fast eddie said:
Hoodlum rock:That's a great term. I mean think of it. That's what a lot of these sixties bands look like and bands like the Ramones and Dead Boys sound like...a bunch of hoods.I have to agree with lord muck, they were most definitely punk. Punk at the time was more about the social revolution not just music. The press added the label not the artists. I'd rather listen to white riot than any pistols track, live it was an inspiration. If you can't call the clash punk you'd better rule out the ramones (who really wanted to be a surf band , just didn't have the chops to play it at the time), plus as Lord muck said they were great live
I have friends who's band in 76/77 hated the punk label and called themselves hoodlum rock, but they were probably the best of the Toronto punk bands (the ugly - good luck finding their stuff) If you look back now most of the stuff seems pretty tame in comparison, but if you were there it changed music and art for the better (not to mention the fact that a lot of what we listen to now would likely never have come about without the first wave kicking down the walls of mediocrity that had developed in the music scene)