Death

Punk rock was born the same year I was: 1975. 

Maybe it's no wonder I've had a strong relationship with it for most of my life. As such, I've been interested in the history of the genre for more than 30 years now.  

It was tougher to find information back in the 90s, but obsession has a funny way of overcoming obstacles. With great aplomb, I sought out people who knew this story and asked them directly in some cases. I read books and ‘zine articles. I pieced the story together.

Everyone brings up the Sex Pistols, who were truly early to the punk scene in the UK. There was proto-punk well before they came along, but few would argue that the Sex Pistols were anything other than punk (albeit something like a punk rock boy band, a very odd start for a genre that would ultimately come to represent defiance against the mainstream).

The Sex Pistols did release Anarchy in the UK in 1976, but they were beaten to the punch by The Ramones, who put out an entire punk record that same year.

So, it was settled, then. The Ramones had invented punk rock back in 1976. 

You can imagine my surprise when in 2007 I discovered (along with most of the rest of the punk world) that three Black dudes from Detroit had recorded something that sounded 100% punk, just like the music I fell in love with from the late 70s and early 80s.

The name of this band? Death.

That’s right! The punk sound first came together in a garage in Detroit, and—maybe even more surprisingly—the first record sounding this way was recorded on February 18, 1975 at United Sound Studios.

Like the contributions of a lot of Black Americans during the origin of rock and roll (circa 1955, the same year

Brad Kyle

was born!), Death’s incredible achievement seems to have been buried. The story goes that Columbia Records’ former president, Clive Davis funded the recording sessions, but implored the band to change its name to something more commercially palatable. The band said no.

Distorted guitars with fast, loud, repetitive drumbeats, minor chords, and righteous anger dominate the album. Friends, this record really shreds. There’s simply nothing like it from 1975 or earlier. Give it a listen if you’re even the tiniest bit into punk rock.

Wanna see more of my punk side? Here’s me talking about old-school punk with Brad:

Bleating Gums: Goatfury's Old-School Punk Primer--Misfits, Crass, Death, DKs, Vice Squad!

Here’s me interviewing the Misfits (minus Glen Danzig) 30 years ago:

And here’s one of the earliest punk shows I went to, a couple of years before that interview:

Death’s legacy lives on in my playlists, and their incredible contribution to the punk genre is only just now starting to be understood. Go listen to them today if you’ve never heard these guys!

Are there any hidden gems you’ve discovered after years of listening to a particular genre?