The Standells' story con volutes through a media maze. Russ Tamblyn's brother, Larry Tamblyn, had already recorded on an East L.A. Mex-punk label when he founded The Standells in '63, adopting ex-Mousketeer Dick Dodd as a drummer. As evidenced on their first album, In Person At P.J.'s, The Standells began as an archetypal punk band (i.e. the Kingsmen), performing the standards ("Money," "Louie Lpuie") for the "Watusi elite." Tangled in the Hollywood scene, the band appeared in Get Yourself a College Girl, provided music for Zebra in the Kitchen and When The Boys Meet The Girls, and were showcased on TV shows like Lloyd Thaxton and various LiA. dance parties. Yet The Standells' most famous media moment occurred on an episode of The Munsters, in which they parody the invading British by playing "Come On Wfflffl

to rest easier tonight knowing that the future of America Is In the hands of fine young men like the Standells. •Herman t Munster

and Ringo" for impersonators of Maynard G. Krebjs. Herman Munster: "I'm going to rest easier tonight knowing that the future of America is in the hands of fine young men like The Standells."

In '66, the punk rage peaked, and the Standells incarnated the mood, thanks largely to producer/writer Ed Cobb. "Dirty Water," their first smash, endures as a rich example of punk's posturing, proclaiming a devotion to the scummy Charles River ("that's where you'll find me, along with lovers, muggers, and thieves . r. . ah, but they're cool people"). In that the Standells with a mischievous wink claim Boston as their home, this record represents punk's paradoxical attitude combining playfulness with impudence. Consider that,fcs the record

fades out, the vocalist shouts, "Have ya heard about the strangler?!... I'm the man, I'm the man!" Cobb wrote the next two Standell's rights of teens that sounded like Sonny Bono backed up by the Stones. (Bono produced .an early Standells record, "The Boy Next Door," a Spector imitation.) Although scattered on theif four Tower albums are some of punk rock's most strenuous workouts ("Medication," "Mainline," "Rari," "Barracuda"), the Standells' finest efforts, during the demise of the genre itself, may be their singles, "Try It" (bubblegum fuzz that, according to Tower publicity, was "banned" everywhere even though it was tame enough for the Ohio Express to cover) and "Riot On Sunset Strip" (the rebellious anthem from the American International exploitation film). Originally hatched by a media blitz, the Standells vanished in a Hollywood flash, leaving only the insurrectionary farewell of "Riot," paragons of punk until the very end.

Whereas the Standells belonged to the concrete strip, The Seeds were of the coarse Earth. On the cover of their first album, they are posed like savage Indians rooted to native soil, their appearance too dirty, their hair too long and unkempt. Eventually they would water Mr. Farmer's crops and sprout into spokesmen for Flower Power ("the Generations of Seeds will overcome the Age of Stones").

The Seeds were the Rolling Stones of punk with Sky Saxon playing Jagger. Their sound was basically one riff transported by Daryl Hooper's phantom-like piano and organ melodica, creating an ethereal spookiness that qualified as the missing link between the mysterious organ of Texas punk and the Freudian keyboards of the Doors. Using the criteria of punk aesthetics, the Seeds' debut LP, which includes their first three singles\ ("Can't Seem To Make You Mine," "Pushin' Too Hard," "Try To Understand"), is a grubby masterpiece—not only are half of the songs stolen from the Stones, but they all sound just alike! The Seeds

were masters of reiteration, repeating one song ad infinitum, stealing from themselves. (Try to distinguish "No* Escape" from "Pushin'." On Raw And Alive when the Seeds begin playing the former, the fans go berserk, assuming it's the latter, the big hit.)

Despite that it's mostly a shabby duplication of Aftermath, the Seeds' next album, A Web Of Sound, its cover depicting the band caught like incredible shrinking men in a spider's trap, survives as an aural trip. Unfortunately, while the hippies were creeping over the horizon like killjoy Kilroys, the Seeds teamed up with an English fakir named "Lord" Tim Hudson (who also assisted in the "success" of the Lollipop Shoppe's "You Must Be A Witch," a stupendous example! of acid punk). This devious "lord" tagged the Seeds with the Flower Power hype,1 making the band look like dotards sprung from pods. An> album filled with "flower music" followed, Future ("I did it all for youj my flower child," sang the cloudy Sky on "AThousand Shadows"), then a Seedy Blues LP, and finally an energetically mumbled performance^* Raw And Alive.

Later, a few mediocre singles were released, and Sky Saxon did appear on The Mothers-In-Law, but essentially the Seeds had dissipated, drained of their repetitive sensibility. As Sky (pseudonym: Marcus Tybalt) wrote in the liner notes for Web Of Sound, "And four weary travelers from night to light as the burden that they bear grows heavy in the cloak of dark," a fitting epitaph for a band that had grown tired of its own hypnotic redundancy.

Underlying the punk arrogance of bands like the Standells and Seeds was the current of L.A. folk-rock (the Byrds, Love, the Grass Roots, the early Turtles). ,In '64, this genre's dominant sound of a peacefully pealing electric guitar (often 12-string) was foreshadowed by England's Searchers as well as San Francisco's Beau Brummels Jwho, like the Sir Doug Quintet and the Knickerbockers, were quite expert in affecting British airs). The punk representatives of folk-rock wjere The Leaves * the first band to record a rock version of. the garage groups' gauge, "Hey Joe." With its immediate bu^st of fuzz, the Leaves' "Hey Joe" begins fraught with vehemence, relating in mid-violence the act of a killer on the loose about to shoot his woman. On their first LP, the Leaves borrowed heavily from the Byrds and Searchers, but despite their folk-rock leanings, they could not avoid ("Hey Joe" the proof) the West Coast's fascination with fuzztone.

The crackle of fuzz almost crushed the Folkie Syndrome, and nowhere was this more evident than in San Jose in '66. Although only a blatant Yardbirds imitation, "Psychotic Reaction" became a national hit for an inept band with the unlikely name of Count Five (whose legend was fabricated in obsessive detail by fabylist Lester Bangs in the brilliantly satirical "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung," CREEM Vol. 3, No. 3, 71). San Jose's

PUNK DISCOGRAPHY

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHYSINGLES

Kingsmen—"Louie Louie" (Jerden/Wand)

Paul Revere & the Raiders—"Louie Louie" (San de/Col umbia)

Trashmen—"Surfin' Bird," "Bird Dance Beat," "New Generation" (Garrett)

Sonics—"The Witch," "Psycho" (Etiquette) Nightcaps—"Wine, Wine, Wine" (Vandan)

Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs—"Wooly Bully" (XL/MG M)

Five Americans—"1 See the Light" (Abnak/ HBR), "Evol-Not Love" ((dBR)

Bobby Fuller Four—"I Fought the Law" (Exeter/ Mustang)

? (Question Mark) & the Mysterians—"96 Tears" (Pa-Go-Go/Cameo)

Mouse '& the Traps—"Public Execution," "1 Satisfy" (Fraternity)

Spades—"You're Gonna Miss Me" (Zero) Cannibal & the Headhunters—"Land Of 1000 Dances" (Rampart/Date)

Premiers—"Farmer John" (Faro/Wamer Bros.) Standells—"The Boy Next Door" (VJ), "Zebra in the Kitchen" (MGM), & all Tower 45s ("Dirty Water" thru "Animal Girl")

Seeds—"Bad Part of Town" (MGM), plus all Crescendo 45s

Leaves—"Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go?"

(Mira), "Hey Joe" (Mira)

Count Five—"Psychotic Reaction" (Double Shot)

Syndicate of Sound—"Little Girl" (Hush/Bell) Chocolate Watchband—"NoWay Out" (Tower) Music Machine—"Talk Talk," "Double Yellow Litre" (Original Sound)

Lollipop Shoppe—"You Must Be A Witch" (Uni) Castaways—"Liar, Liar" (Soma)

Gestures—"Run Run Run" (Soma)

Rationals—"Respect" (A-Square/Cameo)

MC5—"Looking At You/Borderline" (ASquare)

BobSeger& the Last Heard—"East S|de Story," "Persecution Smith" (Hideout/Cameo) Woolies—"Who Do You Love" (Spirit/Dunhill) Ides of March—"You Wouldn't Listen," "Roller Coaster" (Parrot)

Shadows of Knight—"Gloria" & all Dunwich 45s Del-Vetts—"I Call My Baby STP," "Last Time Around" (Dunwich)

Chicago Loop—"She Comes To Me (Wh&n She Needs Good Lovin')" (Dyno Voice)

McCoys—"Hang On Sloopy," "Fever" (Bang) Outsiders—"Time Won't Let Me" (Capitol)

Lost—"Maybe More Than You" (Capitol) Barbarians—"Moulty," "Are You A Boy Or A Girl" (Laurie)

Remains—"Why Do I Cry," "Don't Look Back" (Epic)

Uniques—"Run and Hide" (Paula)

Swingin' Medallions—"Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)" (4 Sale/Smash)

Gentrys—"Keep On Dancing," "Spread It On Thick" (MGM)

Gants—"Road Runner," "Little Boy Sad/Smoke Rings" (Liberty)

Myddle Class—"Free As The Wind" (Tomorrow) Nightcrawlers—"Little Black Egg" (Lee/Kapp) Balloon Farm—"A Question Of Temperature" (Laurie) ' .

Third Booth—"I Need Love" (Independence) Richard and the Young Lions—"Open Up Your Door" (Philips)

Mystery Trend—"Johnny Was A Good Boy" (Verve)

Dee Jay & the Runaways—"Peter Rabbit" (Smash)

Beloved dne's—"Peep Peep Pop Pop" (Boyd) Sheep—"Hide & Seek" (Boom)

Strangeloves—"Cara-Lin," "I Want Candy," "Night Time" (Bang)

Rare Breed—"Beg, Borrow and Steal" (Attack) New Breed—"Green Eye'd Woman" (Diplomacy) , "Want Ad Reader" (World United) Clefs of Lavender Hill—"Stop! Get A Ticket" (Thames/Date)

Knickerbockers—"Lies," "One Track Mind" (Challenge)

The Evil—"Whatcha Gortna Do About It?" (Capitol)

The Craig—"I Must Be Mad" (Fontana)

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY—ALBUMS

Kingsmen—16 Greatest Hits (Wand)

Trashmen—Surfin' Bird (Garrett)

Wailers—Out Of Our Tree (Etiquette)

Sonics—Explosives (BuckShot)

Sir Douglas Quintet—Best Of (Tribe)

Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs—Best Of (MGM)

Bobby Fuller Four—I Fought The Law (Mustang) Various Artists—West Coast East Side Revue Vols. 1 & 2 (Rampart)

Standells—In Person At P.J.'s (Liberty) Dirty Water, Why Pick On Me, Try It (Tower) Leaves—Hey Joe (Mira)

Various Artists—Riot On Sunset Strip (Tower) Chocolate Watchband—No Way Out (Tower) Count Five—Psychotic Reaction (Double Shot) Syndicate of Sound—Little Girl (Bell)

Music Machine—Turn On (Original Sound) Various Artists—Big Hits of MidzAmerica Vols.

1 & 2 (Soma)

Litter—Distortions (Warick)

Various Artists—Best Of The Hideouts (Hideout) Terry Night and the Pack—Best Of (Lucky Eleven) Mark, Don & Terry, 1966-67 (Abkco) Various Artists—Ear/y Chicago (Happy Tiger) Shadows of Knight—Gloria, Back Door Men (Dunwich)

New Colony Six—Breakthrough (Sentar)

Cry^n' Shames—Sugar & Spice (Columbia) Baiuarians—The Barbarians (Laurie)

Uniques—Happening Now! (Paula)

Swingin' Medallions—Double Shot (Smash) Hombres—Let It Out (Verve)

ESOTERICA: Fugitives—At Dave's Hideout (Hideout), Ones— Vol. 1 (Ashwood House), Barracudas—A Plane View Of (Justice),' Fire Escape (GNP-Cres.)

STILL IN PRINT

Seeds—The Seeds, A Web of Sound, Failin' Off The Edge, Raw ond Alive (GNP/Crescendo) Remains—The Remains (Spoonfed)

1enny and the Kasuals—Impact, Teen Dreams (Mark, Ltd.)

Sonics—Original Northwest Punk (First American)

Troggs—The Troggs: The Vintage Years (Sire) Various Artists—Nuggets (Sire)

Various Artists—History of Northwest Rock (Great Northwest Music Co.)

Various Artists—Pebbles, Vol. 1 (Master Charge /BFD) (Incl. Litter's "Action Woman," Floyd Dakil Combo's "Dance, Franny, Dance," Elastik Band's "Spazz," Positively 13 O'clock's "Psychotic Reaction")

Various Artists—Pebbfes, Vol. 2 (BFD) (Incl. Moving Sidewalks' "99th Floor," The Choir's "It's Cold Outside," Bobby Fuller's "Wine Wine Wine")

next hit (was The Syndicate of Sound's "Little Girl," in which the vocalist talks the lyrics with perfect punk braggadocio. Except for frequent excursions into psychedelia The Chocolate Watchband was another of San Jose's fuzziest bands. Two examples of the band at its' snarling best are included on the Riot On Sunset

Strip soundtrack . LP ("Don't Need Your Lovin' " and "Sitting There Standing"). Although this band released three LPs, it recorded only an iota of killer material ("Let's Talk About Girls," the Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else"), having surrendered quite .early (like the 13th Floor Elevators) to San Francisco's acid mystique.

TURN TO PAGE 65

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

But perhaps the Fuzz Award of the Century should go to L.A.'s Music Machine for the destructive highvoltage of ?Talk Talk." Attired in dark clothes, eacih member like a Hollywood strangler wore one black leather glove. When the Standells' vocalist confessed to being the Boston Strangler at the end 'of "Dirty Water," he was joking. But undulating through most punk records, like the hiss of an electric cobra, the sound of the fuzztone signified violence, strangulating the music with its irritating buzz.

There's a sudden rise in the mercury

There's a thumpin' in my heart, it just had to be

Heat wave, hurricane, whirlin' in my head

Cool disposition just hangin' by a thread

Is it a question of love, is it a state of mind?

No no no noooooo

It's a question of (repeat four times)

Of temp-uh-ture, yeah.

—The Balloon Farm , "A Question of Temperature"

Across mid-America; punk rock shook its shaggy soul. In The Trashmen's hometown of Minneapolis, most bands were influenced by th^ir predecessor's success, adhering to the style of fraternity brothers playing surf music in a cow pasture (The Castaways, The Gestures, The (Jnderbeats). A radical exception to this regional sound was the distorted music of The Litter, who had a local hit with "Action Woman." The group's first album, Distortions, featured fuzzy interpretations of the Yairdbirds and the Who.

To do justice to the abundance of punk rock that poured from Michigan's suburbs and streamed into the streets during the Underground Age of '67 * would require an article twice this length. The problem with delineating Michigan's Punk Era is that the music produced there in '64-'66 is inextricably linked with the high-energy metal of the state's second wave in the late 60's/ early 70's (i.e. MC5, Grand Funk, Amboy Dukes). Ip suburban Detroit, the Hideout recoYd company and its teen clubs served as sanctuaries for aspiring punk bands (especially The Fugitives, whose basement LP, recorded live at Dave's Hideout, was the initial Hideout release). Another notable band involved in the Hideout network was The Pleasure Seekers, formed by Suzi Quatro. A-Square Records, headed by Jeep Holland, was equally significant as a punk label; its

first releases were by The Rationale, who were more soulful than most trash bands. A-Square's roster also included a group of ex-Fugitives called the Scot Richard Case (or SRC) and the MC5 (whose earlier versions of "Looking At You/Borderline" were the ultimate in kick-ass punk).

Besides the white soul of Mitch Ryder, the early music of Bob Seger was unique among the swarm of Michigan punkers. Seger's first three records were on Hideout—"Ballad Of The Yellow Beret" (a poke at Barry Sadler's "Green Beret"), "East Side Story" and "Persecution Smith;" roughly all protest tunes. But not until he defined "Heavy Music" (the staple of Michigan rock) would Seger receive his deserved recognition.

In terms of punk's precepts of incompetence and mimicry, Michigan's Terry Knight and Co. led the pack. Ex-DJ Knight and hi,s band the Pack, from Flint scored well with a cover of the Yardbirds' "You're A Better Man Than I" and continued to counterfeit throughout their career (an exact remake of Ben E. King's "I [Who Have Nothing]," the Stones' "Lady Jane," Joe Tex's "One Monkey Don't Stop No

Show," and other exercises in monotony). Actually, much of the Pack's music can be categorized in the subgenre of L.A. folk/fuzz, Knight's "Love Love Love" the crowning achievement (later bubblegummed by the Music Explosion). When/the fab Pack broke up, Knight salvaged the remains, added an ex-Mysterian, and dubbed the band Grand Funk Railroad, _jhe infallible knights of heavy metal thunder.

Whereas Michigan's brand of punk reflected the industrial grind of Detroit, punk in the Chicago arqja was caught in a rumble. As the Midwest's hub, the Windy City was shot down on both sides by a double-barreled influence— the British Invasion and the West Coast sound. Although local groups fluctuated between British pop and L.A. arrogance, a distinct, style did emerge through coalescence, thanks largely to a third influence—the Chicago blues.

Admittedly, the majority of Chicago's bands elegantly blended pop with punk—The Buckinghams, The American Breed, The Mauds, The Ides Of March, and The Cryan' Shames (the latter two mimics of Gerry & The Pacemakers and the Searchers, respectively). By far, the most eloquent (and underrated) of these pop-oriented puds were the New Colony Six, the first Chicago "punks" to hit the national charts ("I Confess"). Nevertheless, it was the Shadows of Knight and their record company, - Dunwich (its name lifted from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror"), who defined Chicago's mid-60's music scene.

In an ancient issue of Hit Parader, the Shadows of Knight described their music as an ironic twist: "The Stones, Animals, and Yardbirds took the Chicago blues and gave it an English interpretation. We've taken the English versions of the blues and re-added a Chicago touch." The group did perform and record many of Willie Dixon's tunes, but more ironically, it was their cover of a blues-oriented British Invasion band's song, Them's "Gloria," that resulted in a Top Ten monster. The Shadows' "Gloria" was Dunwich's first release, quickiy recorded as a_clean version of Van Morrison's sexually ' suggestive flop. Whereas Them's original was fast and tough, the Shadows' sterilized cover was a lame affectation —it dragged as if the guitarists could 'barely finger the chords while the vocalist tried to copy Morrison's angry young intonation with studied inflection. Unlike on Morrison's "Gloria," in the Chicago punk version Gloria never makes it up to the singer/ narrator's room. Consequently, the revised standard version of "Gloria" had a triple effect: it launched the Dunwich label, catapulted the Shadows of Knight to brief fame (until they dissembled into a Super-K bubblegum group) and, just as "Louie Louie" served as punk's earmark* became punk rock's glorious anthem.

The showcase for many of these Midwestern bands was a syndicated rock TV series, Upbeat ('65-'70), that v was shot in the WEWS studios in Cleveland, Ohio. The show's smiling host was Don Webster, an android clad in a Nehru suit, surrounded by a chorus line, Jeff Kutash and the Upbeat Dancers. Although Upbeat's mise-en scene resembled a dilapidated garage, 9S a Midwestern show it functioned as the necessary outlet for regional bands seeking exposure on the coasts. Practically every major punk group in the Midwest, from the Rationals to the Shadows of Knight, appeared on Upbeat, as well as Ohio's own punks like The McCoys, The Choir, and The Outsiders (once Upbeat's house band). In short, Upbeat was the ' video digest (and Meccji) for the Heartfand of Punkdom.,

Get ready to turn the page

There is a Golden Age.

—The Barbarians, "What The

New Breed Say"

While Mid-America was overflowing with rebellious rascals, the Boston/ New England area was virtually barren, hardly a punk haven. Along with New York, Boston's music scene was too folk-oriented, preserved by the academic climate,, too tame to breed defiance (although even N.Y. had discotheque fever with Top 40 dance music provided by bands like Jordan Christopher and the Wild Ones). And like in New York (Blues Magoos, Velvet Underground, Blues Project), Boston's rock didn't take shape until the drugged daze of underground music,, victimized by MGM's Bosstown Sound hype (Beacon Street Union, Ultimate Spinach, Orpheus), the perfect example of the hazards of eclecticism.

Of course, there were the "usual Kingsmen-type bands playing at~/teen hops, like The Rockin'^ Ramrods (discovered by Freddy Cannon's mommy!) , but the acknowledged leaders of Boston punk were The Remains. This band's extraordinary ability to combine diverse styles—British beat, country, blues—suited their well-educated fans, but the national audfence demanded more footstomping originality. Fortunately, the Remains' expertise was captured on vinyl, and their album remains one of the few punk classics with no filler, a true connoisseur's delight.

In contrast to the Remains* Boston's second best punk group, The Lost, seemed like sloppy goofs. Headed by Willie Alexander (of modern Boom Boom fame), The Lost, stoned and oblivious believers in the punk code, experienced passing fame with their first single, "Maybe More Than You," a nasalized Dylanesque loofiy lulu.

But it was a band from Old Cape Cod, not from the Standells' fictional home, Boston, that had the national hit embodying New England punk— The Barbarians, with "Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl?" an expression of new-breed pride in growipg long hair. Undoubtedly, the most provocative symbol of fortitude in the entire history of punk rock was Moulty, a one-armed drummer, the Barbarians' Capt. Hook. For those readers who think crybabies like Lou Reed represent punk ideology, listen to Moulty's recitation, "Moulty," on which he extols perseverance ("Maybe you think you're a little different or strange, so listen to me now 'cause I've lived through it all"), his handicapped persona a shining example. Scorning tears and denying sympathy ("I don't want no pity"), all Moulty wants is a girl.

Don't worry about the future, forget about the past,

Whether it's good or bad, it's a gas!

—The Hombres, "It's A Gas"

In the South, the sound and the fury of punk rock was not a force scoured from the rubbish of rubes but a crude compulsion. A Louisiana labels Paula, released numerous records in the punk mold, from John Fred and His Playboys to 5x5, with The Uniques (country star Joe Stampley's early band) covered R&B and contemporary hits competently, reaching their zenith on "Run and Hide," a single that approximates a war between the Raiders and the Animals. „

In South Carolina, agroupof college fraternity brothers from the'Fraternal Order of the Kingsmen toured frat parties across the South assuming the name of The Swiiigin'Medallions. In a flash of vision, this band recorded the loosest example of punk ever waxed, "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)," a rousing hiUthat met^phor-ically defined romance as a drunken stupor. Always the class clowns, the Medallions, on the back of their LP, had a pair of wings with these directions printed—"Simply cut out and attach to shoulders. Be the life of the party!"

Like the Swingin' Medallions, The Hombres (from Memphis) also emphasized punk's lighter side. Inspired -by the album cover of the Trashmeh, who were photograhed around ! a garbage truck," the Hombres, wearing' ponchos, posed among trash cans at a dump. Produced by Huey Meaux, the Hombres scored with an irreverent gibe at Dylan, "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)," a punk novelty complete with jeers and raspberries; yet, their othepsongs are equally disrespectful— "Am IUigh," "Mau Mau Mau," "Sorry 'Bout That," and "It's A Gas." Another Memphis band, The Gentrys, were responsible for much hoofing with their hit, "Keep On Dancing" (along with Dallas' Floyd Dakil Combo's "Dance, Franny/Dance," the liveliest punk dance tune of all time).

Perhaps the most enigmatic of Southern punk bands was The Gants from Mississippi. Initiallyv they, had a small hit with a locomotive version of Bo Diddley's "Road Runner," but after that, their career faltered. Nevertheless, their record company, Liberty, released thtee albums by these young heroes (Road Runner, Gants Again, Gants Galore), all filled with shoddy renditions of punk standards ("Gloria," etc.). Therefore; the South bears the distinction of harboring punkdom's crummiest castaways—the Gants, Kings of Crud.

During the mid-summer of '66, a primitive three-chord attack, another variation of "Louie Louie," became #1 in the * U.S.—"Wild Thing" by The Troggs, late stragglers from the British Invasion. Originally a pathetic recording by a New York discotheque band, the Wild Ones, the Troggs' "Wild Thing" had a denser, more plodding, heavier sound, like the inner vibrations of an anvil, than the uninhibited merrymaking of American punk rock. Produced by Larry Page, the Troggs were a customized band, slugging out a less spontaneous sound than their punk predecessors (e.g., the ocarina solo in "Wild Thing"). They were a lecherous bunch, their suggestive style leering at the innocence of pimpled teens. After "Wild Thing" the punk genre gradually expired as if stomped to death by a Paleolithic mastodon. The Troggs, of course, continued to breathe immortally as prehistoric antecedents of two musical genres influenced by their manufactured and ponderous §ound; bubblegum (Kasenetz/Katz productions, the Archies) and heavy metal (Black Sabbath, the Stooges) respectively. Perhaps the final frantic example of pure punk was an early '67 single produced by Page, the Troggs' mastermind7— "I Must Be Mad" by the Craig, on which a hysterical speed freak, slashing his padded cell, experiences an absolute psychotic reaction.

Since those fertile years of its sweep, '64-'66, punk rock has been regurgitated (77's English spew), revived (DMZ, the Dead Boys, plus every mother's son), and even reborn (the Ramones!) . . , but never completely reawakened from extinction. It's astounding that there was once such an epoch, now buried under the meltdown of a Nuclear Age, when a primitive song like "96 Tears" could stand at the top of thd' charts, a #1 national blockbuster, a short signal in Morse code for frustrated youth that suggested with its (inept) simplicity: "Hey, kids, you can do this too." Rudy Martinez called himself Question Mapk, hid behind dark shades, and sang about his recurrent nightmare of having to cry a stream of 96 (count them) tears. Today if some hoity-toity artist sequestered in the Village attempted such a maneuver, we'd call him/her a punk conceptualist; but back then, ? Martinez wasn't even labeled a punk—everybody just knew.