Were The Ramones and Joan Jett and the Sex Pistols and The Clash as big as we see them now, or were they just a mostly underground niche genre during this time?

They were big enough. The Sex Pistols never really got a chance to be as big here as they were in the UK because they imploded so relatively quickly, but they were highly influential. Joan Jett's band the Runaways were kind of cultish, but everybody had heard of them. Joan Jett solo was big, with hit singles, but that came in the early 80s. The Clash were big. I remember the Ramones went from playing clubs to playing mid-sized theaters (3000 seaters) pretty quickly in the late 70s.

Very big in the UK, but soon in the late 1970s, formed into other music genres, post-punk, new wave, and later indie pop, alternative rock, and noise rock.

Generally, the more liberal, less religious, and younger the area, the bigger it was. Obviously, a place like Nebraska or Arkansas or West Virginia probably didn't even hear about this is until much later, since the lyrics contrasted so widely with their ideals. Really, outside of the UK, only in NYC and maybe San Francisco did punk get the foothold of punk as it did in Britain, and even there, it was overshadowed by disco (as it was in much of Middle America, with rural America of course sticking to country as usual). In the US, none of the big punk groups got major crossover pop radio airplay, didn't appear on TV except for a few local late night shows (not even Don Kirshner booked them), and were mostly restricted to certain FM radio stations in big cities.  The Sex Pistols and New York Dolls didn't even crack the Hot 100 at all in America, and the Ramones likely only received airplay in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and maybe a couple other cities. The Clash did have one Top 10 hit in the US (Rock The Casbah), but that came out around the time MTV was just starting to blow up (late 1982), even though Train In Vain was a mild crossover hit as well. My boomer parents grew up in a Middle America-type of city, and never purchased a punk record even if they were college or postgrad-aged around the time it grew up; they preferred the "dinosaurs" and disco. Even most, if not all of my aunts/uncles never could really get into that.

Very big in the UK, but soon in the late 1970s, formed into other music genres, post-punk, new wave, and later indie pop, alternative rock, and noise rock.


Was first wave punk ( 1975-1978) in the UK more popular only in retrospect than it actually was at the time? I would think that it wasn't as fully mainstream as it seemed because it was too contrarian to be fully pop, despite many groups being on major record labels and having bit hits and being very trendy at some point.

Was first wave punk ( 1975-1978) in the UK more popular only in retrospect than it actually was at the time? I would think that it wasn't as fully mainstream as it seemed because it was too contrarian to be fully pop, despite many groups being on major record labels and having bit hits and being very trendy at some point.
Popular yes, especially for those that anted a change in the music field.

In truth, back in the 1960's the word 'punk' meant a new form of music, even The Beatles were described as a punk band at first.

Popular yes, especially for those that wanted a change in the music field.



And you will remember even Marc Bolan had punk bands like the Jam and generation X on his Granada TV show in 1977 and took the Damned on tour with him that year as opening act. He also championed bands such as the Ramones in his column in NME. (I THINK it was NME, it might have been one of the other UK music papers). Bolan was the godfather of punk.

And you will remember even Marc Bolan had punk bands like the Jam and generation X on his Granada TV show in 1977 and took the Damned on tour with him that year as opening act. He also championed bands such as the Ramones in his column in NME. (I THINK it was NME, it might have been one of the other UK music papers). Bolan was the godfather of punk.
It was in 1977 when my television viewing was limited for had not one of my own at that time, but I certainly heard the songs on the radio.

Melody Maker and Smash Hits were two other pop music papers, and another which I cannot remember, but I have the final edition in my collection, which is stored underneath everything.

Melody Maker and Smash Hits were two other pop music papers, and another which I cannot remember, but I have the final edition in my collection, which is stored underneath everything.
Record Mirror

It was in 1977 when my television viewing was limited for had not one of my own at that time, but I certainly heard the songs on the radio.

Melody Maker and Smash Hits were two other pop music papers, and another which I cannot remember, but I have the final edition in my collection, which is stored underneath everything.


Oh, you must seek out those Bolan shows. The final one (unfortunately broadcast after Bolan's demise) featured his old friend Bowie. They jammed together and Bolan fell off the stage with excitement! There was no money for the union technicians to work overtime to re-shoot, so it went on the air that way. It's actually very charming. He also made that punk-y sounding single "Celebrate Summer", the last single released in his lifetime.

Oh, you must seek out those Bolan shows. The final one (unfortunately broadcast after Bolan's demise) featured his old friend Bowie. They jammed together and Bolan fell off the stage with excitement! There was no money for the union technicians to work overtime to re-shoot, so it went on the air that way. It's actually very charming. He also made that punk-y sounding single "Celebrate Summer", the last single released in his lifetime.
That is to be my homework tonight when things get quiet on the boards. Was the show called "Marc"?

That is to be my homework tonight when things get quiet on the boards. Was the show called "Marc"?


Yes, "Marc". Here's a head start:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp1C7g-NsLQ

And you will remember even Marc Bolan had punk bands like the Jam and generation X on his Granada TV show in 1977 and took the Damned on tour with him that year as opening act. He also championed bands such as the Ramones in his column in NME. (I THINK it was NME, it might have been one of the other UK music papers). Bolan was the godfather of punk.
I have always kept meaning to the visit the house where Mark Field (Marc Bolan) lived as a boy in North London.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Marc_bolan_plaque.jpg

And have visited the location of his sad demise several times, but cannot take a good photo for the road is narrow.

Yes, "Marc". Here's a head start:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp1C7g-NsLQ
Thank you.

Sorry, I can't repeat a karma action without waiting 24 hours.

Yes, "Marc". Here's a head start:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp1C7g-NsLQ
I always like the way that the name he took to be famous with is a contraction of Bob Dylan.

I always like the way that the name he took to be famous with is a contraction of Bob Dylan.


You're the only other person I know of who knows that!! I knew it, but everybody else buys that cock and bull story he put forth that an early record company changed his name to "Bowland" and he further modified it to "Bolan".  He also recorded as "Toby Tyler" for a brief time. I'm glad he nipped that in the bud.

You're the only other person I know of who knows that!! I knew it, but everybody else buys that cock and bull story he put forth that an early record company changed his name to "Bowland" and he further modified it to "Bolan".  He also recorded as "Toby Tyler" for a brief time. I'm glad he nipped that in the bud.
O0

I have another possible story to tell, but I need to ask one person first and it involves the Data Protection Act.

And you will remember even Marc Bolan had punk bands like the Jam and generation X on his Granada TV show in 1977 and took the Damned on tour with him that year as opening act. He also championed bands such as the Ramones in his column in NME. (I THINK it was NME, it might have been one of the other UK music papers). Bolan was the godfather of punk.

It was in 1977 when my television viewing was limited for had not one of my own at that time, but I certainly heard the songs on the radio.

Melody Maker and Smash Hits were two other pop music papers, and another which I cannot remember, but I have the final edition in my collection, which is stored underneath everything.
There was another pop music newspaper called Sounds at that time.

O0

I have another possible story to tell, but I need to ask one person first and it involves the Data Protection Act.
...and I have to wait for when the lockdown is over before it can be asked.

...and I have to wait for when the lockdown is over before it can be asked.


And it has to do with Marc Bolan?  ???

And it has to do with Marc Bolan?  ???
I am hoping it involves Marc Bolan.