Essential punk/hardcore albums?

[claire]

Well, why not? I was about to add to the "Essential rock/metal albums" thread, but - aside from a couple of glaring omissions (Voi Vod? Tool? Cirith Ungol?) it seemed pretty savvy.

Essential punk/hardcore albums, then? I'll start the proverbial ball with:

Never Mind The Bollocks - Sex Pistols
The Crack - The Ruts
Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing - Discharge
Troops of Tomorrow - Exploited
Damned Damned Damned - The Damned
Mating Sounds of South American Frogs - Peter & Test Tube Babies
Ramones - Ramones
Brutality & Bloodshed for All - GG Allin
Rock For Light - Bad Brains
Legacy of Brutality - Misfits
Earth AD - Misfits
Dawn of the Dickies - Dickies
Leather Bristle Studs & Acne - GBH
Immaculate Deception - Ludichrist
Scum - Napalm Death
Blood Guts & Pussy - Dwarves
Young & Good Looking - Dwarves
Two Nuns & A Pack Mule - Rapeman
Riot Riot Upstart - Agnostic Front
Destroyed - Sloppy Seconds
Wacky Hijinks of - Adrenalin OD
More Fun Than an Open Casket Funeral - Accused
Speak English or Die - SOD
Germ-Free Adolescents - X-ray Spex
Songs About F.. - Big Black
Damaged - Black Flag
Double Nickles on the Dime - Minutemen
Complete Discography - Minor Threat
In on the Killtaker - Fugazi
If You Swear You'll Catch No Fish - SNFU
We Have Come for your Children - Dead Boys
Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedys
In God We Trust, Inc - Dead Kennedys
Dirty Sanchez - Zeke
Kaleidoscope - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Last Scream of the Missing Neighbours - Jello Biafra & DOA

I'll have forgotten tons. Plus, I'm hoping people will mention stuff I've overlooked over the years or simply never heard ... please give your input!

[Punk Rich]

Dickies 'Incredible Shrinking Dickies'
Damned 'Machine Gun Etiquette'
Candy Snatchers 'Candy Snatchers'
Rudimentary Peni 'Death Church'
Rudimentary Peni 'Cacophony'
Various Artists 'Killed By Death Vol 2'
Conflict 'The Ungovernable Force'
Crass 'Christ The Album'
Boris the Sprinkler 'Saucer to Saturn'
Screeching Weasel 'My Brain Hurts'
Cruci****s 'Cruci****s'
The Feederz 'Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss'
Poison Idea 'Feel the Darkness'
GG Allin 'Always Was, Is & Always Shall Be'
Bus Station Loonies 'Mad Frank's Zonal Disco'
Didjits 'Hornet Pinata'
Lee Harvey Oswald Band 'A Taste of Prison'
Angry Samoans 'Back From Samoa'
Pagans 'Everybody Hates You'
Wire 'Pink Flag'



I'll stop there for now.

[claire]

How did I forget Crass, Angry Samoans, Rudimentarty Peni and Crucif*cks?!

Also:

Group Sex - Circle Jerks
Luxury Problem - Lunachicks
Short Music for Short People - Various
God, the list is endless ...

PS Rich, Candy Snatchers is an album that's always eluded me. Where'd you pick it up?

[Punk Rich]

Erm.... think I picked up the vinyl in Rough Trade, Portobello when it was released. Picked up the CD from Ebay, new and sealed, for about a quid about three years back (in case I wore the record out!)

[drterror666]

How about this lot?

UK Subs - Another Kind Of Blues
SNFU - ...And No One Else Wanted To Play/If You Swear You'll Catch No Fish/Better Than A Stick In The Eye
Adrenalin OD - Humungousfungusamongus
Subhumans - The Day The Country Died/From The Cradle To The Grave/Worlds Apart
Spermbirds - Something To Prove/Nothing Is Easy
Amebix - Arise/Monolith
Extreme Noise Terror - A Holocaust In Your Head
Negazione - Mucchio selvaggio/Lo spirito continua…/Little Dreamer
Bomb Disneyland - Why Not?
Christ On Parade - Sounds Of Nature/A Mind Is A Terrible Thing
Crumbsuckers - Life Of Dreams
Cryptic Slaughter - Convicted
Doctor & The Crippens - Fired From The Circus
Doom - War Crimes/Bury The Debt, Not The Dead
Nasum - Inhale/Exhale/Human 2.0
The Stupids - Retard Picnic
Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal Tendencies

[MarcMorris]

Candy Snatchers: amazon.co.uk

[Dr.Starr]

Out of the albums already mentioned, I'd say the essentials are the ones by X Ray Spex, Ramones, Black Flag, Minutemen, Angry Samoans, Wire, Big Black and (of course) Sex Pistols.

Here's just a few 80's faves, every one a classic

Angry Samoans - Inside My Brain (EP) (1980)
X - Wild Gift (1981)
Flipper - Generic Album (1982)
Descendents - Milo Goes To College (1982)
Butthole Surfers - Butthole Surfers (EP) (1983)
Ramones - Too Tough To Die (1984)
The Replacements - Let It Be (1984)
Minutemen - 3 Way Tie (For Last) (1985)
Husker Du - Just about anything, but how about New Day Rising (1985)
The Jesus And Mary Chain - Psychocandy (1985)
Sonic Youth - Sister (1987)
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (1988)
Meat Puppets - Monsters (1989)
The Mekons - Rock N Roll (1989)

[Ade]

MGE - The Damned
Rock For Light - Bad Brains
Brutality and Bloodshed - GG Allin
Anything by Dead Kennedys
Live 84 - Black Flag
In My Head - Black Flag
New Day Rising - Husker Du
Stink - The Replacements
Jesus Meets The Stupids - The Stupids

[claire]

Candy Snatchers: amazon.co.uk

Thanks Marc, as obvious as it seemed, I didn't look there. Fool that I am! Ordered, along with Human Zoo.


Hey, where's the love for early Turbonegro?! I know they turned into a poor glam band, but Ass Cobra, Never Is Forever and Apocalypse Dudes deserve their place here ...

Dr Terror: bless you - ENT and Nasum ... brilliant! Forgot about them. Inspired choices.

Dr Starr: How could I miss that BS debut? One of my all-time favourite albums. Sad, but true. I love it - I got it converted from vinyl to CD a while back and played it endlessly (though not recently alas, hence my oversight). A monumental mini-album though, especially when you're in the mood to lie back on your bed and succumb to it.

Not really heard The Stupids, Ade - recommended?

[Dr.Starr]

Here's a few more firm favourites, this time from the '90's.

Ministry - In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live) (1990)
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)
Pixies - Trompe Le Monde (1991)
Bikini Kill - Bikini Kill (1992)
L7 - Bricks Are Heavy (1992)
Sonic Youth - Dirty (1992)
Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped (1993)
NOFX - Punk In Drublic (1994)
Rancid - And Out Come The Wolves (1995)
Bad Religion - All Ages (1995)
Fluffy - Black Eye (1996)
Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out (1997)
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997)
Rancid - Life Won't Wait (1998)
Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock (1999)

Plus anything Nirvana and Pavement released....

[drterror666]

Dr Terror: bless you - ENT and Nasum ... brilliant! Forgot about them. Inspired choices.

Cheers, claire, nothing beats a bit of Grind!

Not really heard The Stupids, Ade - recommended?

OK, I'm not Ade, but you must listen to those crazy nutters known as The Stupids! I'd particularly recommend their debut, Retard Picnic. Of course, everything they've done is great stuff, although I don't listen to the Frankfurter Eat EP, as I thought it was a bit average.

A few more:

Repulsion - Horrified
Wehrmacht - Shark Attack / Beermacht
Unseen Terror - Human Error

Enjoy!

[MarcMorris]

And still no mention of Babes in Toyland? Both Spanking Machine and Fontanelle are great grrrl noise!

[Ade]

I am The Ade and, yes, Claire I would agree with Dr T. The Stupids are to be experienced asap. Speedy, melodious with an irreverent sense of humour..and they came from Ipswich.

Babes In Toyland? I had one of their albums but found it a bit grating...like a much harsher Throwing Muses, I seem to remember. Maybe I'd appreciate them more these days.

[drterror666]

I can't stand Babes In Toyland and have to agree with Ade. The only female punk/grunge outfits I've ever been able to listen to are Lunachicks, L7 and Voodoo Queens.

I just noticed their are 42 tracks on the CD version of The Stupids' Retard Picnic! 42 TRACKS! Where are all the other ones derived from?

Remember, kids, don't take drugs and stay straight!

[Ade]

Lunachicks are great when they're on form. Babysitters On Acid is a great record esp. Makin' It (With Other Species) Talking of female punk bands, Thee Headcoatees were excellent live but they're more 60's punk than anything approaching hardcore. Shonen Knife have their moments - Riding The Rocket is a classic.

[MarcMorris]

Ha, out of all those bands Babes were my faves. Much harder -and way better. Give them another try I say.

wiki: Babes in Toyland

I actually saw L7 live on their Smell the Magic tour.

[jacksmith1983]

Here's a few more firm favourites, this time from the '90's.

Ministry - In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live) (1990)
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)
Pixies - Trompe Le Monde (1991)
Bikini Kill - Bikini Kill (1992)
L7 - Bricks Are Heavy (1992)
Sonic Youth - Dirty (1992)
Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped (1993)
NOFX - Punk In Drublic (1994)
Rancid - And Out Come The Wolves (1995)
Bad Religion - All Ages (1995)
Fluffy - Black Eye (1996)
Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out (1997)
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997)
Rancid - Life Won't Wait (1998)
Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock (1999)

Plus anything Nirvana and Pavement released....

I've always been a fan of Rancid, but to be honest I'd recommend Lets Go as opposed to Life Wont Wait, which I personally regard as their weakest album. Obviously ...And Out Come The Wolves is a tremendous revitalist punk album, one of the classic rock records of the mid 90's.

NOFX are a band I find funny to listen to and at their best they are a band who can switch from clowning around into playing quite confrontational and thought provoking songs such as Don't Call Me White. Personally however I'd favour White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean (which features their most famous tracks Bob and Stickin In My Eye) over Punk In Drublic although both are fun albums to listen to. 2000's Pump Up The Valuum is also a great album, probably my personal favourite from NOFX, but to be honest I've found everything they've done since to be quite predictable and tiresome in all honesty.

Finally I must say I'm astounded no-one else has already mentioned Energy by Operation Ivy. Now that album really is a classic!


Operation Ivy - Energy: amazon.co.uk

[Dr.Starr]

I've always been a fan of Rancid, but to be honest I'd recommend Lets Go as opposed to Life Wont Wait, which I personally regard as their weakest album. Obviously ...And Out Come The Wolves is a tremendous revitalist punk album, one of the classic rock records of the mid 90's.

I pretty much like all the Rancid albums, in fact even 2003's Indestructible ranks for me as one of their best. I also think the eponymously titled Transplants album from 2002, featuring Tim Armstrong, is a great one.

[Dr.Starr]

I can't stand Babes In Toyland and have to agree with Ade.

Sorry to gang up Marc, but i'm also with Dr Terror and Ade on this one!

I also managed to catch the great L7 some years back, if I remember rightly it was at the London Astoria in the early 90's.

[drterror666]

I saw Lunachicks at the Marquee (RIP) back in the day. The best bit was where they swapped instruments at the end and their drummer took over vocal duties. RROOAARR!!