Tuesday 16 April 2013

The Ian Dury Songbook



Amazing Artefact of the new wave era. Aside of the songs (sex drugs, sweet gene vincent, if i was with a woman, billericay dickie etc.), there are 16 pages of amazing Barney Bubbles collages and artworks, cut and pasted in duotone. Astounding!

City Indians


Brilliant book on youth tribes, that not only includes the usual punks, skins, rockabilly people, but Krishnas, Sic Boys and quite a few other very obscure niches that didn't last for very long. Also has a notable appearance by the UK chapter of the hells angels, and alot of piercing and tattoos (wroblewski specialised in photographing body modification prior to this book). A very individual take, with superb details on the more tribal aspects of subculture.

Generazione Fuori Controllo : Punk + Skin = T.N.T.


Scarce document of the Italian Skinhead scene in the nineties. Tons of photographs, very nice to see the mediterranean take on an enduringly british form of youth culture. Ace.

Derek Ridgers - Skinheads 1979-1984


Self published and so difficult to find. Probably the best, most detailed and comprehensive document on skinheads that exists. Ridgers is well known as a documenter of youth culture, and has a huge archive stretching back to the seventies. This book collects for the first time the best of his Skinhead photographs from London, Brighton, Southend etc. and has over 200 previously unpublished images. The colour spreads are incredible, and the detailing is superb. Brilliant!