The Rough Guide to Punk 1

by Al Spicer

The Rough Guide to Punk casts a sneering glance at the musicians, fashions, icons and record labels behind the sub-culture that revolutionized pop music. The guide includes profiles of more than 250 artists, from legends such as the Sex Pistols and X-Ray Spex to contemporary stars like Green Day and Babyshambles. There are critical reviews of landmark albums and classic singles, plus the lowdown on everything from safety pins and bondage trousers to venues like The Roxy and CBGBs. The guide comes complete with recommended playlists of the best, loudest and angriest slices of punk waiting to be downloaded to your iPod or MP3 player.

Genres: Music, Reference, Nonfiction, Punk

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2006

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty crappy

[Diego · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated... Some of the more "modern" choices have not stood well the test of time. Some of the artist playlists are also weird and one-note. It's good as a reference, but it was a bit of a chore to read it cover to cover.

[Elwood D Pennypacker]

Distance of time makes some of this now 10 years old guide a bit off (the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are questioned but bands that appear to have quickly vanished are given seals of indefinite lasting; also, the Von Bondies get an entry but the White Stripes do not?) but it serve its purpose well.

Morrissey once fronted Slaughter and the Dogs?

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the spurious inclusion of non-punks like um, Alice Donut, this is a pretty good guide. It's irreverent, at least, and it has lots of lists of songs to download. Good for teens who just bought their first studded bracelets at Hot Topic.

[Jim Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

On of the best overviews of punk I've ever read. The writer has a snarky sense of humor that fits the subject matter perfectly.