THE 1970s: Punk / New Wave.
The countdown of the decade's 200 Most Essential Songs continues this weekend.

THE 200 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS OF THE 1970s It was the decade of glam, disco, funk, Philly Soul, heavy metal, the singer/songwriter, punk and new wave. Here are the 200 songs that mattered most during the Seventies, in terms of influence, impact and success. To be eligible, the song needed to be released- as a single or on an album- during the years 1970-1979.
	SINGER/ SONGWRITER ERA
	PROG ROCK

PUNK ROCK / NEW WAVE The Stooges, Television, Velvet Underground and The New York Dolls laid the early foundations for what would later evolve into punk and new wave. In the USA, The Ramones kick-started punk. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, the Sex Pistols launched the genre. The main epicentres of early punk were the cities of New York and London.  After years of prog rock, stadium rock and corporate music, a revolution began bubbling in these cities. Instead of manufacturing instrumental perfection, young bands began to pop up with rudimentary talent but attitude in abundance. Suddenly, the punk scene was spawning new groups. These included The Jam, The Buzzcocks, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Police and Joy Division in the UK; The Patti Smith Group, Talking Heads, Blondie, the Cars and Devo in the US. At first, punk was synonymous with new wave. By the end of the 1970s, many punk acts had split or began exploring new genres. Some, such as The Pretenders and The Stranglers,  had crossed over to a mainstream audience.  At the dawn of the 1980s, new wave was a descriptor for many acts that bore little or no resemblance to the early punk movement. These acts included Adam Ant, Duran Duran and Human League.  Later groups such as R.E.M., The Smiths and The B-52s became the essential bridge between new wave and the college radio/ indie/ alternative scene that was to flourish in the 1990s. EXPLORE FURTHER: Rock And Roll High School RAMONES Lucky Number LENE LOVICH Message In A Bottle THE POLICE  Girls Talk DAVE EDMUNDS Rock Lobster B-52s Sunday Papers JOE JACKSON Cool For Cats (UK) SQUEEZE Accidents Will Happen ELVIS COSTELLO Teenage Kicks THE UNDERTONES Pretty Vacant SEX PISTOLS  Walking On The Moon THE POLICE Kid THE PRETENDERS Take Me To the River TALKING HEADS (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction DEVO Bird Song LENE LOVICH Chelsea ELVIS COSTELLO Bring On The Night THE POLICE Frederick PATTI SMITH Cruel To Be Kind NICK LOWE Boys Don't Cry THE CURE  In The City THE JAM I Fought The Law THE CLASH  So Lonely THE POLICE Alison ELVIS COSTELLO Stop Your Sobbing THE PRETENDERS Hey Lord, Don't Ask Me Questions GRAHAM PARKER