10 Essential Hardcore Punk Records
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Essential Hardcore Punk From the Past
This intent of this list is to focus on essential hardcore punk records and while there are many excellent (post 1990's) modern punk and hardcore bands, this list is concerned with old school hardcore punk bands. The bands and records listed here were influential on the whole hardcore punk movement but most of these bands never had any commercial success like today's crop of commercial punk rock bands.
No, you won't find NOFX, Circa Survive, Hot Water Music, Rancid or any other bands made it to MTV, here you'll only find the bands who had little or no intention of playing to mainstream audiences.
No, you won't find NOFX, Circa Survive, Hot Water Music, Rancid or any other bands made it to MTV, here you'll only find the bands who had little or no intention of playing to mainstream audiences.
The Germs - (GI)
Slash Records 1979
Released in 1979, The Germs only studio album, "(GI)" (which stands for Germs Incognito) is often cited as being the first hardcore punk album ever recorded. In the short time the Germs were together, they left an indellible mark on the hardcore punk movement and guitarist Pat Smear later went on to play with Nirvana.Lead singer Darby Crash committed suicide December 7, 1980 at age 22.
The Germs were featured the year following the release of (GI) in Penelope Spheeris documentary film "The Decline of Western Civilization"
A movie about The Germs titled "What We Do Is Secret" was in the production phase for several years and premiered June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
The Germs Merchandise
FEAR - The Record
Slash Records 1982
While most FEAR fans will say 1985's "More Beer" is the most essential album by the band, there's no doubt that FEAR's debut album "The Record" is a more logical representation of what brought the band to prominence in the early 80's Los Angeles hardcore punk scene.The album features two of FEARS signature songs, "I Don't Care About You" and "I Love Livin' in the City". It also features "We Got to Get Out of This Place" which is a cover of the song made famous by The Animals.
FEAR were known for their brutal live performances and for John Belushi being one of their biggest fans. FEAR were also featured in Penelope Spheeris documentary film "The Decline of Western Civilization"
FEAR Merchandise
Bad Brains - Bad Brains
ROIR 1982
Hailing from Washington, D.C, Bad Brains put a beatdown on the hardcore punk community with the release of their debut album. The music was faster, the singing was more frantic and the guitar playing was light years ahead of it's time.When the album was unveiled in 1982, fans and critics alike were stunned to learn that the musicians behind this album were religious African-American Rastafarians who also were skilled at reggae.
The album was a crucial step in the formation of hardcore punk and the eventual fusion of hard rock and reggae adopted later by bands like Sublime, Fishbone, and 311.
Bad Brains Merchandise
Minor Threat - Out of Step
Dischord 1983
I first remember hearing this album at a backyard skate ramp in 1984 when I was in middle school and I was stunned by how loud the guitars were and how much energy and emotion the record had. I was instantly hooked on hardcore from that moment. No other band or record has had such a huge impact on my life since.
Youth of Today - Break Down the Walls
Wishing Well Records 1986
There is no denying that Youth of Today's 1986 album "Break Down the Walls" was a brutal step forward in the factionalization of the punk hardcore scene. Not forgetting the fact the music was incredibly powerful, the lyrics and message behind the music were extremely thought provoking. This album marked a significant change in the role of hardcore musicians. Previously it had been a role of detachment but after this album hardcore became more attached to community principles.While many original hardcore fans hated this band and subsequent spin-off bands like Shelter with a passion, the truth can't be denied, that Youth of Today had a profound influence on the punk hardcore scene that still reverberates today.
Youth of Today played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture prominent in today's hardcore. The band was known for both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles. Lead singer Ray Cappo also was the leading force behind the Krishnacore movement.
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (D.R.I) - Dirty Rotten EP/LP
Dirty Rotten Records 1983
D.R.I's 1983 "Dirty Rotten" marked the birth of the crossover hardcore punk / thrash scene.Only 1000 copies of the EP version were pressed, making it now a very rare collector's item. Demand caused this EP to be pressed into a 12" LP version, released in 1983, aptly titled Dirty Rotten LP.
The Dirty Rotten EP/LP was immensely popular amongst the skateboarding scene back in the day when the majority of skateboarders weren't street skating fashion victims who listen to hip-hop and drink Mountain Dew while playing Tony Hawk Street Skater or watching X Games reruns on ESPN.
The Dirty Rotten EP/LP would also be combined with all four songs from their 1984 Violent Pacification EP. The Dirty Rotten LP was re-released yet again in 2003 as the Dirty Rotten CD, with 22 bonus tracks.
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The Big Boys - Lullabies Help The Brain Grow
Moment Productions 1983
Austin, Texas is known for it's diverse music scene but nothing that's come out of the city quite compares with the Big Boys. Their 1983 album"Lullabies Help The Brain Grow" was one of the first incarnations of hardcore punk blended with funk music. The album truly exhibits the bands diverse musical ability which influenced bands such as the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Primus, Butthole Surfers and Nirvana.
The Big Boys were also one of the first bands involved in the skatepunk scene, appearing in Thrasher skateboarding magazine and in Thrasher videos. They even had their own Big Boys skateboard.
After they disbanded, members went on to play in the bands Poison 13, Cargo Cult, Swine King, Scratch Acid, Jerry's Kids and Ministry.
The Big Boys also appeared in the 2006 Sundance film "American Hardcore". Their song "Brickwall" appeared on the soundtrack.
Lead singer Randy "Biscuit" Turner was found dead from Hepatitis C complications in his home on August 18, 2005.
The Misfits - Walk Among Us
Slash Records 1982
Walk Among Us is the band's first full-length album to be released, although it was actually the 3rd to be recorded, after Static Age and 12 Hits from Hell which weren't released until much later.
The album features some of the Misfits most prominent songs such as "I Turned into a Martian", "Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight", "Skulls" and "Astro Zombies"
Negative Approach - Tied Down
Touch and Go 1983
Formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1981, Negative Approach are considered among of the pioneers of Midwest style hardcore punk. Though the band received littl noteriety outside of their surrounding area, they have influenced hardcore musicians for decades with their raw, brutal sound and confrontational lyrics.Tied Down is the debut studio album by Negative Approach and it is the only studio album released by the band before their break up in 1985.
The album contained the powerful aggressive songs "Tied Down" , "Your Mistake" and "Nothing", the latter which is considered by many to be the quintessential NA song.
Tied Down has had a huge influence on generations of hardcore bands and even though the album was released nearly 30 years ago, it still stands up to anything being released by hardcore today.
Black Flag - Damaged
SST Records 1981
Many diehard Black Flag fans will argue that 1984's "My War" is the bands best album but 1981's "Damaged " is the quintessential Black Flag sound that put the band on the radar for a generation of kids looking for something other than the pop garbage spewed by the radio and MTV back in the early 1980's.
In 2003, Damaged was ranked number 340 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Too bad the editors at Rolling Stone have their heads where the sun don't shine because this album is at the top of any true hardcore fans list.
#11 - Bum Kon - Drunken Sex Sucks
Hey, this is an old school punk rock hardcore lens and although I've exhibited the popular bands of the time, the truth is some of the best punk rock/hardcore bands are the ones you've never heard about.
Enter Bum Kon.
Unless you were there, you wouldn't realize how incredible this Texas band were but Bum Kon is one of the bands that breached the gap between punk and hardcore. I'm not talking about crossover or modern metal derived hardcore. Bum Kon existed in a realm all their own.
Enter Bum Kon.
Unless you were there, you wouldn't realize how incredible this Texas band were but Bum Kon is one of the bands that breached the gap between punk and hardcore. I'm not talking about crossover or modern metal derived hardcore. Bum Kon existed in a realm all their own.
Which Album Do You Think is the Greatest?
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punkgrinder
Aug 13, 2011 @ 9:35 am | delete
- Its a toss up between Minor threat and the Misfits for me, great Lens and insights. Cheers Quinnwolf, thumbs up from me.
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filmic
Aug 11, 2011 @ 3:44 am | delete
- Nice lens. Great list. I visited here from your profile because you mentioned Crass on a post. Have you thought of including something about them here...i mean, they LIVED punk.
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---Chazz Jul 11, 2011 @ 1:35 pm | delete
- I'll stick to the Ramones. Great selections and I like the Misfits but I'm partial to those who just about invented the genre.
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JoshK47
Jun 22, 2011 @ 10:39 am | delete
- Great selections - took me a while to decide, but the Misfits are hard to pass up.
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Classicvideogamesplus
Jun 12, 2011 @ 10:39 am | delete
- My favorite is the Misfits when they had Danzig. Enjoyed the lens.
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efriedman
May 27, 2011 @ 2:42 am | delete
- it's been a long time since hearing punk rock for me. You put together a good description. I don't know these generally
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hlkljgk May 25, 2011 @ 7:49 pm | delete
- sounds like you know what you're talking about. thanks for introducing me to the genre.
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