Punk: The Whole Story

Although the history of punk-the music and the lifestyle-reaches further back than 1976, that year was a watershed one for the anti-establishment movement that introduced the world to the Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The Clash. The British magazine Mojo, among the most respected rock publications in the world, celebrates punk's 30th anniversary with this fully-illustrated volume, collecting archival articles and photos from the pages of Mojo, those of sister magazine Q and the now-defunct Sounds (punk's original champion). It therefore reads like a magazine, divided into three departments: ""In the Beginning,"" ""The Beginning of the End"" and ""What Happened Next."" Taking readers inside seminal scenes, the book highlights the Pistols' first interview; Blondie's unlikely success; the rise of Black Flag; Sid Vicious' tragic demise; and Green Day's unexpected coming-of-age party at Woodstock '94. Special sections feature stunning black-and-white photography that often captures a moment more eloquently than the book's prose, and shorter pieces about fanzines, fashion and memorabilia add context. Most valuable to music collectors will be the book's list of top 20 British punk singles and what it proclaims as ""the 77 greatest punk albums ever."" Appropriately, the book closes with a two-page homage to the late Clash front man Joe Strummer, heralding him as ""the heart of punk itself.""