Anybody watching the BBCs punk britannia season?

Some really good stuff including the Pistols and Bill Grundy which is always worth a watch.

One question that did occur to me was who was the most succesful punk? The Clash and the Stranglers did really well for a long time but watching the punk TOTP it occured to me that it might have been Billy Idol! He was huge in the 80s and sold millions in the States. Did any other punk manage that?

I don't ever think of Billy Idol as a real punk for some reason.

What about Paul Weller? But was he a punk either?

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Braincapers
Anybody watching the BBCs punk britannia season?

Some really good stuff including the Pistols and Bill Grundy which is always worth a watch.

One question that did occur to me was who was the most succesful punk? The Clash and the Stranglers did really well for a long time but watching the punk TOTP it occured to me that it might have been Billy Idol! He was huge in the 80s and sold millions in the States. Did any other punk manage that?

Billy Idol never played Shea Stadium like the Clash, and his music never evolved album by album like the Clash, and his legacy is not influential like the Clash. I'm from the States, and by the time his clever little pop tunes made it onto radio and MTV he was punk in costume only. My vote is for the Clash.

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stonesnow

Billy Idol never played Shea Stadium like the Clash, and his music never evolved album by album like the Clash, and his legacy is not influential like the Clash. I'm from the States, and by the time his clever little pop tunes made it onto radio and MTV he was punk in costume only. My vote is for the Clash.

In terms of legacy and influence it's the Clash every time. It just occured to me watching Idol in Generation X that he'd gone from punk band to platinum albums and I couldn't think of anybody else that had. I suppose if we are talking about new wave you'd have to include the Jam and Elvis C but they weren't punk really.

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Braincapers

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stonesnow

Billy Idol never played Shea Stadium like the Clash, and his music never evolved album by album like the Clash, and his legacy is not influential like the Clash. I'm from the States, and by the time his clever little pop tunes made it onto radio and MTV he was punk in costume only. My vote is for the Clash.

In terms of legacy and influence it's the Clash every time. It just occured to me watching Idol in Generation X that he'd gone from punk band to platinum albums and I couldn't think of anybody else that had. I suppose if we are talking about new wave you'd have to include the Jam and Elvis C but they weren't punk really.

I suppose you could fit the Police and Pretenders in that latter class, and they did very well over here also. I read somewhere that Idol/Generation X were considered among the lower tier of punk at the time, but I'm no real authority. Billy Idol is just another 80s MTV-type pop singer to my memory--I recall being surprised when I discovered his early punk roots.

Here's my guy:



I wish The Fall would come back around the States.

Generation X weren't among the top tier punks but they were early punks and I suppose proper punks. They did have an album produced by Ian Hunter which makes them OK by me!

Dancing with myself by Generation X was a UK hit and then a solo hit in the States.

I personally think "Can't Stand The Rezillos" by The Resillos is the best punk album of all time. Is a bit more poppy, new wavish on some songs but the fast paced highly skilled group with great, often funny lyrics can't be topped by the Clash, Ramones etc. IMO. It is a must listen if you've never heard it. The bass player is untouchable.





Not to hijack you thread but I'll throw a punk tune I made today on here for those interested......not sure it's punk, can a 44 year old make a punk tune LOL.






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-06-13 01:47 by Markdog.

The Adverts .....



ROCKMAN

John Lydon

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The Buzzcocks.

They even got their own long running TV series.

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GravityBoy
I don't ever think of Billy Idol as a real punk for some reason.

He was in the Bromley Contingent, no ? So he was one of the early punks, those who followed the Pistols at the very beginning.

I don't think we should think of punk as a person but what punk has set us free, Yes, ELP, and others.
They gave new blood to music. How many have become musician after seeing the Pistols, the Clash.
That's the punk legacy. Who cares about who was the biggest seller.

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iggy.pop
.. Who cares about who was the biggest seller.

I don't but it just struck me that if you'd watched totp back in 77/8 and been asked which act would be the most successful you probably wouldn't have picked Billy. The Robbie Williams of punk!

Clash.

The best selling punk band....hmm....I would say: BLONDIE or THE CLASH

I'd forgotten Blondie they might well be the best sellers.

I think there's a difference between Punk & New Wave. New Wave is like "Punk gone Pop."

I would call Blondie "New Wave."

......yeah real punks don't wave



ROCKMAN

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Rockman
......yeah real punks don't wave

Well, maybe a finger wave....

Didn't mean to do a duplicate post here--my computer froze.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-06-14 23:04 by stonesnow.

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Edith Grove
I think there's a difference between Punk & New Wave. New Wave is like "Punk gone Pop."

I would call Blondie "New Wave."

"New wave" is merely a term created by Seymour Stein of Sire Records so that he could market punk bands like the Ramones, or any Sire Records artist considered under the label "punk" (i.e., the CBGB's contingent), which he could no longer do as of 1978 once all the negative hype and hysteria surrounding the Sex Pistols began permeating the industry.

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Braincapers
I'd forgotten Blondie they might well be the best sellers.

Although some members of the British music press condemned Blondie for "selling out", they were huge success, worldwide...

Blondie's third album, "Paralel Lines" released in September 1978 sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

Did any other punk band - or "new wave" band for that matter - beat those record sales ?

There is no way that "Parallel Lines" was punk.

It was a great album (I bought it back then) but it can only be described as Pop.

Nothing wrong with that.

I saw Blondie when they were support to Television, both acts were considered 'new wave' at the time.

Honorable mentions for 'Sham 69' and 'The Stranglers'...


Sham! Sham! Sham!

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stonesnow

Billy Idol never played Shea Stadium like the Clash,

Without judging the merits of Idol, I think your argument is a bit misleading since the Clash at Shea were the opening act for The Who.


If I said, "Bob Marley never played Anaheim Stadium like Peter Tosh" it would imply that Tosh was more popular, even though he played there as opening act for the Stones.

"I would call Blondie "New Wave.""

No one who ever worked upstairs at Max's was into "new wave"

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loog droog

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stonesnow

Billy Idol never played Shea Stadium like the Clash,

Without judging the merits of Idol, I think your argument is a bit misleading since the Clash at Shea were the opening act for The Who.


If I said, "Bob Marley never played Anaheim Stadium like Peter Tosh" it would imply that Tosh was more popular, even though he played there as opening act for the Stones.

Fair enough. But I thought everyone here knew all there was to know about all there was to know. Let me rephrase then: Billy Idol never opened for the Who.

Also, the Clash made a dent in the U.S. a few years earlier than Idol, even though they started in the UK around the same time.

I don't mean to be negative about Idol, but I think the legacy of the Clash is stronger.

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stonesnow
[
I don't mean to be negative about Idol, but I think the legacy of the Clash is stronger.

Agree 100%

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loog droog

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stonesnow
[
I don't mean to be negative about Idol, but I think the legacy of the Clash is stronger.

Agree 100%

I agree too. But I suspect Billy sold a lot more records.