Yet long before The Nation of Ulysses or Refused began borrowing terminology from Ornette Coleman, bandleader James Chance brought Coleman’s free-jazz aesthetic into punk, which involved lots of skronky saxophone freakouts, one of the best of which appears on “Contort Yourself,” the closest thing the band had to a theme song.
Daft punk songs with female vocals free#
The Contortions, part of the infamous and influential no wave scene of the late ’70s, played a blend of funk, free jazz and punk that at the time was pretty weird, but has since shown up in a variety of spastic dance punk acts through the years. James Chance and the Contortions – “ Contort Yourself” It’s been covered a few dozen times, which probably speaks as much to how fun it is to play as it is to listen to, but one thing the original has on all imitators, aside from the high-speed French-sung vocals, is its unapologetic use of sax. Nonsensical and infectious as they come, “Ca Plane Pour Moi” also boasts a hook that’s just as dominated by saxophone as it is by guitar, if not more so. Yet Logic’s performance, while raw and edgy, remains melodic, leaving the off-key honking to art-damaged weirdos like James Chance.īelgian singer Plastic Bertrand fell more on the bubblegum side of punk, but one thing for sure is that his sole major hit, “Ca Plane Pour Moi,” never loses its flavor. But her first major starring role was on “Oh Bondage Up Yours!”, the debut single by UK punks X-Ray Spex, which finds saxophone almost stealing the show between manic shouts from frontwoman Poly Styrene.
With her band Essential Logic it played a necessary role in the group’s wiry funk-punk, and she likewise made appearances on Swell Maps and Stranglers songs. Lora Logic is one of the primary figures in making saxophone compatible with punk rock, if not completely making a frequently cheeseball accompaniment sound totally badass. Still, it seems perfectly natural in the context of the song, which is part pub-rock stomper and part new wave freak out. The Stranglers were already kind of an oddity in punk rock, given how big a role keyboards and synths played in their music, which is definitely the case with “Grip.” But even more notable is the squeal of sax during the chorus, which is played by a Welsh coal miner, or so Wikipedia tells me. The Stranglers – “ (Get a) Grip (On Yourself)”įrom Rattus Norvegicus (1977 United Artists) Mackay shows off some deadly serious chops in “Fun House.” But it’s best to keep in mind how hellacious and disorienting the album is as a whole, and as such, Mackay’s dizzying performance proves just as strange and harrowing. The title track to their 1970 masterpiece Fun House features some manic sax wailing from Steve Mackay, himself a native Michigander who played in the avant-rock combo Carnal Kitchen. And as such, they were also the first punk band to incorporate saxophone into their fiery, aggressive sound.
The Stooges predated the New York punk explosion by a good seven or eight years, thus making them America’s first punk band in the eyes of more than a few fans and critics. And if this exercise has taught me anything, it’s that more punk bands should follow the example of these ten songs. But don’t hold the crimes of the cheesy against those who made it sound cool, even kinda noisy! There’s been a lot of great saxophonists over the years who deserve their acclaim in some way or another - John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Clarence Clemons, John Zorn, Bill Clinton, Lisa Simpson - but this list is all about the sax’s place in punk. Sure, saxophone is emblematic of the excess of the `80s, with one out of every three hits (roughly) prominently featuring some unapologetic sax blowing. Ukulele? Absolutely - keep it at least 500 feet from punk rock at all times. When asked which musical instrument least belongs in a punk song, a lot of options come to mind.
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