London's BurningLondon's Burning
The summer of 1976 through the summer of 1977 was the most significant year in British rock history, when punk rock rose from a murmur on the streets to a roar of defiance that still reverberates today. This collection of vivid memories of concerts and cultural flash points focuses on what was happening on the streets and in the clubs, answering questions like What brought punks together with London’s disenfranchised Rasta community? What made Teddy Boys?middle-aged men who dressed like 1950s rockers?hate punks so much that they roamed in packs looking for teenagers to beat up? What was it like to be in the now legendary Roxy Club? and Were the Sex Pistols really any good as a live band? Memories from others who were there?including members of the Damned, the Adverts, the Patti Smith Group, the Maniacs, and the Tom Robinson Band?add to this story of punk rock as it happened, stripped of hindsight and future legend, and laid bare.
London’s Burning is the story of punk rock as it happened, stripped of hindsight and future legend, and laid bare. Here are the Damned and the Adverts on tour, the Sex Pistols swearing through their prime-time television debut, the Tom Robinson Band conducting a club full of skinheads through the anthem “Glad to Be Gay,” rioting Rastas running through the carnage that closed the Notting Hill Carnival, Sid Vicious arguing about which was David Bowie’s best song. At the same time, it is a personal story of a confused but dedicated sixteen-year-old looking not just for kicks and great music, but for a cultural revolution--and finding one in his back yard.
An exploration of British punk rock looks at what was happening on the streets, in concerts, and in clubs from the summer of 1976 through the summer of 1977, including memories from members of the Damned, the Patti Smith Group, and the Tom Robinson Band.
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- Chicago, Ill. : Chicago Review Press, ©2009
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