Great Punk Singles pt01

Okay, so the Jubilee may have past and many shows and magazines have reported on Punk 35 years on from 1977, but the music remains. Some of it sounds as exciting today as it did when I first bought it back my days as a Teenage Punk.


So the next few blogs I'm going to share some of that great music and it's artwork and maybe say a few words about each track. The link to hear the song will be in the title above each picture cover.

Suburban Studs - I Hate School (Pogo Records 1978)

I was 15 years old when the Suburban Studs released this, their second single and it basically summed up what I and all my mates were thinking at the time. School was the last place we wanted to be and we regularly bunked off and took the bus up to the city (London) or to the Kings Road in Chelsea. Education didn't really matter, after all if your only hope was to get a factory job or end up on the dole it served no purpose.

The Clash - White Man in Hammersmith Palais (CBS 1978)

For me, this is the best Punk single ever! I know a lot of folks would scream and shout and say, "what about The Pistols 'Anarchy' or The Damned's 'New Rose'?" I have no issue with those songs but it's my list and whatever my favourite is, it's my favourite!
The Clash were one of the bands that managed to blend a little bit of Reggae with their music and I loved Reggae music. My eldest sister's boyfriend had a huge collection of great Reggae music and listening to the likes of Culture, Tappa Zukie, The Mighty Diamonds, Dillinger etc was pretty normal behaviour.

Penetration  - Danger Signs (Virgin Records 1979) 

They came from Newcastle and put out quite a few good singles ( 'Don't Dictate', 'Firing Squad' and 'Life's A Gamble'). Their debut album, 'Moving Targets' is still one of my favourite albums from those times. This was their fourth single. I always thought it was a shame that they were such an overlooked band. With Siouxsie getting all the headlines Pauline Murray went quite unnoticed by the masses. They were a great live band and today they are still out playing and even releasing new music.

Buzzcocks - Spiral Scratch EP (New Hormones 1977)

One of the first D.I.Y. records to come out of the punk movement. A brilliant EP by one of Manchester's finest. Their lead vocalist, Howard Devoto left not long after it was released and he went on to form Magazine whilst Pete Shelly took over on lead vocals and led the band to having a few hits. I always raise a smile whenever I hear 'Boredom' from this becasue that one string guitar solo is so comical.

Subway Sect - Nobody's Scared (Braik Records 1978)

Their single 'Ambition' is often the one that gets the limelight but this one in my mind is the better one. They were out on the 'White Riot Tour' with The Clash back in 1977 and all these years later Vic Goddard is still making music and playing live shows (and works as a Postman!).

The Adverts - One Chord Wonders (Stiff Records 1977)

I always recall the poster for the tour they did with The Damned: 

Such a great single as well, again often forgotten about due to the success of 'Gary Gilmore's Eyes'.

Last one for the moment is:

The Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker (Sire Records 1977)

Hearing 'Blitzkrieg Bop' on John Peel for the first time back in 1976 changed it all for me. The Ramones sadly have always been thought of as cartoonish, which I think is totally wrong. They put out some amazing singles in the early days of Punk, none more so than this one.