1977: Looking back at the year punk broke big

It's been 30 years since punk first broke big, and the good folks at "Sound Opinions" have celebrated that anniversary with a fine two-part podcast. 

Gret Kot and Jim DeRogatis offer their own expertise in the punk genre but these two episodes click because of guest authors Simon Reynolds and Ira Robbins, both of whom were front and center as the genre exploded on both sides of the pond. 

Part One loops in Reynolds, author of a number of excellent music books, to help describe the birth and legacy of English punk. Trouser Press founder Robbins guests on Part Two and explains that the New York scene actually caught fire a few years before and in fact influenced the more flamboyant adn politically potent U.K. scene. 

"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.

X-rated musical excellence

X - The Unheard Music (musical out takes) - wideo
Musical outtakes from the movie

I stumbled across another gem on Netflix: "X: The Unheard Music," a 1985 documentary about the legendary LA country punkers. I listened to X quite a bit in my college days and the decade after -- and thankfully saw the original band live -- but their work had sadly fallen off my playlist. So, it was a thrill to go back in time with this documentary, which mixes live performances and music videos with interviews and other background on the band. Even a quarter century later, X's sound remains fresh and unique. 

It's a travesty X isn't in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame because their first four albums rival any in rock history (that's Elvis Costello territory). Exene and John Doe weren't the greatest of singers but their syncopated interplay and intense lyrics were magical, grounded by blistering riffs from stylin' guitarist Billy Zoom and tom-heavy beatwork from D.J. Bonebrake. 

In addition to documentary's fine live performances, there are some great scenes with Zoom showing his chops on a clarinet and Bonebrake laying down some Lionel Hampton breaks on the vibraphone. X were fresh faced back in 1985 but very skilled for punkers of the day. 

Note for Bakersfield readers: X bassist/vocalist John Doe (known only to a few as John Nommensen Duchac) lives in Lockwood Valley, just south of Frazier Park. And if any of the songs in the attached video pique your interest, the band will be invading Buck Owen's Crystal Palace on Dec. 27. 

Update on Thursday, December 23, 2010 at 10:29 AM by Logan Molen

Found out today -- reading a story from The Californian's Matt Munoz -- that John Doe has moved to Oildale.

Very unexpected but cool. Imagine running into him on the streets?