Punk songs before punk...

If you can spur a multi-year FBI investigation into your lyrics, that's pretty punk...

 

For that matter Link Wray, at least in my opinion put down many of the seeds of what eventually grew into punk. 'Batman theme', pure headbanger. Driving, mind numbing 'Comanche' and 'The Black Widow', to name just a few. His playing sounds like an eight year old on meth. Wrong in just exactly the right way. And he has the honor to have written and performed the only purely instrumental song ('Rumble') ever banned on the radio in the US.

Sid Vicious, eat your heart out.

 

I agree that it’s a labeling thing, and punk is more of a mindset, lifestyle And attitude, hence the lack of proficiency or virtuosity, I never really listened to punk music it did nothing for me musically, but I really do like the covers of punk done by Metallica they are so much more heavy, and technically proficient, and much better produced.

One example take a listen to “the more I see” from discharge
Then Listen to Metallica’s version

But that’s me. To each his own
I always abide by @sam_in_cali saying
“You like what you like, I like what I like ok?”

 

Sounds right to me. Probably also defined by era. Always been around in one form or another. 1950s punk?



1960s punk?

 

Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels singing/playing I'd Rather Go to Jail. Punk R&B, absolutely, with Jim McCarty on guitar.

...and yeah, MC5! There was a Detroit proto-punk thing going on. MC5, The Stooges, and Mitch Ryder.

 

I agree, 100%. "Wrong in just exactly the right way" is the perfect description of Link's stuff.

 

I'm not well-versed enough to speak to the history. But I will say that this sounds punk to me:

 

I think that sums it up.

I'm pretty sure Beethoven wasn't thinking, "Dude! I'm, like, soooo bored with all that Classical Era stuff. I think I'll invent Romantic." He wrote what interested him, and somebody else categorized it.

 

Many people are so used to the categorization and classification that they are unwilling to accept things that are not in one of their predefined genres.

 

This band is badass.

 

The Beatles - Helter Skelter

 

I was gonna say anything by The Who....

 

Find me a better example of punk before punk.

 

I know, right? It's from 1975.

 

The Killer. Definitely a punk before Punk!

 

I see this as serious proto punk Even the band name is punk - '63

 

The Sonics.
MC5
The Stooges.
Richard Hell and the Voidoids
New York Dolls.
Here in Aus, the Saints and Radio Birdman

 

These guys are all kinds of crazy: