Forthcoming

’77: THE YEAR OF PUNK AND NEW WAVE

By Henrik Bech Poulsen

The Ultimate Reference Book About The Punk Explosion of 1977

Featuring colour and mono pictures from the era

• ISBN: 9780956642097
• Price: £17.99

It is over 35 years since punk exploded onto the nation’s consciousness. The fuse was lit in 1976 and by 1978 punk was imploding with internecine strife. But 1977? What a year: the Pistols (mostly) firing on all cylinders as they and the rest of the vanguard shook up a moribund music industry in the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, whilst in Memphis the King had left the building.

To celebrate this seminal year Soundcheck Books is publishing this labour of love encyclopedia, ’77: The Year Of Punk And New Wave by Henrik Bech Poulsen. This was originally published as a limited edition hardback by Helter Skelter in 2006.

Henrik has written a potted biography about every punk or new wave band that released a record (or appeared on a compilation) in 1977 and what they released that year. Yes, it contains the Pistols, Clash Damned et al but of more interest to those of us that survived the muck and bullets of that turbulent year were the ‘gosh I’d forgotten all about them’ acts such as Eater, the Lurkers, Chelsea and so on. In fact, there are some downright obscure ones that’ll have you scratching your head: anyone remember The Sick Things? Me neither.

The author also sets the scene and describes what life was like back then looking back with mixed feelings on gobbing, pogoing, politics, drugs, the dole, dress codes and more.

The crowning glory of the era though was the artworks that accompanied the records. This book is illustrated with hundreds of pictures not just of the bands themselves but also the albums, singles, flyers and posters that’ll bring a tear to many an aging punk’s eye. 16 of these pages are in colour.

Birmingham Post: “To save you the trip to the last paragraph, I’ll say this now: This is a fantastic book.”

About the Author

Henrik Bech Poulsen is a Dane living in Texas. He has owned a record label and is besotted with punk.