4Skins - The Good, The Bad And The 4Skins

Oi! is a sub-genre of punk music that sought to align punk with a working-class “street level” following, originating in the United Kingdom. It began in the latter part of 1977, fusing the styles of early punk bands such as the Clash and the Ramones; early British rock like the Rolling Stones and The Who; football (soccer) chants; pub rock like the 101ers and Eddie and the Hot Rods; and glam rock bands like Slade and Sweet.

The music was seen as promoting unity between punks, skinheads and other working class youths. Originally, the style was called “streetpunk” or “reality-punk.” It wasn’t until the early 1980s that music journalist Garry Bushell labeled the movement Oi!, supposedly derived from the Cockney Rejects song Oi! Oi! Oi!.

The original Oi! bands included Cock Sparrer, the Cockney Rejects, Angelic Upstarts, and Sham 69, although some of them were around for years before the the word Oi! was used to describe their style of music. They were followed by The Business, The Last Resort, The 4-Skins, Combat 84, Condemned 84, Infa-Riot, The Blood, The Oppressed and Anti-Heros.

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