ROCK Sex: "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" - X-Ray Spex > Free Kitten > Chicks On Speed > Pussy Riot

"Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard
But I think
OH BONDAGE UP YOURS!"


ROCK Sex says the up the ante till they cry uncle.

Today the cultureal relay of "Oh Bondage Up Yours!".

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Punk meant to break down all barriers and restrictions- in sound, fashion, and outlook. Because of its physical energy and aggro stance, it could've trapped itself into becoming the macho crap it was trying to defeat. Luckily, Poly Styrene changed that.

© Jerome Gaynor

Poly and the X-Ray Spex were the molotov cocktail that drove away the mob to save the party. She injected Feminist parody and lacerating wit, creating a political stance with a bracing sense of humor. She made Punk fun and smarter. She opened the doors for The Slits, The Au Pairs, Poison Girls, Bikini Kill, Hole, L7, Babes In Toyland, Tribe 8, Lesbians On Ecstasy, and Peaches.

Here she turns masochism into a metaphor for our slavery to consumerism, and tells where to put it.

X-RAY SPEX -"Oh Bondage Up Yours!" (studio, 1977)


X-RAY SPEX -"Oh Bondage Up Yours!" (live, 1978)



An Indie supergroup comprised of Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), Julie Cafritz (Pussy Galore), and Yoshimi P-We (The Boredoms) later blasted upped the ante.

FREE KITTEN -"Oh Bondage Up Yours!" (1993)



In the fine tradition of sedition, here's Chicks On Speed to alter the face of things.

CHICKS ON SPEED -"Plastic Surgery" (2006)



Continuing to break down barriers and repressions, here is Russia's Pussy Riot disturbing the quiet.

PUSSY RIOT -"Oh Bondage Up Yours!" (2018)





© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• THE RUNAWAYS, And Why Women Of Rock Are Essential!

• "Rebel Girl!" - Dean Carter > Bikini Kill

• 'Why We Love YOKO ONO (Or Should)!', with 2 Music Players!


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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LADIES FIRST: "What A Man" - Linda Lyndell > Laura Lee> Salt-N-Pepa

Linda Lyndell

LADIES FIRST spotlights another classic song that 'she did first'.

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The original "What A Man" is by Southern Soul singer Linda Lyndell. It was released by the ever-wonderful Stax Records on their Volt label, and produced by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, hot off of creating all the hits of Sam And Dave.

LINDA LYNDELL -"What A Man" (1968)



It was first remade by Atlantic Records' Soul great Laura Lee, most known for "Dirty Man", "Women’s Love Rights", and "Crumbs Off The Table".

LAURA LEE -"What A Man" (1972)



The song reached its biggest fame when adapted by Rap dynamos Salt-N-Pepa, backed up perfectly by En Vogue at their peak.

SALT-n-PEPA (with En Vogue) -"Whatta Man" (1994)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• SHAKE AND FINGER POP! Soul Music and the Interior Truth, with Music Player!


• "You Showed Me" - The Byrds > The Turtles > De La Soul > Salt-n-Pepa > U2

• LADIES FIRST: "I'm Blue!" -The Ikettes > Shangri-Las > Salt-n-Pepa > KILL BILL


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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LADIES FIRST: "You're No Good" - Dee Dee Warwick > Betty Everett > Linda Ronstadt > The Plasticines

She's so good!

LADIES FIRST spotlights another classic song that 'she did first'.

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We all love "You're No Good" in versions by Betty Everett and later Linda Rondstadt.

But actually, it was done first by Dee Dee Warwick as a B-Side in 1963. Check out the surprisingly tough guitar fuzz in the break (1:17), well ahead of Garage Rock. And Dee Dee sounds both pissed and swinging at the same time!

Beyond being the sister of Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee has gained much love in Soul circles for her own fine body of work.

DEE DEE WARWICK -"You're No Good" (1963)



Sometimes the cover becomes the definitive version, and here's Betty Everett with her great hit take on the song.

BETTY EVERETT -"You're No Good" (1963)



The song went international as a hit for the U.K. band THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS during the British Invasion.

THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS -"You're No Good" (1964)



Which led to the first Finnish version by these amiable moptops.

EDDY AND THE LIGHTNINGS -"Olet Paha" (1964)



And this Danish version by a soulful soloist.

RITA HOVINK -"'T is Voorbij" (1964)



And this terrific French version by Pussy Cat. Great Garage-style attitude in this one!

PUSSY CAT -"Mais Pourquoi" (1966)



In America, this Michigan band gives it the full-on Psychedelic Soul treatment!

PHLEGETHON -"You're No Good" (1970)



Sometimes the cover of the cover becomes the new definitive version.

The reason is twofold: Linda Rondstadt's voice and Andrew Gold's playing. Linda brought a no-nonsense swagger that made the song an anthem during the rise of Feminism. Gold played all of the instruments, bringing the edgy mood, the sultry keyboards, and one of the most letter-perfect George Harrison slide guitar homages ever recorded (1:31).

LINDA RONSTADT -"You're No Good" (1974)



Here's a slamming French HipHop song sampling the piano of the original.

SALIHA -"16 Ans, 9 Mois Et Un Bébé Sur Les Bras" (1994)



Jill Johnson, a Country Soul artist from Sweden, responds to the Linda Ronstadt template here.

JILL JOHNSON -"You're No Good" (2007)



And here's Punk Pop from the French band The Plasticines that owes a debt to The Ramones. Love that "ah, ah-ahhh/ hey-ho-hey" chorus they throw in!

The band took their name from a lyric in The Bestles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds".

THE PLASTICINES -"You're No Good" (2010)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• YOU DON'T OWN ME: The Uprising of the 1960s GIRL GROUPS, with Music Player!

• SHE'S A REBEL: Decades Of Songs Influenced By The GIRL GROUPS, with Music Player!

• SHAKE AND FINGER POP! Soul Music and the Interior Truth, with Music Player!

• WOMEN OF ROCK: The 1960s, with 2 Music Players!


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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