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Jul 09, 2009

Moira rated it:

It is a REAL question if I will finish this, and it's about one of my favourite periods of musical history! Page 6: "Evocations of the thirties environment characteristic of the babyboomer childhood -- a process which would peak with that palace of fun, Biba's superstore -- went hand in hand with the fine-art codification in 1968 of thirties styles under the term Art Deco." Who the fucking fuck writes like that? Did he program a robot?

(Also, NO, clothing did not 'become More...

7 comments like (7 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Ron rated it:

The most remarkable aspect of the Punk movement is that it was largely engineered by a shallow, politically disinterested, art school failure (multiple times) who turned clothier to young Brits in the late 60s and early 70s. Malcolm McLaren flirted with the works of such disparate entities as the Situationists, the French Anarchists and even the Fluxus crowd, but he was a largely directionless man who went with the capitalist tide and sold anything to anyone, regardless of political stripe. He w More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Tom rated it:

I don't know when I fell in love with punk music, but I did. Probably because of Green Day's album Dookie more than anything else, though at the time, I didn't know what punk was, much less have an appreciation of Green Day's place within the genre. But Green Day eventually lead to The Cure, The Cure to Joy Division, Joy Division to the Sex Pistols and from there, out to the Clash, Rancid, Social Distortion, Siouxsie and the Banshees. The emotional energy of punk, the sheer raw power of its soci More...

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Dec 13, 2011

Marty added it

Savage was an original punk, on the ground in King's Road in 1976, and though his subsequent absorption of Situationist philosophy and his sound grip on English pop-cultural history lend an air of objective authority to England's Dreaming, the book retains hints of the championing one would expect from a survivor. Namely, for Savage, punk began and ended with the Sex Pistols. Savage does make reference to the Ramones, to Iggy and the Stooges, to the Velvet Underground, but he holds them out as d More...

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Aug 30, 2011

Judy rated it:

Das ist mit Abstand das allerschlechteste Sachbuch, das ich jemals gelesen habe. Ich quäle mich gerade noch durch die letzten Seiten, weil die darin enthaltenen Infos über die Zeit Ende der Siebziger so interessant sind.

Aber es ist einfach schlecht geschrieben!
Kaum eine erkennbare Handlungs-Ablauf-Linie (außer grobem zeitlichem Ablauf), keine notwendigen Erläuterungen zu Hintergründen sind eingebaut. Stattdessen wird Name Dropping der übelsten Art betrieben, als ob man nach vierz More...

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Apr 27, 2011

Rob rated it:

History was created by those who say "no" as Savage claims at the back of this book and during Royal Wedding week in the UK, this seems more relevant than ever - especially in view of the Sex Pistols' attempted hijacking of a previous royal event, the 1977 Silver Jubilee.

An exhaustive account of the early days of punk and the rise and fall of the Pistols in particular, this volume deserves its place in the pantheon of classic rock literature. What astonishes is the ability More...

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Sep 20, 2010

Brett rated it:

I don't claim to be an expert on music or music criticism, but England's Dreaming is probably the best book on music that I've read. The subject is the English punk movement of the 1970s and its context. Savage writes like an academic even though it's a topic clearly close to his heart, and his prose is interspersed with selections from his personal diary from the time-period.

England's Dreaming deals cogently with the contradictions of punk: right-wing imagery and left-wing politics More...

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Apr 12, 2008

Raegan rated it:

All you ever wanted or needed to know about England's nascent punk scene. A must have for fans of the Sex Pistols.

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Dec 17, 2009

Michael rated it:

it's not Please Kill Me, but the Sex Pistol weren't the Stooges. Still pretty great.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 11, 2011

Godzilla rated it:

It's taken me a while to get through this, not because the book was dull or hard work, but because of the sheer volume of information inside, covering a relatively short time span. plus the fact it was too unwieldy for reading on my commute (how punk does that sound!)

I'm giving it 5 stars on the basis that it covers the subject matter so well, plenty of other people seem able to find fault with it, but to my mind they're merely nit picking.

If you have any interest in the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 23, 2010

Katey rated it:

If you aren't interested in punk or the Sex Pistols, obviously skip this one. If you are, ask yourself "How interested am I?" before delving into it. It's long, and, at times, trying and tedious. I realise that even the briefest of historical moments can be long and winding when written about, and I appreciated all the precursory info about McLaren and Sex, and the most enjoyable for me was middle of the book, the section about the Pistols forming and gathering momentum; punk gathering More...

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Jun 05, 2011

Kristen rated it:

I don't really like the Sex Pistols a lot (but understand their place in music history) and I can't stand Malcom McLaren for the most part, but this mammoth of a book gives it all a perspective. Pretty comprehensive, Jon Savage gives us a good look at the UK punk scene, the corrupt product-oriented music industry, and the influence of punk in general on culture. For anyone really interested in music, I'd recommend. (Also, there's an excellent discography at the end of the book.)

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Oct 17, 2010

Kim rated it:

England's Dreaming is an excellent book about the punk movement in England. What's really fascinating is seeing how consciously political the movement was in England, which is a stark contrast to how the scene developed in the US. Not that it wasn't political in the US, but it was much more subtle and social, rather than overt. An excellent companion to Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me.

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Jan 08, 2010

Mark rated it:

Well-written overview of punk rock, its precedents and antecedents in England which includes everything from the New York Dolls and situationist thought to the sloganeering of anarchists, etc. well before Johnny was Rotten and Sid was dead. If you read only one book on the Pistols, this is the one to look up.

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Dec 05, 2008

Susanna rated it:

Dry but worth the read if you are into punk music, early 80's music, or just want to learn a little somethin' somethin'. You don't have to be a fan of the Sex Pistols to enjoy this one. There's a little bit for everyone in this Huge book. I think it's thicker than the bible.

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May 26, 2009

Mike rated it:

This book sure is long. It's exhaustive, which in a certain way is a good thing. But the writing is often disappointingly flat. Could've used an appendix to make up for lack of descriptive clarity about various people (i.e., people would be introduced, then go away, then pop back up and for the life of me I wouldn't be able to remember who they were).

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 05, 2010

Bosco rated it:

This is the definitive work on the first generation English punk rock explosion. One of the best books on punk rock ever. You want be able to put it down.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 14, 2011

Eric rated it:

I think this is the definite book about the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols. If you wanted to know everything about the band, this book is it.

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Feb 04, 2009

Linwood rated it:

savage is king of the english punk intellegencia. much better writer than legs, and without the "cool" i was there apparitions.....

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Feb 18, 2011

Jim rated it:

It might not be fair to compare this book to Lipstick Traces, but I'm going to. This book is infinitely superior to Lipstick Traces.

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Jul 27, 2011

Claire added it

The best book about punk ever written, by someone who was there. Should be read by anyone with any interest in music.

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Jul 24, 2011

Sam rated it:

"The ultimate book on punk"? I don't think so. It is, however, a good book on the Sex Pistols, though over-long, at 600-something pages.

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Jan 12, 2010

doug rated it:

Exhaustively researched and incredibly well written history of the 70's punk scene in England. Couldn't put it down!

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Feb 01, 2009

Roger rated it:

The best book I've read on the English punk movement. A must for fans of the Sex Pistols and the Clash.

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Mar 02, 2008

Alex rated it:

Well, I don't know, do you like 900 pages of music criticism and anecdotes about the dangers of being spat on regularly? You'd better. This is officially a tome. As writing it's primitive, moving chronologically and not providing a consistent thread of argument throughout, although there's lots of noodling around in good Pitchforkian style about what punk really meant. There is a colour picture section (yay!), tons of b&w pictures, and an exhaustingly exhaustive discography. It is worth own More...

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Jan 21, 2011

Joe rated it:

Not just the best book about punk rock ever, but probably the best book about a subculture ever. What's particular impressive is the way Savage manages to tell the Pistols' story as an engaging narrative about the small number of individuals involved, while also touching on all kinds of other, more peripheral and sometimes more interesting bands, as well as all the theory and politics that was going on before and around and after punk. As my partner once said about another book, I wish I could t More...

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Sep 29, 2007

David rated it:

I read this last year. However, I continue to enjoy the experience. I've read a number of complaints about this book's accuracy, but, if read in the spirit of hucksterism that at least partially defined the Sex Pistols phenomenon, it's a lot of fun. Also, it attempts a quasi-academic sociological anchoring (Birmingham School), which provides some added and, for me, welcome weight. At the least, this account of the early 70s London scene will cause you to pull out some of that vinyl languishi More...

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Jun 23, 2009

Shawn rated it:

Pretty dang definitive.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 02, 2009

Shaun rated it:

The greatest story ever told.

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Dec 06, 2010

Jerry rated it:

thick

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