The Encyclopedia of Punk
While a punk encyclopedia seems like an oxymoron, music writer and musician Cogan nicely succeeds in producing a useful resource illustrating the urgency and importance of punk rock from its mid-1970s start to the movement's vitality in the present day. A plethora of great photos—from the Clash and the Sex Pistols to newcomers Groucho Marxists and the Shemps—accompany knowledgeable, fascinating and fast-paced entries that illuminate punk bands' struggle to survive (the Ramones were paid only $5,000 for their starring role inRock 'n' Roll High Schoolin 1979) while avoiding being co-opted by the mainstream music biz.(Nov.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.