Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge

by Clinton Heylin

Book Overview

Destined to become a classic on the subject alongside Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me, Babylon's Burning is a comprehensive, groundbreaking, and definitive account of one of the most influential and lasting music movements in history, one that ironically was built on self-annihilation.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1841958794
• ISBN13: 9781841958798
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Canongate Us
• Length: 672 Pages
• Weight: 2.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Good Read

This book is as unique a history book as you're likely to get; not just in the way it's written, but also in the way it seeks to present to the reader the most important aspects of Punk history. I've not read any of Heylins other books, nor have I read anything about the history of punk, but a friend of mine recommended this to me and I'm glad he did. So the book itself is aptly named "Babylon's Burning" with the subtitle "from Punk to Grunge." The main title is a song by punk band, The Ruts and of course the subtitle tells us that this book will take us on a journey through the most turbulent genre in Music. It starts off in 1971 and the quintessential birth of Punk music and individuality in New York, right to what some would say the day the music died in the early 90s. This book settles it. The argument to end all arguments, and although many would hate to admit it, the notion of Punk started in America. Television started it all in New York City with their individuality and their outsider attitude. They didn't seek to make the type of music that surrounded the scene at that time. Television didn't want to be another Beatles and nor did they care if people rejected them for not fitting that mould. This ideology became the Punk mantra for the next 20 years and is an ideology that was already instilled in the UK's most well known Punk, John Lydon. The out of this world "I don't give a F@#$" attitude can be widely attributed to Iggy & The Stooges, but thankfully this is all explained within the book. Heylin has a very unique way of writing which may be off putting to some, but to me it made this book more interesting to read. The book isn't really Heylins take on things as he likes to fill it with quotes from those important figures that were there as it happened. This brings you more into the atmosphere and gives you a better understanding of the motives of those involved. I have read a bit about certain flaws in the book and because I didn't know that much about Punk to begin with and have not read any other books on it, I didn't pick up on them. Apparently there are a few spelling mistakes and is criticised for this considering that he corrects many misperceptions about certain events or important gigs. What I found dislikeable about the way it was written is that Heylin took it upon himself to make gramma[tical] corrections to the story's [told] by those who were there. Grammatically correct or not, I would have preferred the quote in its original form rather than have Heylin essentially go against everything Punk stood for and that's not caring. If you're going to use quotes in a book, then you leave them in their original form and don't insult the reader by altering them. Towards the end, the book does take quite an obviously justified gloomy tone when talking about what many would say is the death of Punk, when Kurt took his own life. The book expresses an obvious fondness for the individual and the music created with Nirvana, while

Breadth of Punkrock

Clinton Heylin extends "From the Velvets to the Voidoids" both by covering further scenes and covering more recent post-punk trends. There is only one chapter on grunge among the 625 pages of text, so the earlier scenes are far better covered. I loved reading both the breadth and depth of coverage of the early scenes. The Australian coverage was quite nice and not often enough explored or appreciated in punk rock history. I would almost drop a star from my rating as I saw at least five or six mistakes made as he hit the 1980s. But that did not detract from the history presented here. Read this along with "Please Kill Me" and "England's Dreaming" and you will get fantastic history of a great era of musical history.