V/A – “Punk the Early Years” DVD Actually this is a retitled reissue of the little-seen “Raw Energy”, a short from circa ’78, and punk-on-the-street shots. Unfortunately the Generation X and X-Ray Spex bits feature studio versions dubbed over them (though Poly Styrene remains a welcome presence no matter what) but you do get genuinely live shots (and full songs) from the Adverts, Slits (who prove themselves the original riot grrrls), and Eddie & the Hot Rods (whose “old school” roots are as evident as a botched dye job). Interviews include members from the above acts as well as various punks on the street, the manager of the Roxy Club, the owner of a punk-fashion boutique, Jordan (for that Pistols connection), Sniffin’ Glue folk, Kris Needs of Zigzag, Marc Bolan (who proves he’s still a frigging throwback), and an all-too-brief chat with Siouxsie and Steven Severin. Various record company executives get interviewed as well (of course by this point they were all jumping on the punk bandwagon bigtime where they were reviling it not too long before). Of course there are some obvious omissions (Damned, Stranglers, Jam, Buzzcocks), the film crew spend a bit too much time with the record execs, and considering the brevity of the film the “no-frills” aspect of its re-release (no bonus material, commentary, etc.) is pretty disappointing. Still, while this release could have been fleshed out some, the better parts of this make me glad it’s around. David @ www.musicvideodistributors.com |
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