Punk Essentals?

[nl5xsk1 0]

First off, big thumbs up to Coffin Surfer for mentioning Flipper & Fear ... talk about 2 bands that get no love ANYWHERE. I might suggest Liveage instead of Somery, though, because I always thought that the Descendents best stuff was on stage.

 

Other recommendations:

Circle Jerks: Group Sex/Wild In the Streets ... originally two releases that were bundled together when they were released on CD.

 

SubHumAns: Either World's Apart or From the Cradle to the Grave.

 

G.B.H.: Either City Baby Attacked by Rats or City Baby's Revenge.

 

The Exploited: Let's Start a War (Said Maggie One Day)

 

The Dischord Box Set: Especially the first disc, which has all the earliest stuff like the Teen Idles (Ian & Jeff from Minor Threat when they were still in high school).

 

Operation Ivy: Energy

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Exactly...

 

Yoko saw through the bullshit and knew the Beatles had to be killed.

 

Thats HARDCORE punk right there.

Stop posting. Seriously.

 

No one asked for an inane discussion on what is and isn't punk. If you are unable to suggest any bands that are routinely considered punk, then your presence in this thread is useless.

[C Dubya 04 0]

Wow, I mark out for the SubHumans mention, although their stuff is pretty hard to find now.

 

As far as "punk" bands that I really like I'd go with the Descendents (especially Milo Goes to College), NOFX and Bad Religion.

[Youth N Asia 0]

A band isn't a punk band after 5 people have heard of them...after that that're just goddamn sellouts.

 

Well since real punk hasn't been defined, I'm goiing with The Vandals. They're a little more goofy then the rest, but I like them anyway.

[notJames 0]

Big Black - Songs About Fucking

 

The Damned - Best of the Damned, which is includes the rare single "Jet Boy Jet Girl", based on Plastic Bertrand's "Ça Plane Pour Moi"

 

Killing Joke - Night Time

 

Agent Orange - Living In Darkness

 

Definitely Bad Religion, Bouncing Souls and Descendents.

 

And all the ones Coffin Surfer and nl5xsk1 mentioned, especially OpIvy.

[tbondrage99 0]

All the Ramones you can get your hands on.

All the Misfits with Danzig you can get your hands on.

Some Green Day.

[the max 0]

What about Rancid? Granted they're not as good as I remember them being, but they can be a fun way to kill time.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Rancid had a good set at last years Warped Tour...although they started every song with "This one's off our new album."

[notJames 0]

Their first two albums were really good, but then they started channeling a Clash cover band and it was all downhill from there. Not that they're terrible now, just that they've travelled too far from their roots. The same thing happened to Suicide Machines. They were all hepped-up punk-ska, then they went soft and boring. Really boring.

 

I prefer Rancid's previous incarnation as OpIvy myself.

[nl5xsk1 0]

notJames, you couldn't be more right. OpIvy > Rancid. To even imply anything else would be a farce.

[Zorin Industries 0]

The Germs

[Steviekick 0]

Here are my reccommendations:

 

The first four Ramones albums

The Misfits boxed set

Minor Threat: Complete Discography

Fugazi: 13 Stories, Repeater+3

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

If it's been said already...fuck it.

 

The Offspring - Smash. Open-to-close, a great punk album. Has the classics "Self Esteem" and "Come Out And Play" (which was Raven's ECW theme), if you didn't already know.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Whilst Big Black, Gang of Four and Killing Joke all rule and should be checked out, they were all technically post-punk, if that matters to you. Pink Flag by Wire is the best punk album ever, indeed.

[Steviekick 0]

If it's been said already...fuck it.

 

The Offspring - Smash. Open-to-close, a great punk album. Has the classics "Self Esteem" and "Come Out And Play" (which was Raven's ECW theme), if you didn't already know.

It hasn't and I second the album. Propably the best thing the Offspring ever did or will record.

[Guest Cammo]

Agree with a few sentiments echoed earlier.....The Buzzcock's "Singles Going Steady" is an awesome CD, especially the tracks "Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone That You Shouldn't Have)?" and "Orgasm Addict".

 

I'd check out some early Elvis Costello (right at the beginnings of the Stiff label), which wasn't as new wave (which isn't to say "not as good") but more edgier. Awesome to listen to. As is Nick Lowe (Cruel To Be Kind was good before whoever it was on 10 Things I Hate About You did a cover of it)

 

The Jam aren't too bad to listen to either, providing it's anything before Town Called Malice.

 

And just because it should be listened to - Joy Division's "Closer"

[k thx 0]

I still pimp The Parkinsons as being one of the few old-school punk bands left. Cool music, great live and they threw chocolate cake at The Strokes for not being punk enough.

[DCMaximo 0]

As far as modern stuff goes, "The Shape Of Punk To Come" by Refused and "We Have Come For Your Parents" by Amen are well worth a look. In terms of old school material, "Rattus Norvegicus" by the Stranglers, the self-titled New York Dolls debut and "Inflammable Materials" by the Stiff Little Fingers are all fantastic records. Also, any Undertones "greatest hits" type package is worth a look- they released some classic punk singles.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Whilst Big Black, Gang of Four and Killing Joke all rule and should be checked out, they were all technically post-punk, if that matters to you. Pink Flag by Wire is the best punk album ever, indeed.

Just saying but Pink Flag is at times refered to as one of first post-punk albums. Besides, I never really got the whole "post-punk" label anyway since from the get go most of the worthwhile bands had their own approach and were experimenting with other genres. It was for the most part a way of saying, "80s punk bands that aren't hardcore" even if alot of the hardcore bands were just as diverse and adventerous.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

At least check out the first Clash album...they were the original "only band that matters."

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Whilst Big Black, Gang of Four and Killing Joke all rule and should be checked out, they were all technically post-punk, if that matters to you. Pink Flag by Wire is the best punk album ever, indeed.

Just saying but Pink Flag is at times refered to as one of first post-punk albums.

Feh. Pink Flag is very much a punk record in sound and spirit; the guys in the band itself were not punks—they were a quartet of art students and looked it. The "post-punk" stuff didn't come into flower until their second album, Chairs Missing.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Feh. Pink Flag is very much a punk record in sound and spirit; the guys in the band itself were not punks—they were a quartet of art students and looked it. The "post-punk" stuff didn't come into flower until their second album, Chairs Missing.

Feh. Pink Flag is very much a punk record in sound and spirit;

 

You could say the same thing about alot of the bands and records labeled post punk, which oddly enough is my point.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

But it's still a punk album; you were implying it was not.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

But it's still a punk album; you were implying it was not.

No, I wasn't implying that. I was more or less implying that Gang of Four-Entertainment and Big Black-Songs About Fucking have about as much right to be on a punk list as Wire-Pink Flag does.

[Anorak 0]

Fugazi - All of their albums retain a certain edge so I wouldn't restrict yourself to just hearing their first couple of hardcore style records. Their last album was one of their best.

 

The Ramones - Like somebody said earlier, the first 4 albums.

 

Screeching Weasel - Must be the best example of the Ramones/SoCal type sound, My Brain Hurts and Anthem For A New Tomorrow are great albums. Essential for the pop-punk 'faithful'.

 

Descendents - I haven't heard the latest album but Everything Suks album from around 96 is definately worth getting alongside the earlier stuff (including live).

 

Bad Religion - Suffer & No Control are the normal choices but anything in the up to Recipe For Hate (which was half a really good album) is excellent. The All Ages comp is a good sampler of that late 80's/early 90's period.

 

The Clash - I like the debut the most.

 

The Jam - Seeing as somebody else mentioned them. Brilliant singles band. Personally I like Sound Affects and Setting Sons, some great songs aren't avalaible on certain versions of their records so its worth reading up and getting more opinions.

 

SNFU - Some of their stuff hasn't aged too well but i'd still recommend checking them out to some extent. They sometimes stumbled into some great guitar sounds and at the very least had a satisfying crunch to their sound allied to an original sense of humor.

 

New Bomb Turks - Remember them being described as a cross between Jerry Lee Lewis & MC5 on a dose of amphetamenes, good description of an enjoyable band. Solid records all the way but the first two or three are definately the best.

 

Green Day - I like everything they've done but the first three albums are my pick.

[moral suasion 0]

"Punk is the personal expression of uniqueness that comes from the expierences of growing up in touch with our human ability to reason and ask questions."

 

Thats straight out of the Punk Manifesto by Greg Graffin. And if anyone has the right to define "punk" it is him because he has been heading the philisophical side of the punk movement for about 20 years now.

 

Sure the British and New York era of punk is dead, but the California punk scene is thriving. Any one who says that punk is dead is wrong. It has changed, but there is still a strong punk commuity, espically in Europe and on the west coast.

 

The musical side of punk has really progressed and changed over the years. As for suggesting modern (late 80s and 90s) punk, I would second the previous suggestions of Bad Religion. These guys have led the punk scene for years. Their stuff is more melodic than most older punk so they are often considered progressive punk. Some albums to check out are No Control, Suffer, The Grey Race, the All Ages comp, and The Process of Belief.

 

I would also suggest NOFX. They are another common suggestion but well deserving. Check out Punk in Drublic, The Decline, and So Long and Thanks for all the Shoes. The Decline is widely considered the definitive punk composition of the 90s. Its awesome.

 

Another 90s gem is No Use for a Name's More Betterness!

 

I also second the suggestions of the Descendsnts, the Germs, the Vandals, and Lagwagon

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Sure the British and New York era of punk is dead, but the California punk scene is thriving.

Considering the bands you endorsed, it might as well be dead, too.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Sure the British and New York era of punk is dead, but the California punk scene is thriving.

Considering the bands you endorsed, it might as well be dead, too.

Eh, not that I've heard much, but from the little that I have the Descendants are inoffensive. Not too shabby really.

[The Ill One 0]

Most of my suggestions have already been added but throw in the Casualties there too- oh and fuck NOFX. I can't stand their shit, serious or not- for some reason them and MxPx should burn in the deepest pit of hell.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Eh, not that I've heard much, but from the little that I have the Descendants are inoffensive. Not too shabby really.

And the Germs were actually rather good, but NOFX, Bad Religion, No Use for a Name and Lagwagon are strictly Warped Tour shit. It's like saying people interested in ska should check out Less Than Jake.

 

While we're at it, I'm surprised and a little relieved no one's mentioned Pennywise.