Protopunk

Before there was Punk Rock there was Proto Punk or Proto-punk. The genre blossomed between 1963 and 1976 and is pretty much a after the event term to describe a very raw, energetic and frenetic type of Rock where Three Chords and the Truth was the ammo and shares some similarities with Garage Rock. Because of their minimalist and less polished sound many protopunk bands didn't get much mainstream appraisal. Critics called it "amateurish" or "sloppy" and the hippie crowd didn't like this more brutal and sleazier sound. When Punk Rock broke to the mainstream in 1977 some of the rock bands before them were seen in a new light as the missing link between Rock and punk, thus the name protopunk.

Proto-punk is difficult to define and was never a movement like Punk Rock was. However these are some tropes that apply to it:

• Audience Participation: During concerts the audience is often stirred up into a frenzy or provoked by the band members.
• Careful with That Axe: Musicians are often very energetic and this leads to a lot of shouting and screaming.
• Darker and Edgier: Artists liked to shock audiences with dark songs played at ear-splitting volume.
• Genre Roulette: It shares overlappings with Surf Rock, Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Hard Rock, Pub Rock in terms of sound.
• Flyover Country: Many of the bands hailed from midwestern cities, such as Detroit (The Stooges, MC5), and Cleveland (Rocket from the Tombs, Pere Ubu).
• Intercourse with You: A main difference with a lot of songs that were appreciated by the "peace & love" crowd of the hippie audience was that the protopunkers were very much about lust.
• Limited Lyrics Song: The overall sound and attitude are more important than writing insightful lyrics.
• Protest Song: Some bands were out for anarchy and shocking the establishment.
• Rated M for Manly: This is one genre where having balls is required.
• Refuge in Audacity: A lot of proto punk bands were out to create a sense of danger and excitement, with songs about sex, rebellion and destruction. They didn't shy away from dealing with the grimier aspects of society.
• Stylistic Suck: The bands of this era reacted against the overproduction of late '60s and early '70s Psychedelic Rock and Progressive Rock by bashing out loud, simple songs.
• Three Chords and the Truth: The sound is often primitive and not very complicated to play.
• Trolling Creator: Performers liked to bait crowds into angry reactions.

Examples of protopunk musicians

• Big Star
• John Cale
• Can
• Captain Beefheart
• Alice Cooper
  • Love It to Death (1971)
• Death (the late 60s / early 70s Detroit band, absolutely not to be confused with the Death Metal pioneers of the same name)
• Destroy All Monsters
• The Dictators
• Doctors Of Madness
• The Doors
  • The Doors (1967)
  • Strange Days (1967)
  • L.A. Woman (1971)
• Electric Eels
• The Fugs
  • The Fugs First Album (1965)
  • The Fugs Second Album (1966)
  • It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest (1968)
• Hackamore Brick (Notable for being perhaps the earliest band to be heavily influenced by The Velvet Underground)
• Richard Hell And The Voidoids
• Hollywood Brats (essentially the U.K. equivalent of New York Dolls)
• The Kingsmen
• Love
  • Forever Changes (1967)
• MC5
  • Kick Out the Jams (1969)
• The Modern Lovers
• The Monks
• Neu!
• New York Dolls
• Nico
• Pere Ubu
• Question Mark And The Mysterians
• Radio Birdman
• Lou Reed
  • Transformer (1972)
  • Berlin (1973)
  • Metal Machine Music (1975)
• Paul Revere and the Raiders
• Rocket From the Tombs (Notable for containing future members of Pere Ubu, The Dead Boys and Devo)
• The Seeds
• The Shadows Of Knight
• Simply Saucer
• Patti Smith
  • Horses (1976)
• The Sonics
• The Standells
• The Stooges
  • The Stooges (1969)
  • Fun House (1970)
  • Raw Power (1973)
• Suicide
• Television
  • Marquee Moon (1977)
• The Trashmen
• The Troggs
• The Up
• Velvet Underground
  • 1967 - The Velvet Underground & Nico ^note A collaboration with Nico
  • 1968 - White Light/White Heat
  • 1969 - The Velvet Underground
  • 1970 - Loaded
• The Who (to the point where Johnny Rotten, Johnny Ramone, and Joe Strummer all said something along the lines that punk wouldn't even exist without them)
  • 1965 - My Generation
  • 1966 - A Quick One
  • 1967 - The Who Sell Out
  • 1969 - Tommy
  • 1971 - Who's Next
  • 1973 - Quadrophenia

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