Top Ten Punk Albums
 

Although I'm sure that this thread exists somewhere in the far-reaching corridors of the MB archives, and at the risk of having one of the MB heads do away with my submission altogether, I will persist. I've been engaged in a heated discussion with a few of my co-workers as to the greatest, most authoritative list of Punk albums, with the inclusion of no more and no less than ten.
Here's mine as of today, in no particular oder:

1. "Damage"-Black Flag; 2. "Milo Goes to College"-The Descendents; 3. "Bad Brains"-Bad Brains; 4. "Suffer"-Bad Religion; 5. "Bedtime for Democracy"- Dead Kennedys; 6. "Out of Step"-Minor Threat; 7. "How Could Hell be any Worse"-Bad Religion; 8. "Everything Falls Apart"-Husker Du; 9. "Group Sex"-Circle Jerks; and 10. "Raw Power"-Iggy and the Stooges (though, I'm sure that some would dispute it's inclusion).

Weigh in....

1.London Calling-The Clash
2.New Day Rising-Husker Du
3.Pink Flag-Wire
4.The Clash=S/T
5.Another Music In A Different Kitchen-Buzz****s
6.Raw Power-The Stooges
7.Dead Fruit For Rotting Vegetables-Dead Kennedys
8.Repeater-Fugazi
9.The Scream-Siouxsie And The Banshees
10.New York Dolls-S/T

I wouldn't consider London Calling a punk album.

That's an odd thing to say about one of the defining punk albums.

Its definitely a punk album. I would have tossed in Bad Brains self titled, The Adolescents self titled, Black Flag- Damaged, The Distillers Self titled, The Nekromantix- Nice Day for a Resurrection, The Offspring- Ignition, Rancid- Let's Go, Social Distortion- self titled, Big D and the Kids Table- How it Goes, any work with GG Allin. Something along those lines.

There's so much more to London Calling than just punk, though.

Yeah, but it was still a seminal punk album. For me, I kind of consider it to be in the same league as albums like "Nevermind the Bollocks" by the Sex Pistols. Stylistically, it's more akin to classic rock than what is generally percieved as punk. But it's edgier, more irreverant, and the content is more inclined toward political and social issues than the vast majority of what rock groups were producing at the time. And though I would lump "Nevermind the Bollocks" and "London Calling" into the same broad category, seeing that both albums really pushed punk music into more exciting places, I would not, however, put any of the members of the Pistols in the same category as Joe Strummer. He was simply a much more consumate artist than any single member of the Pistols.


Btw--Rnrloser, I was going to include that very same Adolescents album, but ran out of slots. I didn't want to keep revising and retooling my list, though. That's a great pick...

I don't listen to enough punk to have the knowledge to put a complete list together, but I want Double Nickels on the Dime to be mentioned at least once in here somewhere...

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Great suggestion...Damn, I wish I would have included the Minutemen now.

I don't listen to much punk but here's my list (in no order)

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material

I still remember buying this CD when I was 16, same day I got my drivers license. Drove over to the Tower Records, bought it, and drove around town listening to it. There's just something really enticing about the album, the ferocity of the song without seeming too abrasive. They found a very good niche that a lot of bands seem to go too far over or not far enough. My dad was a big fan of these guys back in the '80's and he is the main reason why I wanted to listen to them. I don't have many CD's left in my collection, but I have not brought it upon myself to sell this one yet.

Green Day - Insomniac

I'm sure this may come as a surprise to people who know my music tastes but I really like this album. I found it to be a really good blend of pop and punk that didn't seem watered down. Dookie had the most amount of singles, but I feel that Insomniac has the best written songs. "Brat", "Geek Stink Breath", "Stuart and the Ave.", "Brainstew", "Tight Wad Hill", and "Walking Contradiction" are all really amazing songs, yet only two of those made it as singles. Dookie started off really song, but I found seemed to fizzle out towards the last three or four tracks, but this one really stays solid from start to finish. A lot of people like to hate on Green Day, but you cannot deny their effect on modern punk bands, for better or for worse.

Punky Bruster - Cooked on Phonics

This is one of Devin Townsend's most underrated albums. A satirical look at the commercialization of punk as well as metal. The album also shows the differences between punks and metal heads, some of the rivalry and disgust both groups feel for each other, despite being very close music wise. The album tells the story a death metal band who decides to turn punk in order to sell more records. Narrated by someone who sounds a lot like Murderface from Metalacalypse, he tells the rise and problems that the members of Punky Bruster face because of their metal roots. Some truly hilarious skits and memorable songs, if you haven't heard this album before it's something you really need to get.

Choking Victim - No Gods / No Managers

I really love these guys. Their ability to mix punk, ska, and pop together in something that doesn't feel overly processed was by far the best. Songs like "500 Channels", "Crack Rock Steady", "Fuck America", and "Five Finger Discount" really helped breath life into this only album. While most of the members went on to form Leftover Crack, I prefer No Gods / No Managers to anything LC has put out.

The Clash - The Clash

Really hard to choose between their self-titled album and London Calling but in the end I had to go with their self-titled one. The deciding factor was the song "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" which I still hold as one of the most intelligent punk songs ever written. Not only that but with songs like "Janie Jones", "London's Burning", "White Riot", "Complete Control", "Clash City Rockers", "I'm So Bored with the USA", and "I Fought the Law" the album is one solid hit after another.

Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb

One of the most fun albums I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. Every song gets my foot tapping and I'm sure I've put dents in my steering wheel from smacking it while listening to this album. While I'm always going to like Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution more, the songs they redid still contain the same level of fun that their acoustic counterparts did.

Darkest of the Hillside Thickets - Shadow Out of Tim

My old bosses band who are an H.P. Lovecraft inspired punk rock band from Vancouver. Their lyrics often contain tongue-in-cheek references to quintessential horror author H.P. Lovecraft, specifically the Cthulhu mythos. They put on a great live show, often dressing in elaborate costumes, creating a fun atmosphere and proving once and for all that nerds can be punks too.

Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation

I've liked this album ever since I read Please Kill Me: The Oral History of Punk. The album's production was pretty rough, however songs like "Love Comes In Spurts", "Blank Generation", "New Pleasure", and "Betrayal Takes Two" have earned their status for me.

Social Distortion - Social Distortion

Sure this album sounds a lot more polished and commercialized than their 1983 release Mommy's Little Monster but I really don't care too much because the album just rocks so fucking much. This album really showcases Mike Ness' country influence and story telling ability, albeit simple ones, are a lot more interesting to me than song after song about social problems.

Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm a Machine

One of the few albums I bought to impress someone. There was a girl I went to high school with who was one of those insanely hot punk girls that listened to actual punk music and not just what was popular at the time. She had a pin of these guys and I was intrigued and wanted to get in her pants so I decided to buy this album to impress her with my insane knowledge of punk music. I knew absolutely nothing about these guys but was quite impressed with the fact that it was just a bass and drum kit. Some really trippy songs with the same ferocity as punk, but the fuzz of stoner metal that I learned to love a few months earlier. It's a shame these guys broke up a short while after, but they did leave quite an amazing album behind.