Punk's 50 Greatest Albums
Twenty five years into its publishing history, the UK's most widely circulated weekly music mag Kerrang! offers up its list for the finest punk records of all time. The ranking comes by way of PSNYC, who adds, "it's a piece of shit." Here it goes:
50. Killing Joke -- Killing Joke (1980)
49. G.B.H. -- Leather, Bristles, Studs And Acne (1981)
48. Poison Idea -- Feel The Darkness (1990)
47. A.F.I. -- Black Sails In The Sunset (1999)
46. Napalm Death -- Scum (1987)
45. Stiff Little Fingers -- Inflammable Material (1979)
44. Will Haven -- El Diablo (1997)
43. Green Day -- Nimrod (1997)
42. The Get Up Kids -- Something To Write Home About (1999)
41. Social Distortion -- White Light White Heat White Trash (1996)
40. Supersuckers -- The Evil Powers Of Rock 'N' Roll (1999)
39. Dwarves -- Are Young And Good Looking (1997)
38. Less Than Jake -- Hello Rockview (1998)
37. Bad Religion -- Suffer (1988)
36. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones -- Let's Face It (1997)
35. The Misfits -- Static Age (1978)
34. Sublime -- Sublime (1996)
33. The Descendents -- Milo Goes To College (1982)
32. Quicksand -- Manic Compression (1995)
31. Cro-Mags -- Age Of Quarrel (1986)
30. The Exploited -- Punks Not Dead (1981)
29. Rocket From the Crypt -- Scream Dracula, Scream! (1995)
28. Refused -- The Shape Of Punk To Come (1998)
27. Operation Ivy -- Energy (1989)
26. The Vandals -- Hitler Bad, Vandals Good (1998)
25. Crass -- Feeding Of The 5000 (1978)They've included some goodies, but the ranking's an anarchic mess! How punk.
24. The Ruts -- The Crack (1979)
23. NOFX -- So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes (1997)
22. Buzzcocks -- Love Bites (1978)
21. Bad Brains -- Rock For Light (1983)
20. The Offspring -- Americana (1998)
19. The Undertones -- The Undertones (1979)
18. The Stooges -- Raw Power (1973)
17. Minor Threat -- Complete Discography (1989)
16. Black Flag -- Damaged (1981)
15. The Stooges -- Fun House (1970)
14. Blink-182 -- Enema Of The State (1999)
13. The Clash -- London Calling (1979)
12. Fugazi -- Repeater (1990)
11. NOFX -- Punk In Drublic (1994)
10. Ramones -- Ramones (1976)
9. The Damned -- Machine Gun Etiquette (1979)
8. The Clash -- The Clash (1977)
7. Discharge -- Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (1982)
6. Rancid -- ...And Out Come the Wolves (1995)
5. The Offspring -- Smash (1994)
4. Nirvana -- Nevermind (1991)
3. Dead Kennedys -- Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (1980)
2. Green Day -- Dookie (1994)
1. Sex Pistols -- Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols (1977)
Posted at 11:16 AM in Shit List
Tags: Dead Kennedys | Green Day | Nirvana | Sex Pistols | The Clash
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Weird that they include Nirvana and Blink-182 but no Mekons, Fall, Gang of Four... Hard to tell what's punk and what's not.
No riot grrl stuff either. Did that not get to England? Sleater-Kinney isn't punk?
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Why are the majority of the albums in this list from the 90s..what utter bullshit. :|
And who put Offspring, Rancid and Green Dayy ahead of London Calling?
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Yup, Punk is officially dead.
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Love what you've done with the font on the front page! Italics are the best
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No New York Dolls. No Cramps. No Richard Hell.
And TWO OFFSPRING ALBUMS?
Did noodles write this list?
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It's an awful, awful list, but there is something wonderfully satisfying about Rancid's ...And Out Come The Wolves and NOFX's So Long and Thanks For All the Shoes getting some recognition.
We all know of all the cool punk bands to like (Clash, Buzzcocks, Gang of Four, Television, Stooges, etc) but some of that 90's stuff is really great and sadly overlooked.
Rancid's Wolves is like a recreation of London Calling for skaters (what is it, 19 tracks? Not a filler song among them). Thanks for all the shoes is an amazingly strong album that rocks harder and angrier than any of NOFX's other albums yet it's not even properly received by NOFX fans.
I know most of us are over these kinds of bands today, but these two albums, and a couple others, are held by me in as high esteem as some of the albums by real "artists" of the 90's.
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It's not the inclusion of Green Day or Get up Kids that appalls me so much as their choice of albums...
Actually, while Get-Up Kids is one of my favorite bands of all time, I would NEVER put them on a punk list, even if "8 MInute Mile" never gets old and could be a good emo inclusion.
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I dont think ...And out come the wolves was misplaced, but I'm completely SHOCKED that London Calling is #12. Especially considering that this list was compiled in England? If the rationale is london calling is their mainstream sellout album, why is blink 182/enema of the state even on the list? I'd give 'em dude ranch, but come on.. "all the small things" runner up to london calling???
Punk is dead.
I'm suprised The Stooges didn't have some higher rankings. Someone may correct me on my history, but without the Stooges, the existence or success of the rest of these bands is questionable.
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I guess kerrang still thinks that only dudes can make punk? The Mighty Mighty Bosstones? This list should be called "Top 50 Mallternative Albums for skater kids who bought their Crass T-shirt at Hot Topic."
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There were some very good, listen-able albums in the 90s it's true, but better than London Calling? What the hell! I LOVED The Offspring album Smash (still do) but there's no way it's better than London Calling!
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Carson makes a good point--for too long, the lists have always stuck to a canonical doctrine that required one Clash record (or two--one after they "went reggae"), a Siouxsie record, a NYDolls record . . . but nothing of the "third wave" or pop punk.
It's a crap list, but interesting that it attempts to bring some newer artists into the canon.
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This is an odd list. Anyone notice that the ONLY Social D album is the crappy 96 White Light White Heat?! WOW!
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That list is pretty bad. Where the hell is "Up The Bracket" by The Libertines??
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Quite possibly the most pathetic "list" I've ever seen. It's early and I'm groggy and without even looking at my collection these ICONIC bands are nowhere on the list:
Husker Du
Minutemen
Replacements
Circle Jerks
Naked Raygun
Meat Puppets
Dead Kennedys
X
Wipers
Fear
Germs
T.S.O.L.
Suicidal Tendencies
and not that they belong on my above list, but no:
Pennywise
Bouncing Souls
Zeke
New Bomb Turks
Silly lists......oatmeal's getting cold.
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Two words: Marquee Moon
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The list may be expansive in terms of time period, which is fine, but it's really weak in terms of the diversity that characterized punk from the beginning. Aside from the Ramones, the whole CBGB's/Max's crowd is ignored (no Patti Smith, Television, Richard Hell, Talking Heads). Even if you assume that Gang of Four, the Slits, Devo, and others aren't on there due to arguable post-punk status, I don't see how you can ignore the New York crowd. Also, if Black Flag can make it, the Minutemen and X should be on there, too.
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I think they mistakenly put a '3' in front of that '1' for Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel.
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I guess kerrang still thinks that only dudes can make punk? The Mighty Mighty Bosstones? This list should be called "Top 50 Mallternative Albums for skater kids who bought their Crass T-shirt at Hot Topic."
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my god. that list looks to have been made at a conference of Hot Topic assistant managers. It is appalling.
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What?! No Sum-41???
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There were some very good, listen-able albums in the 90s it's true, but better than London Calling? What the hell! I LOVED The Offspring album Smash (still do) but there's no way it's better than London Calling!
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The Exploding Hearts...
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What a horrible list.
20. The Offspring -- Americana (1998)???????
And if you're going to have Nirvana on there at least have Incesticide, Nevermind isn't really punk.
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I think we can all agree that (insert influential, credibility building, iconic artiste from back in a time when music must have been better here) should be on this list. But that's all that ever gets discussed with these types of lists. It's boring. The next person who even mentions the Minutemen, Television, Gang of Four, etc, will be labelled, by me, a boring person.
Now how about those 90's picks? What are your fave punk albums of the 90's (or even 00's)? What albums do you still hold near and dear to your heart?
I'll start:
Rancid: Let's Go all the way til the 2000 self-titled album.
NoFX: White Trash, So Long, The Decline
Lagwagon: Hoss, Let's Talk About Feelings
Hot Water Music: No Division
Millencolin: Pennybridge Pioneers
None of those are Pitchfork approved albums, (well, except for Let's Talking About Feelings...check it out for yourself), but they are all favorites of mine.
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Five Words: Are You Fucking Kidding Me?
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No "New Day Rising" or "Double Nickels On The Dime"??
This list is pathetic...
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um, no mention of the Velvets? aren't they the official godfathers of punk?
no dead boys? no dictators? no television?
any list that puts green day "dookie" above iggy's "raw power" is just plain wrong.
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Five Words: Are You Fucking Kidding Me?
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nol and kevon are boring
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I always wonder what people mean when they use the word "best" on these lists. Do they give more weight to pioneers, to bands whose music is catchier, or some other criteria? In terms of catchiness this list is pretty awful.
How could anyone possibly rank Operation Ivy below Rancid? Even if you're biased against ska-punk (and with good reason considering all the AWFUL ska-punk bands that exist), Operation Ivy is one of the first punk bands people tend to get into for a reason.
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bad brains s/t > rock for light
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"London Calling" may have had twice as many songs or so, but stuff like "What's My Name," "White Riot" and "Career Opportunities" on The Clash's self-titled debut. But they're still The Only Band That Ever Mattered, and "LC" is way too low on this list.
"Americana" is shite -- has no place on this list.
"Dookie" at #2? Fuck off.
AFI on the list anywhere? Johnny Cash had more punk in a single pubic hair than all of AFI could dream.
No Misfits in the top 25? The Kerrang writers should punch themselves in the balls repeatedly.
Johnny Thunders is rolling in his grave.
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for the 90's-00's thing
Dillinger Four - Midwestern Songs, Versus God
Lagwagon - Hoss
Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves, Life Won't Wait (Their sandanista)
Ghost of Lester Bangs - What the Morning'll Let Me Remember (ridiculously good album)
American Steel - their second album
Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
NOFX - Heavy Petting Zoo
Lawrence Arms - Oh Calcutta
Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose
Millencolin is def a good call.
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totally fucking absurd.
pffft.
no richard hell.
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This list fails on account of not having Wire's Pink Flag on it.
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This list fails on account of not having Wire's Pink Flag on it.
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i actually wrote this list when i was 13, stored it away, and kerrrang found it and decided to publish it.
and what is product shop doing telling any other publication that they're "shit" ??
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london calling. 13. why?
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The only modern punk they got right was Op Ivy (sweet!), and NOFX Punk in Drublic. Otherwise, it's crap.
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everyone's right about the fall, gang of four, television, etc, etc. the list is shite for not having those.
operation ivy should definitely be way higher. and if we're going to mention ska-punk, of which i'm with Chuck's opinion that the genre is worth putting on a punk list, then we gotta also mention Slapstick. they're limited catalogue is pretty tits. unfortunately, there are so many terrible ska-punk bands, so the few good ones are overlooked.
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speechless.
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I agree that it's odd that no girls are on this list. I mean not even a token nod. I know Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, the Slits, S-K, L7, The Runaways have all made better albums than some of the stuff on this list. Sonic Youth, Blondie, The Pretenders? Does the entire UK think only dudes can make good punk rock?
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for the 90's-00's thing
Dillinger Four - Midwestern Songs, Versus God
Lagwagon - Hoss
Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves, Life Won't Wait (Their sandanista)
Ghost of Lester Bangs - What the Morning'll Let Me Remember (ridiculously good album)
American Steel - their second album
Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
NOFX - Heavy Petting Zoo
Lawrence Arms - Oh Calcutta
Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose
Millencolin is def a good call.
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What an odd, and awful list. Some of the albums and artists are really good, but it just seems badly put together and thought out.
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It's criminal that Husker Du's "Zen Arcade" was omitted.
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It's criminal that Husker Du's "Zen Arcade" was omitted.
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How does "Dookie" beat the first Ramones record?
I mean, that's nothing short of a travesty.
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Where is Pink Flag?!?
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Oh wonderful. the list really is a pice of shite. But don't blame it. It's the adjective "Greatest" that really sets it off. If those smart little people in offices came up with some other adjective for their lists we could have some good discourse. All i'm saying is that it seems that mags try to create "greatest album" lists that crappily try to mix classics (to please traditionalists) and experimental/unloved (to please fans). That being said ..
where's VU's debut!? Or Marquee Moon, The Record by Fear, maybe even Talking Heads' 77 or even further out there Neu! 75. "Hero" has got more loud and punk than .. Hello Rockview. How can Less Than Jake share, no less be ranked above Social D on this list.. what is punk, again?
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oof - Warp tour bias. Punk is dead - and that's ok!
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Phil Manning nailed it on the head with the list of very crucial bands/albums missing from this list. How there can be no mention of Minutemen (What Makes a Man Start Fire or, hell, Double Nickles on the Dime) or perhaps the best punk band every Bad Brains (I Against I is still one of the best records EVER MADE) makes me hang my head!
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oof - Warp tour bias. Punk is dead - and that's ok!
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blink-182?
come on now!
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uh, Pink Flag?
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Bouncing Souls
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Also, if you're going to include Green Day, how can you leave out "1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours" or "Kerplunk"? Those records kick the shit out of anything they put out on Reprise.
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How come no one's mentioned Pink Flag, Marquee Moon or Double Nickels on the Dime yet? And what about the first VU album? How come no one here has even tried to mention these great albums that were missing from a dumb list by a dumb magazine?
The only good stuff that has ever come out came out in the late 70's and early 80's. Am I right people?
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to be fair, kerrang's target audience is 16 year old kids. i imagine most of them are already familiar with green day/ blink 182 etc etc and this list will primarilly serve as an introduction to the more established classic albums on there. obviously it misses loads of great stuff out, but when was the last time you saw a list that didn't?
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to be fair, kerrang's target audience is 16 year old kids. i imagine most of them are already familiar with green day/ blink 182 etc etc and this list will primarilly serve as an introduction to the more established classic albums on there. obviously it misses loads of great stuff out, but when was the last time you saw a list that didn't?
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wow! a list! how very fucking punk rock!
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ed wins the comments.
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NO GERMS!
No Black Flag!
No X?
No listmaker are you!
I deride your essence of what is best punk, you stink pisshead!
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Hello?
No Wire- Pink Flag?
Was this list compiled by anyone who has actually heard of punk?
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Wow this list takes me back to high school. Rancid was my favorite band for a good part of tenth grade, and though a lot of it seems kind of silly now, ..And Out Come the Wolves and especially Life Won't Wait were awesome. And it's cool to see Op Ivy get some respect, they were a great band, even if they did pave the way for a lot of godawful 90s ska-punk.
Sublime and Green Day, though? I mean, they were fun when I was 15, but can you imagine listening to that shit now?
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i feel cheated.
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No Sum 41?!?! I'm not being ironic. I think they're crap, but I'm shocked they didn't make this list.
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how is Fucked Up "Epics in Minutes" not on there? blink 182? kill me.
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Yer a riot, Carson.
X beats Lagwagon hands down.
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they forgot to add hilary duff's metamorphosis.... and everyone knows that blink 182 nofx the mighty mighty bosstones afi and sublime is like some much more punk rock than new york dolls the cramps the slits and televison. maybe not the fall....where the FUCK is white light white heat.
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There should be nothing on that last past 1985.
Green Day? AFI? Nirvana?? [sigh]
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There should be nothing on that list past 1985.
Green Day? AFI? Nirvana?? [sigh]
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You know what, Carson, if you didn't actually see any of those bands, or discover punk through those records then piss off. At best your being entirely disingenuous. It's a comment board for christsake. You know, where people make comments about some dumb list by a dumb magazine. It's great you love you some 90s punk. But is it really more boring for a handful of people to have essentially the same reaction than for you to repeatedly point that out?
But, yeah, punk is dead.
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I'm upset over their failure to include Wire's Pink Flag and Mission of Burma's Signals, Calls and Marches EP.
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I have one word to describe this list: bollocks. absoloute drevel. terrible. horrible. how could you list green day above the clash? absoloute disgrace.
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I have one word to describe this list: bollocks. absoloute drevel. terrible. horrible. how could you list green day above the clash? absoloute disgrace.
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I'm telling you...the English are idiots.
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this is a joke right, an outright insult
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I'm at an absolute loss for words. This list is just wrong on so many levels. It was like Kerrang said "Hey, let's piss off everyone!" and this is the ensuing result. Green Day #2? Blink 182 is not only on the list, but AHEAD of the Stooges, Black Flag and Minor Threat? I have to stop. The taste of vomit is really overpowering.
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I know this is a typically-hipster-blacklashing-
anything-because-I'm-too-cool-for-it sor of thing to say, but is Never Mind The Bollocks really THAT GOOD? I'm saying this because in all honesty I've never listened to the whole thing. But come on, weren't The Ramones more influential to punk, and The Clash more important? And as for Nevermind... is that even punk?
Now, the idiotic, sure to be mocked capper to this post: Ok, if you have to put a Green Day album on a list like this, shouldn't it be American Idiot? Um, not that I've listened to Green Day, or anything like that. No way.
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No Germs? Bah.
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efffffff that.
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Okay people: Yes, they left out a LOT of great bands and the order isn't perfect. But SERIOUSLY, why do you take it so personally? It shouldn't be something that ruins your day!
And Rude Boy: You obviously haven't heard AFI's Black Sails in The Sunset if you're calling them unpunk. So why don't you actually have something to base your opinion on before you just start dissing, okay?
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The Libertines-Up The Bracket should definitely be on the list. The fact that it isn't shows that the whole list is probably bullshit, which it is. Change #2 from Greenday to Libertines and the list would improve drastically. Greenday is complete crap. The top ten should contain the following bands: Libertines, Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, New York Dolls, Stooges, Television, Nirvana, Rancid, Dead Kennedys.
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no Wire, X, or Gang of Four truly is a crime.
My own personal list would also include:
Swell Maps: "A trip to marineville"
Pere Ubu: "The Modern Dance"
The Modern Lovers s/t
Those last two might not be officially "punk" though...
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worst list ever.
where is Germs,TSOL,Adolescents,Zero Boys,Sham 69,Angry Samoans,johnny Thunders,The Dolls,X,avengers,7 Seconds,Flipper,Cock Sparrer,Anti Nowhere League,Forgotten Rebels,Teenage Head,DOA,Eskorbuto,Blind Pigs, 2 minutos,etc etc etc.
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worst list ever!
At least it has black flag, dead kennedys, bad brains and minor threat (arguably the best). but come on, there are plenty that were left off, like Government Issue, The Meatmen, 7 Seconds, GBH, Youth Brigade, Flipper, Circle Jerks, DRI, among others.
Punk rock died when the first kid said, "punk's not dead, punk's not dead"
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It's like David Berman said, "Punk rock died when the first kid said punk's not dead."
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What about X, or the Buzzcocks? Pretty lame