VIA PRESS RELEASE | The history of punk is full of arguments. Who invented it? Which band mattered most? Which scene came first? Ask ten fans, and you’ll get ten different answers. But there is far less debate about one thing: 1977 was the year punk exploded.
In Punk ’77: The Year and Music That Revolutionized Rock, Martin Popoff revisits the twelve chaotic months when punk rock burst from clubs, fanzines, and underground scenes into the mainstream. Moving through the year month by month, the book traces the records, personalities, controversies, and cultural flashpoints that transformed punk from a provocation into a global force.
Rather than retelling the familiar argument over punk’s origins, Punk ’77 focuses on the year everything accelerated. From the interconnected scenes of London and New York to emerging hotspots across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, the book follows punk’s rapid expansion as new bands, new sounds, and new ideas reshaped rock music.
Drawing on interview material with key figures from the era, including members of the Damned, the Dictators, the Dead Boys, the Sex Pistols, Generation X, the Buzzcocks, the Patti Smith Group, Talking Heads, and more, Popoff builds a chronological portrait of a movement in motion.
Northport, NY | A lifelong passion fuels conversation: Northport Records looks to connect with all generations. Karen Anzalone wants to talk. Luckily, so do her customers. The Northport resident opened the doors to her Main Street record shop this past Saturday, October 31. Since word broke of her plans to launch the business in Northport Village, Anzalone has been met with encouragement, praise and so many stories. The first record someone bought. Their first concert. …“Music is such a passion, because it has that ability to evoke such personal connections with other people and the larger community,” she told the Journal in one of a few conversations at the record shop since mid-September. “I just love talking to people. 
Berlin, DE | Berlin Philharmonie Shop reopens after renovation: The shop at the Berlin Philharmonie has reopened following its renovation. As before, it is located in the foyer and opens for all concerts in the Main Auditorium. The difference is immediately apparent: the glass partitions and bulky fittings have disappeared, replaced by flexible wooden modules that create an airy, adaptable retail space. During opening hours, visitors can browse, leaf through books and explore the displays. Afterwards, the modules fold out to form a protective mirrored wall. 
That “band” was misleading; the folks in that studio were nothing less than a supergroup, and had no intention of hitting the road together. Bob Dylan, Dr. John, David Bromberg, and the Tejano Mexican accordionist Flaco Jiménez were all involved, as was famed saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman and ex-Sir Douglas Quintet keyboardist Augie Meyers, who produced that great organ sound on “She’s About a Mover.”
Dallas, TX | This 25,000-square-foot, Dallas-area vinyl shop is the largest record store in Texas – and possibly the largest in the U.S. Josey Records’ sprawling Farmers Branch flagship is packed with new and used vinyl, bargain-bin discoveries and a connection to one of Dallas’s most beloved record shops. Some shops are made for a quick stop. Josey Records is the kind of place where you might want to clear your afternoon. The independent record store’s Farmers Branch flagship spans approximately 25,000 square feet, making it the largest independent record store in Texas and one of the biggest in the country. Inside, rows of new releases and secondhand finds sit alongside 45s, CDs, cassettes and turntables—giving music lovers plenty of reasons 
London, UK | The 25 best record shops in London: Whatever you’re into—from punk and metal to reggae, soul, jazz and more—London has a record store for you. We all love a musical comeback. From Elvis in the late ‘60s to Kylie in the early 2000s, it’s a thrill when your favourite breaks out of the doldrums and, against all odds, reminds you why you loved them in the first place. The much-trumpeted vinyl revival’s been in full swing for over a decade-and-a-half now, with 7.6m units of black wax shifted in 2025, marking 18 years of consistent growth, and London has duly responded in kind. Whether we’re talking about relative newcomers that improbably opened in the pandemic or decades-old stalwarts that survived changing trends to thrive again, there are must-visit stores in every corner of the capital. 
It must have been an audacious piece of salesmanship, for no rock band—much less a pop supergroup with the psychedelic bona fides of The Byrds—had ever attempted anything so potentially suicidal from a commercial standpoint. From “Eight Miles High” to “The Christian Life”? Longhairs playing pure country honk? Why, the idea was unthinkable, risible even, although The Byrds themselves had dabbled in country before and Bob Dylan himself would make the transition soon enough.
