Ask a group of punk rockers “what is punk?” and you may as well be asking the general populace, “what is love?” It is a different answer for different people. Is it three chords, or is it experimental? Is it anti-corporate, anti-hate, or anti-religion? Here are some bands I think you should definitely listen to if you want to start to understand punk.
10. New York Dolls- They looked glam, they sounded hard rock, and they helped create the New York punk scene that spawned the Ramones and the Talking Heads. They influenced the likes of the Clash, Guns n Roses, the Smiths, and REM. While achieving little commercial success themselves, their fans became the fans of the 1970s New York scene that made Blondie, the Talking Heads, and the Ramones possible.
9. Ramones- Many times covered and offered tribute to in “We’re a Happy Family”, the Ramones were the perfect “I don’t care” group. Their lyrics weren’t clever or poignant social commentary, and often they weren’t even words (see “Gabba Gabba Hey”). The genius is that this perfectly reflects overwhelming adolescent angst, a rejection of all things complicated and a return to three chords and raw emotion.
8. Social Distortion -Hailing from Southern California, and longstanding the test of time for generations of punks, Social D, or SxDX combines a more country/rockabilly sound with hard rock beat. The lineup has changed drastically over the years, with lead singer and guitarist Mike Ness remaining the only constant for 32 years. Social Distortion has still remained loyal to their original sound, and has kept and gained many fans over the years. It’s not uncommon for a show to have teenagers bouncing in the front and forty-somethings rockin’ their martini-skeleton shirts in the back.
7. The Misfits -The Misfits pretty much created horrorpunk, a darker form of punk, in the 1970s. This new genre proved vastly influential, influencing punk groups such as the Ataris, the Dropkick Murphys, as well as metal acts such as Metallica, and Guns ‘N Roses. Though having taken a 12-year long hiatus, the Misfits still maintain a core fanbase (though there is considerable debate whether Glenn Danzig or Michale Graves is the better lead singer).
6. Rancid- Formed from the remains of Operation Ivy, and rising to prominence while touring with the successful Offspring in the 1990s. They achieved commercial success with …And Out Come the Wolves, but also notoriety for their return to old-school punk. “Life Won’t Wait” has been compared to the Clash in its ska and reggae influences.
5. Sex pistols-The Sex pistols made a name for themselves almost exclusively by their outrageous frontman Sid Vicious. Sid and Nancy put on a show for the media antithetical to their contemporaries John Lennon and Yoko Ono. John and Yoko were love and peace and flowers for the world while Sid and Nancy could barely keep from killing each other. John was the rich rock star who was willing to stay in bed to raise awareness about peace, while Sid lived fast and died young.
4. Velvet Underground-Nearly artsy to the point of pretentious, The Velvet Underground had every right to all of their perceived fabulousness. What’s more punk then doing whatever sounds good and not caring what the public thinks? With influences ranging from country to folk, and with Nico’s lilting vocals, The Velvet Underground was punk before punk was punk, and influenced dozens of more successful bands.
3. The Runaways – the only all-female band on this list, The Runaways paved the way for hard-rocking grrls and pop-rock princesses, from L7 and the Donnas to the Go-Gos and Hole. Lita Ford and Joan Jett are successes in their own right, so combining them was a perfect storm of girl power.
2. The Clash- Uber-political and never backing away from social issues, England’s the Clash stayed relevant throughout the 1970s, lamenting the Vietnam War, and protesting social injustice. Their music was not always stereotypically loud and fast, but experimented with reggae, raga
1. MC 5- Formed in the 1960s, MC5 combined harder blues-rock and psychedelic rock, playing it loud, and inspiring such artists as David Bowie, the Ramones, and Iggy and the Stooges, among others.
