American Punk vs. British Punk

Punk: a hard, edgy sound, with a stripped-down sound, with short songs and typically contain themes and lyrics that suggest rebellion and hatred towards the government.

        I never really understood punk, but now that we study it more and more, I don't think it is a genre. I think it is more of an attitude and style of writing and performing. The 1970's was the main time in which punk developed and was very popular among societies. The biggest punk movements were seen in the United States and Britain. In the U.S., certain artists like The Ramones, and the Talking Heads were considered major punk artists. But over in Britain, the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Elvis Costello were major punk artists. Though all of these artists share the idea and attitudes of punk, they all sound completely different. The punk sound in the U.S. versus the punk sound in Britain has very little in common. The sound in the U.S. was much softer and had more of a Jazz and R&B influence. In Britain, it had a much harsher sound with more of a rock influence. Regardless, both movements encouraged rebellion and uprisings against things that go against certain beliefs, though it was more so in Britain than the U.S. For instance, The Ramones had a sing-songy voice played to a rocker sound, which created the garage band affect. They weren't completely talented and inspirational or total rockers, but they fit into the punk category because of the attitude towards the society and the government. The Talking Heads are in the same situation. Except their sound is more influenced by pop rather than jazz and R&B. But some of their song titles include, "Don't worry about the Government," and "Drugs," both of which could be seen as influence to rebellion.
        In Britain, The Clash had many hits, which included their cover of "I Fought the Law." Again, same ideas, they resented the government, yet their sound was much harsher than the sound of the U.S. This is not as apparent in their song "I Fought the Law," but it can be seen in songs such as "Brand New Cadillac." I think between the Sex Pistols and The Clash, the Sex Pistols definitely had the harder sound and was influenced more by rock. Like in their song "Bodies," he is almost screaming at one point, and the drum and base lines of many of their songs are very heavy. They too showed signs of rebellion with songs like "Anarchy in the U.K."
        Out of the two major punk movements, I favor the movement in Britain over the one in the U.S. because I don't like jazz or jazz influenced songs. So automatically, I am some-what biased to the U.S punk bands. Talking Heads was my favorite between them and The Ramones. In Britain though, I love The Clash. I love their sound. It isn't too heavily influenced by one particular type of music. I think they have a well-rounded sound and I enjoy many of their songs.