The passing this week of Rick Buckler, the drummer of The Jam, puts a focus on a generation of musicians who had their peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
They can be found filed under a huge variety of genres.
Not least Buckler’s band, who were somewhere between punk and soul and mod revival and pop… Their leader Paul Weller’s subsequently eclectic solo career confirms their wide ranging influences and output.
Sometimes, and most often visually, associated with anarchism, punk bands have in fact crossed all sorts of political boundaries.
Periodically and broadly stylistically though they can be filed as punk and new wave. These were styles in rock and guitar pop, with new wave at the poppier and more commercial end of the scale from punk rock.
They came into full public view in 1976 and 77 with the commercial success of the Sex Pistols. The styles are still with us now, though they the genres splintered into a myriad of types.
Someone who grew up with this music is probably now in their early 60s.
That’s a great age for someone to be collecting, and putting money into the collectibles market.
So let’s have a look at the hey day of punk and new wave with 10 great acts for you to collect:
1 - The Sex Pistols
In the public mind, punk rock or punk is the Sex Pistols, in no small part because of their notorious TV appearance on December 1, 1976 when they swore at Today presenter Bill Grundy on an early evening TV show, the clips have been replayed ever since.
Their look and mastery of publicity, masterminded in large part by manager Malcolm McLaren and designer Vivienne Westwood, made their impact dwarf their actual recorded output, which amounts to one album, a not-very-good film, and four singles by the original line-up.
They fractured from 1978. Bassist Sid Vicious (real name John Ritchie) was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, then died of a drug overdose. Singer Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) went on to a substantial career in PiL and other projects. Guitarist Steve Jones now has a podcast.
This ad contains the rare full set of Pistols signatures and sold quickly for over £8,000.
The band has reformed since their split and currently tours with Steve Jones, original drummer Paul Cook, Glen Matlock on bass (famously - and anecdotally - expelled for liking The Beatles), and singer Frank Carter.
The Pistols are very collectible, and Rotten and Vicious are collectible in their own right.
Some record releases are now very rare, with a copy of their withdrawn single God Save the Queen going for more than £24,000 last year.
Posters - many by pioneering designer Jamie Reed - are also valuable, one was sold for £32,000.
Signed photographs of all the band in their most famous incarnation was so short lived they are very hard to come by and very valuable. A signed photograph of Vicious alone was sold for over $9,000 in 2019. We've sold signed ads for over £8,000.
An early version of the Pistols with bassist Glen Matlock and before they'd fully embraced their day-glo, punk aesthetic.
Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, Jamie Reid and others from around the group are all collectible figures in their own right.
2 - The Clash
Joe Strummer was the voice of The Clash and a major figure for decades after.
It’s hard to find consent over musical taste - and rightly so! - but most would agree that The Clash join the Pistols as the most important bands from the first wave of punk.
The four members of the classic line-up - Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Topper Headon, and Paul Simonon - were galvinised by the Pistols and signed (initially minus Headon) by CBS as the industry went punk rock mad.
They were more explicitly political than the Pistols and better musicians, who were able to go beyond their original style to take in reggae and eventually more radio-friendly rock.
Their masterpiece is the third album, London Calling, released in 1979.
They released six albums before they started to fall apart in 1982, a year also marked by a triumphant opening slot for The Who at Shea Stadium in New York.
Mick Jones had a substantial post-Clash career, and Joe Strummer (who died in 2002) had a huge cultural impact.
The surviving member of the band were welcomed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following year.
Officially the greatest rock photo of all time shows Paul Simonon and a Fender Precision bass that is now in the Museum of London.
Original clash records (and precursor bands like The 101ers) can be very valuable. Even standard pressings can make hundreds of pounds, and rarities and special editions, demos etc should be worth much more.
Signatures of the classic line up are rare and valuable and should be getting up towards £1,000.
3 - The Jam
The Jam's Going Underground, their first number one single.
Were they punk, were they new wave, were they pop, were they soul?
They were certainly very popular, and The Jam still have a huge following, that gathers at conventions and follows tribute bands, the band’s leader Paul Weller, and a successful touring band with bassist Bruce Foxton.
The Jam were formed in 1972 but broke through in the punk explosion of 1977.
They were hugely successful as a live act and in the record charts, with four number-one singles.
Paul Weller was the leader of the band, writing almost all of their songs, and it was his decision to split the band at their most popular in 1982.
Weller’s post-Jam career rivals his time in the band, and he was crowned a major statesman of British music by the Britpop generation.
Punks in suits and ties? The Jam had the energy of punk but played in a dizzying variety of styles.
The Jam has an extremely lively collecting scene.
Their records are collectible in rare editions. Signatures of all of the band were going for hundreds of pounds before Buckler’s death. Particularly interesting items - like a set of tickets for their final gigs - can go for towards £1,000 if signed.
A lot of the band’s memorabilia is still in private collections, including in the Weller family, but may come onto the market one day, which will spark considerable excitement. If Weller’s guitars are ever sold there will be a frenzy.
Collecting music memorabilia today
Time moves on.
Rick Buckler’s tragically early death reminds us of that undeniable fact.
And so, the collectibles market also moves on.
Investors need to know this, and plan ahead accordingly.
A good rule of thumb is to look at the likely teenage obsessions of someone who is coming into spending money and free time now.
Most collectors are enthusiasts though and will follow their passions.
That to me is the magic of collecting.
You can see some of our music memorabilia here - does it spark any memories for you?
