Monday, June 28, 2010

Music is My Life!!! - 20 MORE Essential Punk Recordings



I know, I couldn't resist...

Inspired from my last post, I decided to make a follow-up list from my 30 Essential Punk Recordings list, but this time I'll make it 20 so that it'll be an even 50...

I love Punk too much. I couldn't leave it at just 30...

Here goes...

1. "Blank Generation" by Richard Hell & The Voidoids
"It's such a gamble when you get a face..."
Richard Hell and Co. created a classic, iconic punk anthem that was the theme song to a generation... a blank generation!

2. "Roadrunner" by The Modern Lovers
Who knew that annoying-as-hell singer from "There's Something About Mary" was behind one of punk's defining anthems? Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers were way ahead of their time before the punk movement even started! This song went on to be covered badly by The Sex Pistols...

3. "Oh Bondage! Up Yours!" by X-Ray Spex
Led by the incomparable Poly Styrene, these geek-punkers from England sang about sadomasochism and all of its perks in this classic song, backed by Lara Logic and her gnarly saxomophone...

4. "Orgasm Addict" by The Buzzcocks
Hailing from the same stomping grounds as such legendary punk bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks hammered through this risque track about wanking...

5. "Lexicon Devil" by The Germs
Snotty, bratty, abrasive, and totally in-your-face, The Germs could have taken over the world with this song (if punk was more accessible, that is...). The late, great Darby Crash was one of the most dynamic frontmen in punk music. I want a Germs burn!!

6. "My Way" by Sid Vicious
Taking the mike this time, the late Sid Vicious sneered through this memorable cover of the Sinatra classic. I prefer this version. Oi!!!

7. "Out of Vogue" by Middle Class
One of the first Hardcore bands to come out of L.A., Middle Class tore through this minute-long track about not wanting to know what happens in the world. Yep, that was punk...

8. "Sex & Violence" by The Exploited
A punk classic, this band went on for five minutes about Sex & Violence! They must have liked it a lot to basically reiterate the same lyrics throughout the whole song!! "Sex & Violence!! Sex & Violence!! Sex & Violence...."

9. "Tell Me Why" by MIA
I love this song... It's basically asking you why you like living in the U.S.A. A true punk classic...

10. "We're Comin' Out" by The Replacements
It was hard to pick one great Replacements song, so I decided to pick their "coming out" party! This song signifies the introduction of a truly great band. And it was a pretty fast up-tempo rocker as well...

11. "Suburban Home" by The Descendents
"I wanna be stereotyped. I wanna be classified."
What is more Punk than the acceptance of Suburbia, and wanting a home there? Oh wait, it isn't. These guys didn't care though. From their landmark album "Milo Goes to College," this song melds pop sensibilities with Hardcore awesomeness...

12. "Let's Go Mano!" by The Donnas
Taken from their raw, dirty debut album, these teenage Rock & Roll machines dedicated this song to beating up lame-os. I fell in love...

13. "File 13" by A.F.I.
Davey Havoc screams and careens amidst a Hardcore backbeat in one of their earliest songs from "Very Proud of Ya." I liked Hardcore A.F.I. Goth A.F.I. is kool too...

14. "Surfin' Dead" by The Cramps
Taken from the punk-horror classic "Return of the Living Dead," lead singer Lux Interior swaggers through this psychobilly romp, and the Dead have never been happier...

15. "People Who Died" by The Jim Carroll Band
This poetic, fast-paced punk 'n roller is a stirring tribute to the many friends that Jim Carroll lost growing up. A classic track from a classic band.

16. "The Damned" by The Plasmatics
I love Wendy Orlean Williams. She sang like she was the crazee punk offspring of Janis Joplin and Lemmy!! The Plasmatics ripped through this punk-metal track, and the video was BEYOND awesome!!!



17. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" by The Pixies
Classic track from the forebearers to Nirvana. This song was totally heavy, yet melodic at the same time...
"If the devil is 6, then GOD IS 7!!!"

18. "Just Like Honey" by The Jesus and Mary Chain
This song is literally 3 minutes in heaven. It's totally distorted but melodic and beautiful at the same time.
"I'll be a plastic toy... I'll be a plastic toy..."

19. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" by Camper Van Beethoven
"There's not a line here that goes or ryhmes with anything... Anything! Anything!"
Shit... the skinheads need love too! Just take them bowling!!

20. "Final Solution" by Pere Ubu
This song captures what it is to be a punker. The lyrics and the beautiful sounds meld together in a cathartic way at the end of it. Listen on...



Okay, that's all, I promise... well, for now.

And, as Chop-Top so succinctly puts it, "Music is My Life!!!"

2 comments:

  1. Like how you used a screen cap from Wild Zero!

    ReplyDelete
  2. "I want to be stereotyped, I want to be classified..."

    ReplyDelete