My Appraisal/Reappraisal of Classic Punk Debut Albums

So this began with my standard year posts and I'd hit 1977. I've had a long standing belief that of the three 'classic' punk debuts of 1977, that the best was the Damned's Damned Damned Damned.

The first problem was that I had never listened to The Clash's debut. I'd heard plenty of stuff by them - London's Calling, Give 'Em Enough Rope, even Sandinista, for goodness' sake. Just not the debut. If I've not heard that, it throws some doubt on my claim regarding The Damned. The second was listening to The Jam's debut In the City. I'd managed to dodge that too, but listening to it I had to admit that it was better than I'd anticipated. I also had to recognise that maybe it wasn't three 'classic' debuts - maybe it was four. Maybe it was more than four. In the interests of sanity I decided some limits.

• I stuck to the UK
• I stuck to 1977
• I stuck to records that were well known, bordering on the mainstream.

So I stuck to five.

• The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
• The Damned - Damned Damned Damned
• The Clash - The Clash
• The Jam - In the City
• The Stranglers - Stranglers IV (Rattus Norvegicus)

Time to appraise and re-appraise. Which is the best?

The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks

I've always been lukewarm about this record but listening to it now (with an attempt at fresh ears) it's as bright and day-glo as Jamie Reid's cover. It's effervescent - there's so much energy. The four singles are also pretty undeniable. I've always loved Pretty Vacant. For my money it's the Pistols' greatest achievement in the recording studio and one of the best punk records full stop.

On the downside, there are precious few ideas here. Several of the songs rehash the same moves again and again. Liar is pretty much a replay of Pretty Vacant, for instance. Musically, while Steve Jones' can't be faulted for commitment, there's an awful lot of Chuck Berry retreads, just louder. You can also point to the New York Dolls, elements of Bowie, The Stooges (who were all self-consciously replaying their own idols, of course). There's also very little dynamic on the record, too much similarity. If you've listened to the singles, there's really no need to listen to the remaining eight tracks. Finally, Lydon's lyrics are pretty weak in the most part. They only occasionally make sense and often tilt to the juvenile and inane (Seventeen) - a shame given the bands' claim of social critique.

Listening again now, I find my opinion isn't much changed. If you want to listen to a cultural artefact, cool. The Pistols, for a variety of (non-musical) reasons, captured something in the zeitgeist that was truly infectious, and this record is a document of that. Alternatively, if you want to listen to some dumb-ass loud rock and roll music that has some claim to attitude and energy, again, cool. I'll not disagree. But a great record on it's own merits? I'm not sold.


The Jam - In The City

Like The Clash, I've managed to never listen to the debut album from The Jam. I think it's because I never liked Paul Weller very much, even if I did begrudgingly admit that he wrote some good tunes from time to time.

Straight away it feels pretty tight to me. Maybe it's that power trio thing, it doesn't leave much space. The songwriting seems pretty sharp too. I can see what the early critics are getting at when they tried to put them down as 'revivalists'. There definite echoes from the 60s. You definitely can hear some Pete Townsend here. But how's that bad? Similarly, I hear some British 60s R&B rehash. But I'm not complaining.

I like that The Jam are not too afraid to be musical. Sure, it has that energy, but the songs are all self-consciously structured and thought through - Away from the Numbers. Batman is obviously cool, and In the City is a great single. It is very hard not to want to sing along. Sounds from the Street reminds me of The Ramones, but more interesting. That said, from a negative mindset, the album is a bit patchy when it comes to being fun. Some of the songs remind me too much of Weller - a bit bitter and cranky.

The Clash - The Clash

Janie Jones is a great opener to any album. It's full of energy and excitement, infectious, you can sing along. What's more, the lyrics make sense. And bonus, they articulate an experience that the audience in 1977 would have been able to get right behind. Here's a dude, he likes his girl, his weed and his music, but he doesn't like his dead-end job. And the songs that follow maintain this. It's easy to see why some folk still call The Clash the only band that matters. Especially since the next few songs maintain all of the albums best qualities.

After that, it does waver. Hate & War, What's My Name, Deny are all just fine, but each of them are forgettable. I'll admit that I have never been keen on that shout-y style of singing that became so typical of punk bands. I find myself wondering if the elements that leave me a little cold here are because I have wearied of them elsewhere. Sort of like how films like The Exorcist lose their impact after a million lesser films have stolen their best bits. I don't know. I am enjoying the album intermittently. I am enjoying the phase effect on the guitars in Cheat.  Musically, again - and I don't know why I keep being surprised by this - I keep catching sight of the band's influences. This ain't no year zero... I do quite like their version of Police and Thieves even if I think that they achieved a better synthesis of punk and reggae in later records.

The Stranglers - IV (Rattus Norvegicus)

What a weird album. Listening to it again, it's plain that this one is odd one out. No surprise really that these guys were often not really considered punks at the time. They share an energy, and an attitude, and a disregard with the punks, but two things really set them apart. Firstly, they are FAR more musical than the other four, and I'm not just thinking of Dave Greenfield's keyboards, which plainly recall Ray Manzarek of The Doors. Second, there's a sleaziness here. The Pistols had 'sex' in their name and wore T-shirts with tits on them, but it was all as innocent and juvenile as The Damned covered in custard pies. The Jam and The Clash thought they were too good for a little T&A. But these guys feel like the dude who sits behind the counter at the grimiest 70s sex shop. It's hard not to listen to London Lady or Peaches without being a little disappointed in yourself. But then (getting back to the music), that second side! Hanging Around, Peaches, and Grip are irresistible. I can live without the first side, to be honest. It's the payment necessary to get the second.

The Damned - Damned Damned Damned

This is the album that started this whole train of thought. Along with the Pistols, I first listened to this in my teens and it's stayed with me. So much so that I've thought it the best...

If you don't love Neat Neat Neat I'm not sure we can be friends. I keep talking about energy - it's no surprise, given that we're talking punk and debut albums (often a band's most energetic), but this opener is killer. It gets down to business so insanely fast. I watched that documentary on The Damned (Don't You Wish That We Were Dead) and Brian James was saying that he hated to play slow songs. Yup, he's not kidding, is he? Every song (12 in the space of 31 minutes) is played at breakneck speed with total conviction. There's no fuss, no waiting, no unnecessary clever business. I read recently about an advert that Stiff Records ran for a tour that featured The Damned and The Adverts and the slogan went 'The Damned know 3 chords, The Adverts know 1. See all 4 at...'. I never quite bought that - I think that The Damned are better musically than they liked to let on...

But yes, there's no clever business here, is there? Lyrically, it's dumb-ass rock and roll stuff. New Rose (which I love even more than Neat Neat Neat) [also, first punk single, yadda yadda...], Fish, Fan Club, and so on, keep the ball in the air. And then there's a Stooges cover to wrap things up. I'm not sure that it's true overall, but listening to their version of 1970 (So Messed Up) here, makes me think that these guys are even further off the deep end than Iggy's lot.

Conclusion

I'm not sure that there's a clear winner here, but there is a loser. Aside from the singles, I still can't get too excited about Never Mind the Bollocks. The scope of the album feels contrived and limited to me. The Pistol's Steve Jones is an alright guitarist, and although I've never quite made up my mind about Lydon, he went on to do far more interesting things with P.I.L..As I say above, I don't want to take anything away from these guys as a sort of lightning rod of the time, but the record just doesn't do it.

In fourth is The Stranglers. (Get a) Grip (on Yourself) and Hanging Around are phenomenal. I like the album as a whole, even the first side, which is by far the weaker, but it's not essential. If someone told me I could never listen to London Lady again, I'd cope fine.

It gets harder, I think, when we get to third place because I think that all three of the remaining bands and their records are pretty good - by which I mean very. Both The Jam and The Clash's debuts were better than I expected, and I wish I had gotten around to listening to these earlier. What's more, all three bands went on to do much better records.

I'm going to put The Clash in third. Mainly because once you get past White Riot (track 4) the albums starts to dip for me. If the whole album was as good as Janie Jones, it would be the clear winner.

It's close.

If I want fast, stupid, rock and roll The Damned win. If I want something a little more multi-dimensional (let's say), I'll go with The Jam. If I want something a little more 'year zero', it's The Damned. If I want to keep that 60's R'n'B in play, it's The Jam.

It's close, but The Damned still have that place in my heart. In The City has nothing that gives me the same rush as Neat Neat Neat or New Rose.