Inner City Sound: Punk and Post-Punk in Australia, 1976-1985

The bands that spearheaded the late '70s punk and post-punk scene in Australia - the Saints, the Birthday Party, Radio Birdman and the Go-Betweens - are among the most important of their era, and Inner City Sound is the -classic account of the explosive development of that scene. Original articles from fanzines and newspapers, together with almost 300 photographs, vividly portray the creative ferment of the period and the dozens of bands that sprang up in the wake of the pioneers, including the Scientists, Severed Heads, Sunnyboys, Hunters and Collectors and many more.Inner City Sound was published in late 1981, as the post-punk scene was approaching its zenith, but soon fell out of print. The book became a lost classic, so sought after that it has been bootlegged like the rare singles listed in its discography, and its influence was so seminal it helped shape the Australian indie rock scene of the following decade. For this new edition, editor Clinton Walker has added 32 new pages of articles, photographs and discographical data, which take the story through to its real resolution around 1985, when Nick Cave, the Go-Betweens, the Triffids, and -others began to break through internationally. Its DIY graphics, high-octane prose and many rare images make Inner City Sound a crucial part of the culture it portrays.

About the Author
Clinton Walker published some of the first Australian fanzines A-- including Pulp, with fellow punk pioneer Bruce Milne A-- and has gone on to become a colourful and groundbreaking music critic and cultural historian. His later books include Highway to Hell: The Life and Death of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott, Stranded, Football Life, Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music and Golden Miles: Sex, Speed and the Australian Muscle Car.