The birth year of punk rock

"Don't say you were not warned: stories, both in print and broadcast, are already being prepared about the 50th anniversary of punk rock. Indeed, 1976 saw the release of debut albums by the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Damned, and the first version of Blank Generation, Richard Hell's anthem. Of course, there are also nitpicky arguments for rejecting 1976 as the annus mirabilis."

"The same goes for the Sex Pistols, who debuted in London on November 6, 1975, with borrowed equipment and at such a volume that their performance was cut short after 20 minutes. The term punk posed certain historical problems. In attitude and sound, they had connections to some American bands of the 1960s, anthologized in 1972 on the compilation album Nuggets by Lenny Kaye, future guitarist for Patti Smith. These bands were later dubbed garage bands, a reference to the spaces where they originated."

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Punk emerged around 50 years ago and quickly disrupted existing musical norms while showing early signs of excess. 1976 saw debut albums from the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Damned, and the first version of Richard Hell's "Blank Generation," concentrating the moment. Earlier activity at CBGB in 1974 and key shows in 1975 complicate the choice of a single annus mirabilis. The Sex Pistols' London debut used borrowed equipment and ended after twenty minutes due to volume. The term punk carried historical problems and maintained ties to 1960s American garage bands anthologized on Nuggets.

Read at english.elpais.com