Music: Top Ten PUNK Albums (All-Time)

[Stuzchuk]

here's my opinion for the alltime ten punk albums ... discuss

1-Ramones - Ramones (1976) <- Where it all started
2-Black Flag - Damaged (1983)
3-The Clash - The Clash (1977)
4-Bad religion - How Could Hell Be Any Worse (1983)
5-Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruits... (1980)
6-Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bullocks (1977)
7-Bad Brains - Bad Brains (1982)
8-Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation (1977)
9-Minor Threat - Complete Discography (1989)
10-The Descendents - Milo... (1982)

HM: Here Comes the Wolves, Repeater, Los Angeles, Walk Among Us

Click to read more...

 

[kihei]

Definitely not the list of a purist:

The Clash/London Calling
Sex Pistols/Never Mind the Bollocks
The Clash/The Clash
Gang of Four/Entertainment
Television/Marquee Moon
Stiff Little Fingers/Inflammable Material
The Clash/Give 'em Enough Rope
Wire/Pink Flag
The Pogues/Rum, Sodomy and the Lash
Boomtown Rats/The Boomtown Rats
Buzzcocks/Love Bites
The Undertones/The Undertones
Raving Mojos/The Last Rock N' Roll Show Ever

 

[Shareefruck]

I'm sort of the opposite of a punk purist and I tend to dislike the traditional punk bands around the time of the Ramones/Sex Pistols, so I'm going to play it fast and loose and include any album that has even remote punk elements, regardless of whether or not it fully fits the genre.

Edit: did some binging because of this thread-- Punk's tricky for me

Punk (sort of):
1. White Light White Heat by The Velvet Underground - 5.0+ (Untouchable Masterpiece)
2. Black Monk Time by The Monks - 4.5 (Brilliant)
3. The Clash UK by The Clash - 4.5 (Brilliant)
4. Entertainment! by Gang of Four - 4.5 (Brilliant)
5. Neu!75 by Neu! - 4.5 (Brilliant)
6. The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu - 4.0 (Flawless)
7. New Day Rising by Husker Du - 4.0 (Flawless)
8. Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall - 4.0 (Flawless)
9. Fun House by The Stooges - 4.0 (Flawless)
10. Radio Ethiopia by Patti Smith - 4.0 (Flawless)
11. Grotesque by The Fall - 4.0 (Flawless)
12. Zen Arcade by Husker Du - 3.5 (Great)
13. Bad Brains by Bad Brains - 3.5 (Great)
14. Solid Gold by Gang of Four - 3.5 (Great)
15. Live at the Witch Trials by The Fall - 3.5 (Great)
16. The Stooges by The Stooges - 3.5 (Great)
17. Pink Flag by Wire - 3.5 (Great)
18. Raw Power by The Stooges - 3.5 (Great)
19. Chairs Missing by Wire - 3.5 (Great)
20. Horses by Patti Smith - 3.5 (Great)
21. Walk Among Us by Misfits - 3.0 (Very Good)
22. Rock For Light by Bad Brains - 3.0 (Very Good)
23. For the Whole World to See by Death - 3.0 (Very Good)
24. Blank Generation by Richard Hell and the Voidoids - 3.0 (Very Good)
25. Double Nickels on the Dime by Minutemen - 3.0 (Very Good)
26. Complete Discography by Minor Threat - 3.0 (Very Good)
27. Dragnet by The Fall - 3.0 (Very Good)

28. Half Machine Lip Moves by Chrome - 2.5 (Good)
29. Here Are the Sonics by The Sonics - 2.5 (Good)
30. Static Age by Misfits - 2.5 (Good) (Good)
31. Give'em Enough Rope by The Clash - 2.5 (Good)
32. The Day The Earth Met by Rocket From the Tombs - 2.5 (Good)
33. Singles Going Steady by The Buzzcocks - 2.5 (Good)
34. Album/Generic Flipper by Flipper - 2.5 (Good)
35. The New York Dolls by The New York Dolls - 2.0 (Positive)
36. Nevermind the Bullocks by The Sex Pistols - 2.0 (Positive)
37. Warsaw by Joy Division - 2.0 (Positive)
38. Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing by Discharge - 2.0 (Positive)
39. The Ramones by The Ramones - 2.0 (Positive)
40. Anthology by The Germs - 2.0 (Positive)
41. Rocket to Russia by The Ramones - 1.5 (Neutral)
42. Leave Home by The Ramones - 1.5 (Neutral)
43. Damned Damned Damned by The Damned - 1.5 (Neutral)
44. Energy by Operation Ivy - 1.5 (Neutral)
45. Repeater + 3 Songs by Fugazi - 1.5 (Neutral)
46. Nevermind by Nirvana - 1.5 (Neutral)
47. Damaged by Black Flag - 1.0 (Negative)
48. Against the Grain by Bad Religion - 1.0 (Negative)
49. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys - 1.0 (Negative)
50. Rum Sodomy & The Lash by The Pogues - 0.5 (Bad)
51. And Out Come the Wolves by Rancid - 0.5 (Bad)
52. Punk in Drublic by NOFX - 0.0 (Terrible)

 

[Hippasus]

I feel like this might be a bit of a purist list. There is probably some stuff that I consider rock, like The Clash's self-titled debut, that would have made the cut if I considered it punk.

1. Discharge - Realities of War / Fight Back / Decontrol / Why? / Never Again / State Violence State Control / Warning - Her Majesty's Government Can Seriously Damage Your Health / Price of Silence / More I See / Ignorance (aka Decontrol: The Singles) (the first few EPs from this compilation)
2. Poison Idea - Darby Crash Rides Again: The Early Years (some session(s) from this compilation perhaps)
3. Black Flag - Damaged
4. Rudimentary Peni - Death Church
5. Bad Brains - Bad Brains
6. Siege - Drop Dead
7. Sick of It All - Sick of It All
8. The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols
9. Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye
10. D.R.I. - Dirty Rotten LP

 

[kook10]

here's my opinion for the alltime ten punk albums ... discuss

Ramones - Ramones (1976) <- Where it all started
Black Flag - Damaged (1983)
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruits... (1980)
Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bullocks (1977)
Bad Brains - Bad Brains (1982)
Minor Threat - Complete Discography (1989)

Borrowing some of yours and adding in no order

Circle Jerks- Group Sex
The Damned- Damned Damned Damned
Agnostic Front- Victim In Pain
Reagan Youth - Youth Anthems For the New Order

Eta: Dead Boys- Young Loud and Snotty and The Heartbreakers - LAMF

 

[Roo Returns]

Really tough to pick just ten:

Black Flag-Damaged
The Clash-London Calling
999-999
The Damned-Machine Gun Etiquette
Wire-Pink Flag
Talking Heads-Remain In Light (Does this count?)
The Minutemen-Double Nickels On The Dime
The Big Boys-Skinny Elvis
Misfits-Walk Among Us
The Germs-Anthology
Minor Threat-Discography
NoFx-Punk In Drublic
Bad Religion-Against The Grain
Bad Brains-Rock For Light
Iggy And The Stooges-Raw Power
Television-Marquee Moon

 

[Habsfunk]

This may or may not be the right order:

The Ramones - Rocket to Russia
The Stooges - Funhouse
The Damned - Damned, Damned, Damned
The New York Dolls - S/T
Rocket From the Tombs - The Day the Earth Met...
The Reatards - Teenage Hate
The Wipers - Over the Edge
Devo - We Are Not Men, We Are Devo
Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers - LAMF
The Oblivians - Popular Favorites

Also, a pet peeve of mine is people who put Television's Marquee Moon in a list of punk albums. Yes, it's a fantastic album, and, yes, they played at CBGB's and the member's have punk backgrounds, but there's really nothing punk musically about the album.

 

[Ouroboros]

I guess some of these aren't strictly "punk" but nonetheless...

Discharge - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing [LP, 1982]
Die Kreuzen - Die Kreuzen [LP, 1984]
Articles Of Faith - Give Thanks [LP, 1984]
Devo - Duty Now For The Future [LP, 1979]
Devo - Q? Are We Not Men A: We Are Devo! [LP, 1978]
His Hero Is Gone - Fifteen Counts Of Arson [LP, 1997]
His Hero Is Gone - Monuments To Thieves [LP, 1997]
Discharge - Why? [EP, 1981]
Jerry's Kids - Is This My World? [LP, 1983]
The Jesus Lizard - Goat [LP, 1991]
Gasp - An Earwig's Guide To Traveling [Compilation LP, 2005]
Union Of Uranus - To This Bearer Of Truth [Compilation LP, 2004]
Crossed Out - 1990-1993 [Compilation LP, 2000]
Framtid - Under The Ashes [LP, 2002]
Death Side - Bet On The Possibility [LP, 1991]

 

[Ben Grimm]

Some first wave groups I like are The Clash, Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Stooges, Gang of Four, Wire, Minutemen, Black Flag, X, The Buzzcocks, Patti Smith, Hüsker Dü, Sleater-Kinney, New York Dolls, Descendents, Television, Bad Brains, X-Ray Spex, Richard Hell and the Voidoids.

 

[Nocashstyle]

It seems this thread is more geared towards the first wave of hardcore/punk. Only two from that era matter to me:

Minor Threat - Discography
Descendents - Milo Goes to College

Damaged is the most overrated punk album of all time.

 

[Shareefruck]

Honestly, I would have an easier time calling the many post-punk or even new wave bands who are considered too heady and brooding to be considered punk punk than I would a band like Television, who, to my ears, doesn't sound like they have any punky elements to them at all.

Why is Television always lumped with the punk category?

 

[aufheben]

Not to sound like a ***** but the Ramones don't do a whole lot for me. I mean they're a good band with several really great songs but they're kind of ironically boring to me.

Really tough to pick just ten:

Black Flag-Damaged
The Clash-London Calling
999-999
The Damned-Machine Gun Etiquette
Wire-Pink Flag
Talking Heads-Remain In Light (Does this count?)
The Minutemen-Double Nickels On The Dime
The Big Boys-Skinny Elvis
Misfits-Walk Among Us
The Germs-Anthology
Minor Threat-Discography
NoFx-Punk In Drublic
Bad Religion-Against The Grain
Bad Brains-Rock For Light
Iggy And The Stooges-Raw Power
Television-Marquee Moon

Mine would have most of these. I'd put it Zen Arcade, swap Against the Grain for Suffer, swap Adolescents - s/t for The Germs, and 154 in for Pink Flag.

 

[Hippasus]

Regarding Television, they played at CBGBs and were part of the same scene that became early punk or rock'n'roll along with New York Dolls and The Ramones. I think one of the members, Richard Hell, went on to have a punk career but I unfamiliar with his later work. I agree Television aren't punk, but they are post-punk IMO. Post-punk is perhaps more personal, freer in form, and less fast. Black Flag's My War and such albums are post-punk that overlaps with early alternative. Flipper, Melvins, and Nirvana are a few others.

 

[Shareefruck]

Not to sound like a ***** but the Ramones don't do a whole lot for me. I mean they're a good band with several really great songs but they're kind of ironically boring to me.

I completely agree.

Regarding Television, they played at CBGBs and were part of the same scene that became early punk or rock'n'roll along with New York Dolls and The Ramones. I think one of the members, Richard Hell, went on to have a punk career but I unfamiliar with his later work. I agree Television aren't punk, but they are post-punk IMO. Post-punk is perhaps more personal, freer in form, and less fast. Black Flag's My War and such albums are post-punk that overlaps with early alternative. Flipper, Melvins, and Nirvana are a few others.

Richard Hell was in Television?

I don't know, I usually hear more punk roots in post-punk than I do in Television.

In terms of sound, it just sounds like Rock to me-- and if had to be lumped together with the sound of a genre at around that time I would actually sooner put it in the New Wave side.

 

[Ben Grimm]

It seems this thread is more geared towards the first wave of hardcore/punk. ...Damaged is the most overrated punk album of all time.

I agree that if you listen to it today w/o historical context it's not that great. If you do that, I don't understand critic's reviews. Damaged is top 10, but no albums by The Cramps, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Violent Femmes, or XTC are? I just don't get it. Second Wave I'll take Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and White Lung.

I completely agree. Richard Hell was in Television? ...

He and Tom Verlaine were the Co-Founders in New York City in 1973.

 

[Behn Wilson]

1-Ramones - Ramones
2-The Clash - London Calling
3-Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bullocks
4-Misfits-Walk Among us
5-Stooges - Raw Power
6-Black Flag - Damaged
7-Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruits...
8-The Clash - The Clash
9-X - Los Angeles
10-Fun House - Stooges

 

[Central PA Hawk Fan]

Misfits - Static Age
7Seconds - The Crew
The Wipers - Is This Real?
Bad Brains - Black Dots
Operation Ivy - Energy
Avail - 4am Friday
Strike Anywhere - Change is a Sound
Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today
Minor Threat - Complete Discography
Suicide Machines - Destruction By Definition

 

[Jumptheshark]

here's my opinion for the alltime ten punk albums ... discuss

1-Ramones - Ramones (1976) <- Where it all started
2-Black Flag - Damaged (1983)
3-The Clash - The Clash (1977)
4-Bad religion - How Could Hell Be Any Worse (1983)
5-Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruits... (1980)
6-Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bullocks (1977)
7-Bad Brains - Bad Brains (1982)
8-Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation (1977)
9-Minor Threat - Complete Discography (1989)
10-The Descendents - Milo... (1982)

HM: Here Comes the Wolves, Repeater, Los Angeles, Walk Among Us

Minor threat? as someone who went through a punk phase that lasted ten years--the musicians in the band had game but there was nothing special about Ian MacKaye

 

[Hippasus]

I completely agree.Richard Hell was in Television?

I don't know, I usually hear more punk roots in post-punk than I do in Television.

In terms of sound, it just sounds like Rock to me-- and if had to be lumped together with the sound of a genre at around that time I would actually sooner put it in the New Wave side.

Yeah, that as rock seems pretty straightforward and accurate. To me, there musically have to be punk roots in a band for it to be able to be post-punk. Is that true of Television? It is hard to hear in it. Marquee Moon even sounds a bit progressive and anti-punk with it's layers and angular guitars. I'm not sure what the punk roots of Television are, but based on the two pieces of info I gave, they should be there. Perhaps Richard Hell was involved in a more punk-leaning sound prior to the first LP.

 

[Shareefruck]

^ judging by the way Richard Hell and the Voidoids sound, I guess that's probably it.

I agree that if you listen to it today w/o historical context it's not that great. If you do that, I don't understand critic's reviews. Damaged is top 10, but no albums by The Cramps, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Violent Femmes, or XTC are? I just don't get it. Second Wave I'll take Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and White Lung.

He and Tom Verlaine were the Co-Founders in New York City in 1973.

Oh, he left before Marquee Moon-- that's why I didn't know it.

 

[Mikeaveli]

Just wanted to say thanks for making this thread, I've been meaning to get into the genre but I didnt really know where to start

 

[kook10]

^ judging by the way Richard Hell and the Voidoids sound, I guess that's probably it.
Oh, he left before Marquee Moon-- that's why I didn't know it.

He went and formed the Heartbreakers with Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan from the NY Dolls. Their album should definitely be on the list!

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I see Minutemen on a few lists. Do we consider fIREHOSE punk? If so, I submnit "Ragin', Full On" for consideration.

 

[Eisen]

Bad Religion "No Control"
Slime "Yankees raus"
Ausbruch "Harte Zeiten"
Rotzkotz "Much Funny"
Neurotic ********* (vulgar word for sphincter, British style) "Angst"
Muff Potter "Bordsteinkantengeschichten"
Hass "Gebt der Meute was sie braucht"
Die Skeptiker "Sauerei"
WIZO "UUAARRGH"
Flag of Democracy "Everything sucks"




HM to a couple of Burning Heart bands, Lagwagon, and NOFX, Toy Dolls, Canalterror, Molotow Soda, Emils and probably many more.
And, no offense, I don't consider half of the bands mentioned in this thread as punk.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Honestly I would just list 10 of Bad Religion's albums, personally