ToP TeN 'PunK rOcK' albums (...in my humble opinion)
Sep 27 '00 (Updated Oct 07 '00)
Wow, the top ten punk rock albums of all time. What a hard and exciting concept. Yet, I will give it my best shot. So HeRe wE Go and yes, in a particular order -
(10)Descendents - Somery: If there is one pop-punk album to own, this is the one. The Descendents played pop-punk with an element of creativity, originality and DIY - a rare combination to be found amongst the pop-punkers in this modern era. This album is their greatest hits collection and features such hits as "Weinerschnitzel", "Hope", "I Don't Wanna Grow Up", "Pervert", "I Like Food" and "Coolidge". Wanna know where Blink 182 got their ideas? Look no further than this album.
(9) Operation Ivy - Anthology: Operation Ivy is one of the last intelligent, philosophical punk rock bands to exist in the genre. Combining elements of ska with old-school punk rock, Op-Ivy had the sound and attitude that captured the hearts of their peers in the Berkeley underground scene of the late 80s. Combine their 'fresh' music with lyrics that actually explored 'real' topics and Op-Ivy had the makings of all that was right in 'punk rock politics'. Their lyrics dealt with serious subjects such as racism, anti-machoism, urban life, drug abuse and police corruption. Yet, with the up-beat tempo of their music and the energy that the band utilized in their overall sound, you couldn't help but remain positive and held captive by Op-Ivy's onslaught. Unfortunately, they broke up and 1/2 of their band ended up forming the less-than-groundbreaking Rancid.
(8) Nirvana- Nevermind: Yeah, I know – they’re “grunge”. C’mon, “grunge” is just a lazy man’s way of saying ‘they’re from the Pacific Northwest’. While I can agree with Soundgarden and Pearl Jam being labeled “grunge”, I never felt that Nirvana deserved the label. Nirvana’s sound, style and attitude is more fitting to the punk rock genre and, dammit, they contributed something positive to the music scene at a time when it was being ruled by the unoriginal, untalented ‘hair bands’ (Poison, Winger, Whitesnake, I’m talkin’ to you). For a few years, we had something exciting in the mainstream music world that was fresh and untainted by Corporate America. …and now the boy-bands, ‘debbie gibson’ clones, ‘rage against the machine’ clones and bubblegum pop-punksters rule the charts. God, I miss Kurt Cobain.
(7) Bad Brains - Black Dots: How can you have a list of 'top ten punk albums' and not include a genre-bender like Bad Brains. Bad Brains carved their own niche in punk rock with their rastaman-meets-punk/hardcore style of music. From their 'pure reggae' stylings of "The Man Won't Annoy Ya" to their punker-than-thou anthems "Attitude", "Banned in D.C.", "How Low Can A Punk Get?", "Just Another Damn Song", and "Pay To Come", Bad Brains knew how to pack a punch with their variety and energy. This album is a collection of Bad Brains' earliest (and best) material recorded in DIY fashion - in a basement.
(6) Crass - The Feeding of the 5000: Crass not only played punk rock, they lived it. DIY- these guys invented it. From their commune-style of living to their anarchist, 'super left wing' political views on society, Crass was so punk it hurt. Released on their own label, "Feeding of the 5000" packs in hard-hitting hardcore punk with angry, emotional vocals filled with animosity towards the status quo. Songs like the anti-establishment "Do They Owe Us A Living", the anti-Christian "Asylum", and the anti-society "Banned From The Roxy" appealed to both the punker-than-thou mindset as well as the general 'hippie' movement. The most classic song on this album is the appropriately-titled "Punk Is Dead" which, true to form, was released about the same time that the 1st Wave of punk rock died.
(5) The Clash - selftitled (UK or US version - take your pick): This album is credited as being the Clash's only 'real punk' album ever released and there IS some truth to that. Most of the Clash's later material would utilize a wide variety of musical style incorporated into their sound, but this album is 'punk rock' to the core. Songs like "Janie Jones", the anti-American "I'm So Bored With The USA", the sarcastically-titled "Career Opportunities" and the minimalist “What’s My Name” definitely prove that the Clash were not just a pretty face in the punk rock revolution – they had style and wit. The reggae cover “Police and Thieves” hints at what the band would lean more towards in their later career, but ‘The Clash – The Clash’ showcases the band at their punkest.
(4) The Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bullocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols: yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know the story about the Sex Pistols supposedly inventing ‘punk rock’ and that this was the album to live and die by. Well folks, it’s not true. Contrary to popular belief, the Sex Pistols did not create punk rock – they were simply the first punk band to market it. Still, “Never Mind The Bullocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols” is a classic punk album for a multitude of reasons. The uniformity of the music with its raw guitar riffs, simplistic bass-lines and sloppy-if-consistent tempo provide a perfect background for the ranting lyrics of Johnny Rotten. Sure his lyrics are the sort of uneducated fluf that one is bound to have problems identifying with, but the energy and attitude that J. Rotten and Co. embraced is what made the Sex Pistols so great. “God Save The Queen”, indeed….
(3) The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry: What, the Cure? Yeah, I know, an odd choice, but this album helped forged the gap between old-school punk and new wave by moving into a weird genre known as post-punk (geez, so many damn genres, huh?). With the popularity of the title track off this album and the controversial tune “Killing an Arab”, The Cure helped alternative rock grow up a little bit. Released in 1979, This album showed a maturity in lyrics while still emphasizing the quick beat and the ‘three-chord’ formula of punk rock. This album is one of the rare crossovers of which both punks and goths can agree on as being classic.
(2) The Subhumans –EP-LP/The Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (tie): Both of these albums contributed equally to punk rock in a unique way. The Subhumans EP-LP is a collection of their earliest work and shows the maturity of punk rock in dealing with its hypocrisies. From the anti-punk fashion tune “Peroxide” to the anti-drug “Drugs of Youth” to the anti-sellout “Reason For Existence”, The Subhumans stood for integrity. Not to mention the fact that they were an awesome musical force to be reckoned. Their super-charged musical style with its driving bass-lines, shredding guitar riffs, flawless drum beats and energetic vocals provided passion to a genre more in line with fashion. The Dead Kennedys, in my humble opinion, were the Subhumans’ American counterparts. Rising up at a time when West Coast punk was more inclined towards the macho style of Black Flag and Fear, the Dead Kennedys put forth a spark of liberalism and sarcasm into the punk rock era of the early-80s. Not to mention the fact that they were talented musicians. Want to know were Green Day got its chops? Look no further than the Dead Kennedys.
...and, finally
(1) The Ramones – selftitled: Yes, kiddies, this is my top pick for the best punk rock album of all time. The Ramones were credited with being the first band to be dubbed “punk rock”. While there is much speculation over whether or not they were, indeed, the first “punk rock” band, there should be no speculation as to how important this debut album was, and still is, to the punk rock genre. Packed with one of the original minimalist “three-chord formulas’, The Ramones’ debut album packs a punch from which all punk bands must follow. From the ‘chainsaw-riffing’ of Johnny Ramone to the minimalist bass-lines of Dee-Dee Ramone to the simple backbeat laid down by Marky Ramone to the snotty vocals of Joey Ramone, The Ramones provide a lesson plan for all good punks to follow.
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Epinions.com ID:
joenormal
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Member: Dustin Reed
Location: San Diego, CA
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
writer, poet, music geek
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