"Punk in England"

The early '80s documentary film "Punk in England" has been remastered and rereleased, and offers a nice flashback to one of the most invigorating times in rock history.

And don't be scared off by the punk reference in the title. Punk dominates, but mod and ska were in the mix at that time, and get a nice ride in this hourlong history lesson.

Live performances range from The Clash and The Jam to Madness and The Pretenders, powerful visual documents of a period when English punkers, mods and ska bands were slamming the music industry up against a wall. Like many punk documentaries of the day, the audio is sometimes muddy, but the historical value overcomes any annoyance.

Some of the performer interviews are comical in their projections of self-importance, but they capture an engaging innocence and energy to revolutionize music that's still being felt today.