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Cardboard Box Realtor
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Hobb's End
Posts: 7,648
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I don't listen to much punk but here's my list (in no order)
Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
I still remember buying this CD when I was 16, same day I got my drivers license. Drove over to the Tower Records, bought it, and drove around town listening to it. There's just something really enticing about the album, the ferocity of the song without seeming too abrasive. They found a very good niche that a lot of bands seem to go too far over or not far enough. My dad was a big fan of these guys back in the '80's and he is the main reason why I wanted to listen to them. I don't have many CD's left in my collection, but I have not brought it upon myself to sell this one yet.
Green Day - Insomniac
I'm sure this may come as a surprise to people who know my music tastes but I really like this album. I found it to be a really good blend of pop and punk that didn't seem watered down. Dookie had the most amount of singles, but I feel that Insomniac has the best written songs. "Brat", "Geek Stink Breath", "Stuart and the Ave.", "Brainstew", "Tight Wad Hill", and "Walking Contradiction" are all really amazing songs, yet only two of those made it as singles. Dookie started off really song, but I found seemed to fizzle out towards the last three or four tracks, but this one really stays solid from start to finish. A lot of people like to hate on Green Day, but you cannot deny their effect on modern punk bands, for better or for worse.
Punky Bruster - Cooked on Phonics
This is one of Devin Townsend's most underrated albums. A satirical look at the commercialization of punk as well as metal. The album also shows the differences between punks and metal heads, some of the rivalry and disgust both groups feel for each other, despite being very close music wise. The album tells the story a death metal band who decides to turn punk in order to sell more records. Narrated by someone who sounds a lot like Murderface from Metalacalypse, he tells the rise and problems that the members of Punky Bruster face because of their metal roots. Some truly hilarious skits and memorable songs, if you haven't heard this album before it's something you really need to get.
Choking Victim - No Gods / No Managers
I really love these guys. Their ability to mix punk, ska, and pop together in something that doesn't feel overly processed was by far the best. Songs like "500 Channels", "Crack Rock Steady", "Fuck America", and "Five Finger Discount" really helped breath life into this only album. While most of the members went on to form Leftover Crack, I prefer No Gods / No Managers to anything LC has put out.
The Clash - The Clash
Really hard to choose between their self-titled album and London Calling but in the end I had to go with their self-titled one. The deciding factor was the song "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" which I still hold as one of the most intelligent punk songs ever written. Not only that but with songs like "Janie Jones", "London's Burning", "White Riot", "Complete Control", "Clash City Rockers", "I'm So Bored with the USA", and "I Fought the Law" the album is one solid hit after another.
Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb
One of the most fun albums I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. Every song gets my foot tapping and I'm sure I've put dents in my steering wheel from smacking it while listening to this album. While I'm always going to like Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution more, the songs they redid still contain the same level of fun that their acoustic counterparts did.
Darkest of the Hillside Thickets - Shadow Out of Tim
My old bosses band who are an H.P. Lovecraft inspired punk rock band from Vancouver. Their lyrics often contain tongue-in-cheek references to quintessential horror author H.P. Lovecraft, specifically the Cthulhu mythos. They put on a great live show, often dressing in elaborate costumes, creating a fun atmosphere and proving once and for all that nerds can be punks too.
Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation
I've liked this album ever since I read Please Kill Me: The Oral History of Punk. The album's production was pretty rough, however songs like "Love Comes In Spurts", "Blank Generation", "New Pleasure", and "Betrayal Takes Two" have earned their status for me.
Social Distortion - Social Distortion
Sure this album sounds a lot more polished and commercialized than their 1983 release Mommy's Little Monster but I really don't care too much because the album just rocks so fucking much. This album really showcases Mike Ness' country influence and story telling ability, albeit simple ones, are a lot more interesting to me than song after song about social problems.
Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm a Machine
One of the few albums I bought to impress someone. There was a girl I went to high school with who was one of those insanely hot punk girls that listened to actual punk music and not just what was popular at the time. She had a pin of these guys and I was intrigued and wanted to get in her pants so I decided to buy this album to impress her with my insane knowledge of punk music. I knew absolutely nothing about these guys but was quite impressed with the fact that it was just a bass and drum kit. Some really trippy songs with the same ferocity as punk, but the fuzz of stoner metal that I learned to love a few months earlier. It's a shame these guys broke up a short while after, but they did leave quite an amazing album behind.
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