The best punk rock album is...

Cafe Society
1

We’re not talking compilations, re-releases, best of’s… we’re talking the best, start to finish punk rock album of all time. There are plenty of damn good ones, but my vote is going to go with:
Double Nickels on the Dime by the Minutemen
Some reasons…

  1. This is a great band captured at their peak… both in their music and songwriting.
  2. 43 Songs! Most under 2 minutes long… none over 3
  3. No bad songs and a large number that pretty much alone would make me buy an album (Nature Without Man, One Reporters Opinion, Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing, Maybe Partying Will Help, Toadies, Corona, My Heart and The Real World, Jesus and Tequila… to name a few)
  4. Political without being purile or preachy.
  5. There’s some variety of pacing and styles on going on… it’s not just like one long song chopped into 2 minute segments.

So that’s my arguement. Which album would you champion? Don’t wimp out… keep it to one.

2

I’m not going to vote, because my list would have 100 first-place ties. However for my money Three-Way Tie For Last is a better album than *Double Nickels on the Dime :).

  • Tamerlane
3

Never Mind the Bollocks

The original and the best. No argument.

4

Los Angeles.

5

Double Nickels is one of my top ten favorite albums of all time. For some reason though, I never considered the Minutemen to be punk rock. Some do, I know, but that label never seemed right to me…maybe because they didn’t have weird hair…

So anyway, with that in mind, I nominate Los Angeles by X. “You’re Phone’s Off The Hook, But You’re Not”, “Johnny Hit And Run Paulene”, “Nausea”…it’s a classic. I like it a bit better than my next favorite by them, Wild Gift.

6

Never Mind The Bollocks is the definition of punk rock.

7

The UK version of the 1st Clash album.

8

Great minds, eh ruadh?

9

:slight_smile: Actually I thought just after I posted that I should have cheated and named the Slash Los Angeles/ Wild Gift CD reissue. I honestly don’t think I could pick one over the other.

10

Didn’t none of you hear wot I said? No argument. gobs

two-fingered salute

vomits down self

11

headbutts jjimm

12

While I would be hard pressed to argue that it has much more historical significance than, say Damaged or London Calling, Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade does more for me emotionally than just about any other album in my collection (New Day Rising coming in a very close second). The guitar tone Bob Mould was using in the early days can still make me all goose-bumpy.

Upon preview:

fills his boot with piss and lobs it at Ferrous and jjimm

13

Zen Arcade is “the early days”? Man, I am old.

14

Up yours, I’m not choosing just one:

Best UK punk album: Damned Damned Damned by (wait for it) The Damned.

Best US punk album: Rocket to Russia by The Ramones.

15

I know I’m going to get bashed in the head by the old schoolers, but…
The best “modern” punk rock album has got to be “Punk in Drublic” by NOFX.

16

Double Nickels is Great, and the Minutemen live were awesome - each time better than the last.

I’m not sure if there is a number one, but the top ten have to include the first Dicks album.

17

Bedtime for Democracy, by the Dead Kenedys.

How the hell is “Never mind the bullocks” the “original”? It was a good album, but hardly the first.

18

Somewhere amongst the Minutemen’s Double Nickels, Minor Threat’s Out of Step, TSOL’s original untitled 1981 EP, Black Flag’s Jealous Again and PIL’s Metal Box you’ll probably find it.

19

Static Age from the Misfits is number one in my little punkrock heart. Of course Walk Among us is an insanely close second.

20

Minor Threat’s Red Album. It may not be the first, but it is the best. It’s got the speed, the power, the clean garageness–yet very polished, and the melodies.

Others in the running? London Calling, Horror Epics, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.