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The Great Rock ‘n” Roll Swindle is a 1980 British mocumentary film that focuses on the British punk rock group Sex Pistols and their manager, Malcolm McLaren. The footage used for the film is real, taken during 1978 just before the group split up, but the story is fictional despite being told from the point of view of their former manager. 

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The Fall was an English punk and post-punk band that lasted for 42 years and made 32 studio albums. These led to over 100 unauthorized live and compilation albums. The band formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. After seeing a Sex Pistols show, Mark E. Smith and friends decided to form a band. Smith was the only continuous member in the band’s history. Other members rotated in and out with dizzying frequency. With so prolific of a band that has been described as, “pure Manchester,” The Fall inspired untold numbers of underground garage bands, and such diverse artists as the Pixies, Pavement, and LCD Soundsystem.

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Give ‘Em Enough Rope is the second album from the English punk group, the Clash. It was released on November 10, 1978 and was their first album released in the United States. The album peaked at number two in the UK albums chart and 128 in the Billboard 200. The album produced two singles: “Tommy Gun”, released on November 24 in 1978 and “English Civil War”, released on February 23 in 1979. 

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The Clash formed in 1976 in Notting Hill, London, England. The original members were Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, vocals), Paul Simonon (bass guitar, vocals), and Nicky "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion). The Clash disbanded in 1986, but not without leaving a significant impact on rock and alternative rock. They were often referred to as "The Only Band That Matters" and in 2003 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  

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The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock group that formed in 1975. They released a series of hit singles in the UK from 1977 to 1985, until their breakup in 1986. They later reformed in 2013 but with only 4 out of 6 of the original members. Some of their hits include “She’s So Modern” (1978), “Banana Republic” (1980), and Lookin’ After No. 1” (1977). 

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“There’s a Tear in My Beer” is a country song written by Hank Williams between 1950-1951 during his Nashville sessions but despite having recorded it, he never released it. The song would eventually see release in 1989 after Hank Williams Jr. received a demo of the song. With the use of merging technology, Hank Williams Jr. recorded his voice over his father’s recording and released it as a duet. In the music video for the song he also used previously recorded footage of his father.  

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The Philadelphia Mummers Parade occurs annually on New Year’s Day. The parade is a tradition that started in 1901, but mummers in Philadelphia, and around the world, have roots that stretch throughout history. Mummers are people who enjoy getting dressed up in costumes to dance, sing, and put on skits. This has roots as far back as ancient Egypt, however, it is best documented during the medieval period. In Europe, mummer’s plays were a popular pastime for the poor, with a wide variety of plays that were characterized by big masks and pantomime traditions. European mummers would also parade around the streets, enter random houses, and play dice in silence. As time went on, these mummers would beg for food and drink after performing a skit or poem.

In the late 17th century, Swedish immigrants settled down in Philadelphia. Mummers became a celebration of the rivalry between Philly neighborhoods and could get very rowdy as they reveled through the streets. Mummers would go into homes, cause a ruckus, and demand soup and alcohol before they left. Some shot guns into the street. In the 1860's, this began to take the shape of the parade that is known today, and in 1901, the City of Philadelphia got involved. This was the year of the first official Philadelphia Mummers Parade and with the cities involvement, there were no more guns allowed and the ruckus and commotion were toned down.

With the involvement of the city came the designation that participants must belong to a club to register for the parade.  These clubs can compete for prizes in 5 categories; comics, wench brigades, fancy division, fancy brigades, and string bands. Clubs plan and rehearse all year to prepare for the parade. Mummers still go into people’s homes to beg for soup and drinks, but only if the owners leave the door open as an invitation. This parade also has a history of mocking minorities and using blackface, and though this has been banned since the 1960's, it still appears every so often in the parade as of 2020.

After 2008, when the city of Philadelphia had budgetary problems, the Mummer Parade had to find other means to fund the parade. They began a, “Save the Mummers Fund,” and companies such as Southwest Airlines and SugarHouse Casino have helped fund the parade throughout the years. Interestingly, in 2009, Philly natives Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael, known as the Bacon Brothers, recorded a version of, “New Year’s Day,” and proceeds from the sale of the song went to the Save the Mummers Fund.

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The Stereophile started as one of the first underground audio magazines in 1962. It was founded by J. Gordon Holt who started the magazine after growing tired of pandering to the demands by advertisers. The Stereophile was started as an answer to audiophiles' need for an honest, reliable information. The magazine reviewed audio components by listening to them, a strange concept in those days. The first issue featured 20 pages free from advertising, a review of the Weathers cartridge, and an article by “Lucius Wordburger,” a pseudonym J. Gordon Holt would write under, on how to write an ad.

The magazine continues to do the work it set out it started over 55 years ago now with thousands of equipment reports going back over 40 years on its website that is updated daily with blog posts, music opinions, show reports, news and a digital version of its magazine as well as print.

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Ringo Starr, formerly of the Beatles, released his third solo album Ringo in 1973. The album, which reached number two on the Billboard 200 Chart, was well known for including appearances by fellow Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Ringo included the single "Step Lightly," which was written by Starr and contained the sound of his own tap dancing.

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Sweets from a Stranger is the fifth album by British new wave band, Squeeze, released in May, 1982. The album was mildly successful, spawning a minor hit in the song, ‘Black Coffee in Bed,’ which would hit in the Top 40 in the U.S. while it failed to chart the top 50 in the U.K.

The band was formed in Deptford, Long, England in 1974, coming to prominence in the late 1970s. Band members, Christ Difford, Glenn Tilbrook and Jools Holland named the band after a disreputable Velvet Underground album. The band was heavily inspired by the Beatles and the Kinks. The band was joined by Harry Kakoulli and Paul Gunn, the original drummer, was later replaced by Gilson Lavis. The release of Packet of Three lead to a recording contract with A&M Records. They had a tough time gaining a foothold in the U.S. and didn’t hit the U.S. Top 40 until a decade after their debut album. Squeeze went on to build a dedicated following that stayed with them in the late 1990s with many of their songs becoming pop classics of the new wave era.

By the time the band was close to releasing their fifth album, they were exhausted. Like many groups of the era, the group had been performing nonstop for close to a decade and had gone through a number of members. After going on tour to support the album, the band broke up going their separate ways. The band reunited in 1985, releasing some of their most commercially successful work.