Punk on 45: Revolutions on Vinyl 1976-79

Here, author and collector Walsh (God Save the Sex Pistols) examines original punk rock album art on hundreds of records from the chaotic, triumphant early years of punk through New Wave, Third Wave and beyond. The broad reach of punk is a frequent topic; Walsh notes early on that the term ""punk,"" borrowed from 1972 garage band anthology Nuggets, is entirely insufficient to describe an ""eclectic vanguard"" of acts like Television, Blondie, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Gang of Four, the Talking Heads, XTC and the Dead Kennedys. At its inception, Walsh also notes, the punk sound wasn't new-but the attitude was, and the groundbreaking album visuals displayed here show how that attitude became a huge force in design, illustration, photography and fine art. Dominated by hundreds of sleeves, this glossy, full-color volume often interrupts Walsh's informal but informative prose with pages of them. Fortunately, captions are just as detailed as Walsh's main text. Most of the innumerable artists Walsh mentions are from the US and UK, but other parts of the world are represented in the ""Global Punk"" chapter (including Australia's The Saints, France's Metal Urbain and Canada's DOA). Though an index would have made finding one's favorites much easier, this slick, shiny tour through the most colorful aspects of the 1970s scene is quite detailed-if not particularly deep-and perfect for gifting or browsing.