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The Clash

Ira Robbins, The Big Takeover, 1994

Even if the basic impetus for punk rock was just traditional teen needs like pissing off parents and claiming a cultural identity, some of the bands erupting from the anyone-can-do-it volcano in 1976/'77 actually recognized the music's potential for social change, and viewed their fans' deep-seated anger and cynicism as an energy resource in need of a direction.

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