel that the same guys played on Ed Sullivan wearing suits. Then there’s Elvis, or Eddie Cohcrane, or …
Let’s face it: Rock and Roll has an edge. It has attitude. It has barely contained and badly channeled rage
– some of it sexual,
some of it social. It’s for kids who have energy and
excitement but no power.
Sometimes that music is raw and
unnerving. Sometimes it’s subjected to more refined
production. But the edge is always
there.
Personally, I prefer well-produced
music, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get (or enjoy) it when I hear what’s come to be called Punk. So rock – or punk – on, people.
