ANARCHY IN THE STUDIO: PUNK MUSIC 1970-1979 / THE RISE OF PUNK ROCK - HARDCOVER - BOOK

Punk rock did not begin in New York City in 1975, any more than it started in London in 1976. Punk was a spontaneous eruption of fans of a handful of outsider American rock ‘n’ roll bands — The Velvet Underground, MC5, The Stooges, New York Dolls — forming the band they heard in their heads, because they were not hearing it in the outside world. They happened virtually simultaneously, before the groundswell became unignorable: Ramones, Patti Smith, and Richard Hell in NYC; Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Damned in London; Buzzcocks in Manchester; The Saints in Brisbane, Australia; Radio Birdman in Sydney, Australia. Whether by Legs McNeil at Punk Magazine or Caroline Coon at England’s Melody Maker, the music got branded with the name Creem writer Lester Bangs coined for what’s now known as ‘60s garage: “punk rock.”

Anarchy In The Studio: Punk Music 1970-1979 —The Rise Of Punk Rock is veteran punk journalist/historian/musician Tim Stegall’s comprehensive ‘70s punk history. Based on a selection of over 140 of the best punk albums from the ‘70s, Anarchy In The Studio is the rare punk book that is not regionally focused. The early protopunk era not only includes the aforementioned American influences such as The Stooges and the Dolls, but also English forerunners such as Third World War, Pink Fairies, Mott the Hoople, and The Hollywood Brats. All of the biggest names of the ‘70s are here: Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Dead Boys, Richard Hell and The Voidoids, The Damned, The Slits, Buzzcocks, Generation X. Equal attention is given to regional heroes such as X, DMZ, The Weirdos, Pure Hell, Death, The Nuns, The Bags, Avengers, and The Dils.

D.O.A., Teenage Head, The Diodes, and The Dishrags roared outta Canada, one of the best yet most criminally unsung punk scenes in the world. Australia is given special recognition via The Saints, Radio Birdman, Victims, and Boys Next Door, predecessors of The Birthday Party. Art-punks and post-punks such as Suicide, DEVO, Screamers, Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, and Public Image Ltd. and The Pop Group are given their due, as well as idiosyncratic acts such as Chrome, Metal Urbain and The Cramps. Hardcore’s earliest rumblings filter in through the first chords struck by Middle Class, Black Flag, D.O.A., Bad Brains, and the Germs. 

Chock full of inside tales, origin stories, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and little-known facts, Anarchy In The Studio details the organic rise of DIY culture, spawning punk rock, fashion, media, literature, record labels, and more. Beginning with MC5’s Back In The USA and The Stooges’ Fun House in 1970 and ending with The Clash’s London Calling and The Pretenders’ self-titled debut in 1979, Anarchy In The Studio tells the story of punk rock, 12 inches at a time.