20 pulverizing punk essentials from the 1970s

“Search and Destroy” by Iggy & the Stooges (1973)

Iggy put the proto in protopunk. The Stooges had been around since 1967, but after a short break-up, they reformed in the early ‘70s with James Williamson on guitar and the Asheton brothers providing bass and drums. They played loud. They played fast. They could be discordant. At the center was Iggy Pop, the template for many punk rock frontmen who would follow. He was theatrical and confrontational in performance, and his songs reflected that.

“Search and Destroy,” the first cut from Raw Power, summed it all up. Iggy would go on to create some extraordinary music working with David Bowie toward the end of the decade. It expanded his scope well beyond the punk that he was known for.

“Personality Crisis” by the New York Dolls (1973)

You know what? The Dolls also put the proto in protopunk. The twin guitar attack of Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain could have played the glammiest of songs, but singer David Johansen eschewed the high pretty vocals that so many glam bands favored and went for a raw scream that would influence punk frontmen for decades.

Johansen dove deep into theatricality and gender identity but there was a gritty toughness that veered away from what performers like David Bowie and Marc Bolan were doing at the time. The Dolls only lasted through two studio albums before splitting up in 1976, but their influence was mammoth.