Category: Proto Punk & Pub Rock Live Albums

Proto Punk & Pub Rock Live Albums

Proto Punk is a phrases that has developed after the event to describe the bands that influenced the creation of punk and new wave.

If the punks were rebelling against the excesses and music flatulence of prog rock groups like Emerson Lake & Palmer and blues rock groups like Led Zeppelin, what were their influences?

Early songs by The Who were an obvious source but by the mid seventies The Who had well and truly ruined their reputation with their rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia.

After all what is punk rock all about?

Attitude, aggression, speed and the motivation to get out there and just do it.

Sources of inspiration can be traced back to The Velvet Underground, MC5, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Flamin’ Groovies, Patti Smith and the New York Dolls provided the attitude. In Britain, Mott the Hoople and Slade provided a hard edge to glam rock

The Modern Lovers provided a DIY spirit.

Speed came from Dr Feelgood, Eddie & The Hot Rods and The Ramones. In Britain.

Pub rock developed in the UK in the early 1970s with a back to basics approach to music with an emphasis on R&B, funk and country rock.

There was nothing flashy about the music created by the pub rock groups. That was the entire point.

Groups included Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, Kursaal Flyers, Kokomo, Dr. Feelgood and Kilburn & The High Roads.

Graham Parker and the Rumour caught the end of pub rock as it was overwhelmed by punk and new wave music.

But pub rock had done an important job. It had provided an alternative to the flashiness of prog rock and hard rock and made live music a viable alternative in many pubs around London. This gave the punk rockers small venues to appear in at the beginning of their careers.

Pub rock also supplied some of the proto punks that influenced punk rock and Joe Strummer of The Clash played with the 101ers and Ian Dury led Kilburn & The High Roads. The Strangers were effectively a pub rock group with a punk rock attitude.

For a music genre that thrived live, it’s said that many of the best pub rock groups don’t have their own live albums.

Eddie And The Hot Rods – Live In Concert 1977 & 1978
MC5 – Kick Out The Jams 1968
Graham Parker – The Parkerilla 1978
Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground Live 1969

The Stooges You Don’t Want My Name You Want My Action 1971

You Don’t Want My Name You Want My Action is a collection of four in concert recordings by The Stooges in 1971.

Two concerts were from New York, one from St. Louis and the other from Detroit.

  • The Electric Circus, New York City on 14 May 1971
  • The Electric Circus on 15 May 71
  • The Factory. St. Charles,  St. Louis on 27 May 71
  • Vanity Ballroom, East Jefferson, Detroit on 13 April 71

The Stooges You Don't Want My Name You Want My Action

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The Patti Smith Group Live at the Boarding House San Francisco 15 Feb 1976

Live at the Boarding House San Francisco 15 Feb 1976 is a live recording by The Patti Smith Group.

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Tyla Gang Live at Rockpalast 1978

Live at Rockpalast is a live album and DVD by the Tyla Gang.

It was recorded in 1978 but was only released in 2014 before the reformed Tyla Gang toured Europe in October and November 2014.

Band leader Sean Tyla used to be a member of Ducks Deluxe and therefore I have to admit a bias in favour of the band.

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Racing Cars 76-06 30th Anniversary Concert

76-06 30th Anniversary Concert is a live album by Racing Cars.

It is often sold with the Love Blind studio album by Morty, their lead singer. There is also the option of a DVD if you prefer to watch the live performance.

As the name suggests, the concert and album celebrate that it was 30 years ago (in 2006) that Racing Cars were formed. I thought they showed a lot of promise with their first album Downtown Tonight and the hit single They Shoot Horses Don’t They. Unfortunately they were blown away by the development of punk rock and new wave music when their stylish, funky rock seemed old fashioned.

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Patti Smith Easter Rising 1978

Easter Rising is a live in concert recording featuring Patti Smith.

It was recorded at The Place, Eugene in Oregon on May 9th, 1978 and broadcast on the radio.

By this stage, the Patti Smith Group had a hit band thanks to the song co-written with Bruce Springsteen, Because The Night.

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Patti Smith Jazz Workshop Boston 1976

Jazz Workshop, Boston January 9th 1976 is a live recording by the Patti Smith Group while she was promoting the Horses studio album.

It’s source is a live FM Radio broadcast and it was released in October 2014.

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Ducks Deluxe The John Peel Sessions 1973 to 1975

The John Peel Sessions is a collection of “live in the studio” recordings for the Radio One John Peel Show between 1973 and 1975.

Ducks Deluxe are one of the classic pub rock bands from the 1970s but I’m also treating them as a proto-punk band (i.e. they helped to inspire the punk rock changes in 1976 to 1979). They seriously rocked unlike peers like Brinsley Schwartz who had strong country rock influences.

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Iggy Pop TV Eye Live 1977

TV Eye Live 1977 is a live album by Iggy Pop.

It was recorded at concerts in the United States during his 1977 tours promoting his studio albums The Idiot and Lust For Life.

Recorded 21/22 March 1977 Agora, Cleveland, Ohio: 1, 2, 6
Recorded 28 March 1977 Aragon, Chicago, Illinois: 8
Recorded 26 October 1977 Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, Missouri: 3, 4, 5, 7

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Patti Smith Dreaming Of The Prophet 1975

Dreaming Of The Prophet is a live recording by Patti Smith.

It was recorded at the Bottom Line club in Greenwich Village, New York City on December 27th, 1975 and broadcast by the WNEW-FM radio station.

Patti Smith charms in this small, intimate club and her personality and raw talent shine through. Her debut album Horses was released on December 13th, 1975, just 14 days before this concert.

Patti Smith Dreaming Of The Prophet

Songs On Patti Smith Dreaming Of The Prophet

I Man a Mafia – 0:47
N*gger Book – 4:49
Sally – 0:17
Rape – 5:49
Lullaby (I Was Working Real Hard) – 2:16
We’re Gonna Have a Real Good Time – 2:51
Privilege (Set Me Free) – 3:35 (later to appear on Easter)
Ain’t It Strange – 6:58 (later to appear on Radio Ethiopia)
Space Monkey – 4:40 (later to appear on Easter)
Redondo Beach – 4:15 (Horses)
Free Money – 4:43 (Horses)
Pale Blue Eyes – 3:39
Louie Louie – 1:56
Pumping My Heart – 3:17 (later to appear on Radio Ethiopia)
I Man a Mafia – 3:42
Birdland – 11:10 (Horses)
Land / Gloria – 7:27 (medley from Horses)
Time on My Side – 4:05
My Generation – 3:22

This album starts with Patti Smith on stage on her own, working on a new idea where she performs some of her poetry and gives the audience a chance to ask her questions. While I won’t play this part of the album as often as the section with her band, it is charming and really shows off her personality.

The band performance starts from track 6 with We’re Gonna Have a Real Good Time which is extremely appropriate. It’s a fiery, passionate performance that’s full of energy and you can understand how she helped to inspire the American side of punk rock.

I’ve bought several Patti Smith studio albums in the past – Horses and Easter – and I hadn’t heard much to get excited about. Harsh and I’ll admit that I didn’t work too hard to get to know the albums. This has made me a convert and I’m looking for another live recording to buy. Fortunately there is plenty to choose from.

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Buying Patti Smith Dreaming Of The Prophet

It is available from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk

These links will help you get to the albums quickly and easily but I recommend that you still search for the best deal.

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