At LA Weekly, Henry Rollins listed his top 20 punk albums: The Clash – The Clash Generation X – Generation X The Adverts – Crossing the Red Sea X-Ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks The Ramones – The Ramones Eater – The Album The Damned – Damned Damned… READ THE REST
1 Like
I know you got to give Henry his props, but it’s also hard to take any list of this sort seriously if it doesn’t include the Minor Threat tie up album. And where’s Flipper Generic? Love “Suspect Device” and “Alternative Ulster” (and 78 Revolutions, sorta) but the rest of Inflammable Material ain’t all that great
I always figured Buzzcocks and X-Ray Spex for singles bands, am I missing that much?
Eh, you know how it is. Everyone’s got an opinion, usually different than ours. Good list, though.
FWIW, I’ll take Rocket to Russia over The Ramones…
People forget, add up all the record sales of the above during the Punk heyday and it’s still less than one Beyonce album. Not saying it’s fair, just saying.
Yeah, what did I expect…? It’s like: Punk basics 101 
1 Like
Clearly this captures an extended moment in time and aesthetic. Or maybe even a definition? I can’t see favoring ANY album over “London Calling”, yet, it’s not on there.
And, as noted, it misses just about anything after 1978. So, for me, it’s a fun list, but not particularly valid… which isn’t necessarily Henry’s fault, maybe he limited himself to releases from the 70s? (don’t get anal on me I realize there’s 1 or 2 from after 1979).
/shrug
For example, my list (just off the top of my head, so I expect “duh”-like omissions)
Clash-London Calling
Ramones-Ramones (Road to Ruin is my favorite, but the S/T release stands out in importance)
X-Los Angeles
Bad Brains - I and I
Minor Threat - Out of Step
DK - Fresh Fruit…
Black Flag - Damanged
Off! - 4 EPs
Agent Orange - Living in Darkness
Social Distortion - S/T
Replacements - Sorry Ma…
Husker Du - Zen Arcade
Wire - Pink Flag
Avengers - S/T
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
Nirvana - Nevermind (go ahead and say it)
Buzzcocks - Another Music
Clash - S/T
Circle Jerks - Group Sex
Descendents - Milo Goes to College
Ok, can’t help myself, of course, now I remember
Bad Religion - Suffer
NOFX - Punk in Drublic
1 Like
I love this kind of list. They always remind me of something I forgot or point me at something I haven’t heard.
Henry has previously mentioned a fondness for Electric Eels (Agitated 7"), Pere Ubu (Dub Housing and Modern Dance), and Rocket From The Tombs (The Day The Earth Met The)…those 3 bands (4 releases) begin and end my list.
Any list that doesn’t feature The Urinals 7" just fails to deliver the expected nerd factor
What about Death’s album For The Whole World To See?
Sham 69 seem to also be missing. Not to mention the Weirdos and the Avengers
The Police were considered Punk till they went Pop, mainly due too lacking a category too place them in 1978.
Glad too see Clash and GenX at the top.
It’s a good album, but if it you remove the mystique of it being hidden for decades the music doesn’t stand on its own as being classic. And it’s debatable whether Death was actually a punk band.
This list is a lot closer to what I would have come up with.
Just like the MC5, The Who, The Jam, and many other bands of the mid 70’s, they helped pave the way to more provoking attitudes until the ballast of ornamental decoration was jettisoned from modern rock music and Punk was finally born as a style of its own.
Their sound rather reminds me of Thin Lizzy.
See, there’s always one you miss…
Op Ivy - Energy
well, it’s pretty subjective, y’know. my list would be full of crust and grind and crossover. lucky for me, that’s what you’re gonna hear at a basement show 
but i think the most glaring ommision from a “classics” list like this would be something from crass. most people hate them, but c’mon. it’s crass.
in regards to xrayspex: yes, you are. germfree adolescents is pretty unassailable.
and, let’s be honest, more punks are into the florida DEATH anyway.
Minor Threat = “hardcore”
Favorite “punk” albums.
My guess, otherwise I’m sure he’d have included more stuff from his salad days.
3 Likes
