I Used to Wear Safety Pins. Now I Wear Sensible Shoes
Jun 08 '00
Punk has been around now for about 25 years. Sigh. I was a punk once. Now I'm an optician. I wore white rice powder and black lipstick. Now I wear Estee Lauder. I used to dye my hair green (it matched my eyes). Now I dye it to cover the gray.
I guess that I, like everyone else <gulp> who is getting...older...think that everything was better when I was a kid. As far as I'm concerned, that also applies to punk rock. I have been told that Blink 182 and Green Day are considered punk rock. Puh-leeze!! Punk Rock turned into something else when Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys went to court over royalties. The spirit, for the most part, was gone.
So, if Naval and the Epinions powers-that-be, for some bizarre reason, stranded me on the proverbial desert island with only 10 CD's, a CD Player (solar battery operated, naturally), what would I bring?
10-The Lunachicks; Jerk of All Trades
A NY girl band, and the most recent pick on my list, the Lunachicks maintain the original spirit of punk. Raw, raucous and witty, I would be lost without them. Best track? Bitterness Barbie, no doubt.
9- Black Flag; Everything Went Black
An early 80's LA band, influenced by the Ramones, Black Flag took punk in a darker direction. VERY hardcore, this album is a must for any punk roots collection. Best Track? Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, pretty scathing all around.
8- Bad Brains, self titled
The Bad Brains play a punk/reggae hybrid. I like reggae, so this is okay by me. This album is fast and harsh, and the production values are lame. The tinny sound detracts from some tracks, but adds to the ambiance overall. Best Track? Banned in DC
7- Husker Du; Land Speed Record
Their first album (99% positive), this is ONLY available as an album, used. It is out of print, and was only available on (gasp!!) vinyl. A prized possession, this album is punk/hardcore thrash. Regardless of classification, Bob Mould is a genius, and this album proves it. Hopefully, Epinions will also provide me with a turntable. Best Track? It's a tie; Guns at my School (in 1982!) and Let's Go Die. No one ever said punk was cheerful.
6- Siouxsie and the Banshees; The Scream
Siouxie and the Banshees were nothing if not interesting. They got their start as a joke; Siouxie got up on the stage in a London club with Sid Vicious and Billy Idol, and they attempted to play something so hideous, they'd get booed off the stage. It didn't happen, and Siouxsie went on to change genres over and over again. This is their first, and best, release. Best Track? Suburban Relapse, an appeal straight to punks main audience.
5- New York Dolls; Seven Day Weekend
Bizarrely enough, the Dolls were the launchpad for the career of Buster Poindexter. He, under his real name, David Johansen, was the vocalist for the Dolls. Technically, the Dolls were pre-punk, but they were an enormous influence and recorded with the Sex Pistols. This album is a must for any serious punk collection, and is periodically re-released. There really is no best track here, they're all rocking in a glam-rock, yet punky, kind of way.
4- The Sex Pistols; Never Mind the Bullocks,...
This album is where punk got exposure. They were so shocking, people couldn't help but look. This is the band that people who don't know the name of any other punk band have heard of. This album, although not the first punk album, started the movement. There's music before the Sex Pistols, and there's music after the Sex Pistols. Best Track? Anarchy in the UK or maybe God Save the Queen.
3- The Ramones; Ramonesmania
This is a compilation album, and therefore a cheat of sorts. If, however, I didn't settle for the compilation, half the list would be The Ramones. This album has tham all, from Now I Wanna Sniff Glue to Sheena Is a Punk Rocker to Rockaway Beach. Hey, Ho, Let's Go!
2- The Clash; London Calling
The ultimate album, from the ultimate mainstream punk rock band. It was a tough call, between this and Combat Rock, but that album was too mainstream, in my opinion. The sounds of Rock the Casbah may have attracted cannibals to my island (I have been told this song was played in Discos). London Calling is more representative of the Clashs' sound, smooth yet raw. Best Track? Death or Glory-Surprise, Surprise!
1- The Dead Kennedys; Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
The first, and absolutely most representative, DK album. Jello Biafras weak and wavery, yet affecting and powerful, voice made the DK's, and it makes this album. The socio-political content of this album also defines what punk was originally about. No contest, I would give up the other nine for this one. Well, maybe not Husker Du, it is a collectors item. Best Track? Holiday in Cambodia? Kill the Poor? No, it's Viva Las Vegas (this week).
I guess it's hard to imagine 'Grown Up' Punks, but we're out there! Excuse me, it's time to let out the dinosaurs before bed, Good Night!
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Epinions.com ID:
sherrylee
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Location: Kalispell, Montana
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Qui me amat, amet et canum meum-St. Bernard, 1150
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