heymisterk Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 I saw a very interesting documentary today about a band called Death. They were made up of three black brothers from Detroit who made hard-core punk music, but - according to the documentary; I am not a punk expert - years before other punk bands and the punk movement started. Obviously, they were never accepted: by mainstream because of their name; by the black music scene because of the music they made. The leader of the band - depressed about not being able to make it - eventually smoked and drank himself to death. Check out this song, recorded - I think - in 1974. The full album was released in 2009! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 First punk band is difficult, there's to many bands to cite for there to be a first and in reality to many variables. Death (The punk band) known debut record is a bit difficult, it's interesting but it doesn't really hold up against time its self. It's something everyone who loves punk should own and have in his collection to pop out once in a while, but to be frank it's only really for the hardcore fans... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heymisterk Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 I don't know: I listened to a couple of the songs, and I really thought they were very good, with good hooks and good lyrics. I really enjoyed it more than - say - Black Flag or even Sex Pistols. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 I don't know: I listened to a couple of the songs, and I really thought they were very good, with good hooks and good lyrics. I really enjoyed it more than - say - Black Flag or even Sex Pistols. It's more suited to the rock types then the punk types, most here would just consider it as rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 It's more suited to the rock types then the punk types, most here would just consider it as rock. One could probably say the same of the Ramones or the New York Dolls too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Call me crazy but it sure sounds like punk to me. I never did get into punk at all. And this sounds exactly like what I didn't like about punk when I first heard it back in the 70's. It all sounded the same to me. But hey,, to each his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heymisterk Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 To me, most punk does indeed have a distinct sound: songs that are relatively structurally simple that move quickly and skip any kind of soloing. I like this song a lot: very good hook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennis Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 yea, this is punk. awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 To me, most punk does indeed have a distinct sound: songs that are relatively structurally simple that move quickly and skip any kind of soloing. I'd disagree a bit about the soloing. There are solos in punk rock - they just tend to be simple, short, and based on the melody - not unlike pop in that respect. Generally all the blues based solo cliches of 60s and 70s rock are avoided - though interestingly 50s cliches (ala Chuck Berry for example) occur often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Wow, love this band... Thanks for posting the video... Check this one out, their timing is spot on, really interesting stuff... Great voices, no... Enegry up thier a$$... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Wow, love this band... Thanks for posting the video... Check this one out, their timing is spot on, really interesting stuff... Great voices, no... Enegry up thier a$$... Yeah, I've been listening to the whole album and it's really good. And I see that the documentary - A Band Called Death - is on Netflix, so I'll be checking that out as well. Thanks for the post MisterK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 The problem with music movements that become "genres" is that the names come later and the starting point is always a subject of discussion. There are several examples I can think of, from Metal to Grunge. In the end when a band is "ahead of their time" for a genre "Proto" is added to the genre name, so these guys (Death) would be Proto-Punk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heymisterk Posted November 29, 2013 Author Share Posted November 29, 2013 Wow, love this band... Thanks for posting the video... Check this one out, their timing is spot on, really interesting stuff... Great voices, no... Enegry up thier a$$... "Politicians in My Eyes" was the other song that really stood out as well. Loved it. Have yet to listen to some of the other stuff. I will probably get blasted for saying this, but I love the idea of black guys from Detroit making music like this. I am not a scholar, but African-American musicians were not known for making music like this, at least to my knowledge; again, no expert. I remember thinking Living Colour was an anomaly because of their music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 A couple of comments I have. Most of them reinforce what already said so sorry for not giving you cats credit for them. 1. Death is considered Proto-punk, not unlike the Stooges, the MC5, or White Light/White Heat era Velvet Underground. They paved the way and influenced all of those punk bands. 2. I think of the early "punk" bands as more of rock bands with an attitude. When I listen to Never Mind the Bullocks I hear a killer rock record more than the sound that proceeded Circle Jerks and Black Flag. 3. For the Whole World to See is a great record that stands the test of time. You may not like that style, but you cannot deny that it is one righteous album. Buy it! 4. Was waiting for the documentary to be available to stream on Netflix since I do not have the DVD service. Hope it's there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 I This link says its the full album... The opening song is great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9obRQDQsEI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 It can't be punk, the bass player can really play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy60 Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 yeah, these guys were a decade ahead of the times. sounds standard for a punk or new wave band from the '80s. but this is amazing considering music from the '70s. definitely pioneering stuff. too bad, they never got their due.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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