From the Velvets to the Voidoids: The Birth of American Punk Rock [Paperback]

Exhaustively researched and packed with unique insights, this history journeys from the punk scene's roots in the mid-1960s to the arrival of new wave in the early 1980s. With a cast that includes Patti Smith, Pere Ubu, Television, Blondie, the Ramones, the MC5, the Stooges, Talking Heads, and the Dead Boys, this account is the definitive story of early American punk rock. Extraordinarily balanced, it tells the story of the music's development largely through the artists' own words, while thoroughly analyzing and evaluating the music in a lucid and cogent manner. First published in 1993, this was the first book to tell the stories of these then-little-known bands; now, this edition has been updated with a new discography, including imports and bootlegs, and an afterword detailing the post-1970s history of these bands. Filled with insights from interviews with artists such as Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, David Byrne, Patti Smith, and Richard Hell, this book has long been considered one of the essential reads on rock rebellion.

No other book...I've encountered succeeded so well in accurately bringing the period to life...lifted me back in time. —Richard Hell, Television and Richard Hell and the Voidoids

To [answer] the question of...exactly what kind of music punk rock was, you have to resort to...[this book]. —Robert Christgau,The New York Times

This engaging & informative history tells you all you'll ever need to know about the birth of American Punk Rock. —Trakmarx.com

Clinton Heylinis the author of, among others,Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades RlC=