10 of my favorite punk rock records, inspired by reading The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists by AMY WALLACE and HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA.
I’m not saying these are the greatest punk albums of all time – just ten that I love and to which I often come back. I’m deliberately leaving off the Big Three (RAMONES, CLASH, SEX PISTOLS) – I love them dearly but they get enough press. Indeed, I’m deliberately avoiding a lot of acknowledged classics, hopefully highlighting some gems that don’t get as much attention.
The Saints – Prehistoric Sounds (EMI)
Were the Saints still considered punk by the time they made this album? Who knows what “punk” even means, musically? I do know I love this album, their third killer in a row.
The Lazy Cowgirls – Tapping the Source (Bomp)
If I had to make a list of the top 5 punk albums of all time, this would be up there with records by the Clash, the Pistols, the Ramones and the Saints. I was already in love with their rootsier later stuff, but this blew my head off.
The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs – Waiting For the Death of My Generation (Triple X)
At the vanguard of the so-called “punk & roll” subgenre, the Cheetahs took their blend of poppy melodies, traditional punk snot and Detroit power to new heights with this album.
Lords of the New Church – s/t (Track)
I’d argue that this band is punk more by association (since it contains STIV BATORS, BRIAN JAMES and ex-members of SHAM 69 and the BARRACUDAS), but the mix of goth, glam, garage rock and punk seems dominated by the latter, at least on this, their debut.
Wire – Chairs Missing (EMI)
I don’t know if Wire was ever really considered punk in the formal sense (not that there should even be any formality). But dunking their minimalist short sharp shocked ditties into a blatantly psychedelic pot seems pretty punk rock to me.
The Adolescents – Balboa Fun * Zone (Triple X)
Again, I don’t know how “punk” this album really is (sensing a pattern here?). But it’s the first Adolescents album I ever heard and it’s still the one I come back to again and again.
Agent Orange – This is the Voice (Restless)
Like the Adolescents album above, this was my first Agent Orange record and my impression may be colored by that. It certainly doesn’t sound as punk as Living in Darkness. But I’ve always found the mix of melody and power irresistible.
The Dragons – RocknRoll Kamikaze (Gearhead)
Led by MARIO ESCOVEDO, brother of ALEJANDRO and JAVIER, I don’t know if the Dragons were ever considered punk, but it always sounded like the main ingredient to their bar band rock & roll to me. The band was so consistent it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I’ll choose this one, since it contains the sardonic “Like It’s a Bad Thing” and the self-explanatory “Whoa Yeah.”
The Zeros – Knockin’ Me Dead (Rockville)
And speaking of Javier Escovedo, here’s his band. Purists will no doubt cry foul that I’d pick an album of re-recordings of older material (including the classics “Beat Your Heart Out” and “Wimp”), but this was my first exposure to the Zeros and still the one I listen to the most.
Gomez – s/t (Little Deputy)
Austin has produced many fine punk bands, including the pioneering BIG BOYS and the DICKS, but Gomez has always been my favorite. I don’t think they ever broke out of Austin, so this CD, which collects nearly everything they recorded, is probably a mystery to most. Tuneful but not pop punk, fast and loud but not hardcore, pop culture junkies with a particular fetish for Star Wars and KISS, Gomez was as much pure punk rock as any band from any town, at least to my ears.
