Into the Unknown

Navigating the Eastward Passage

Friday, July 21, 2006

Top 50 'Punk' Songs

Way back in my more formative years Mojo ran an article detailing the top 100 punk singles, ach having to have been released on te hallowed 7" format to qualify. Now, I hope to compile a broadly similar list (everyone loves a list, right?) of the top individual songs, regardless of context or format. For the list I have created a broad church, trying to tap into the wide range of music which can be said to come under the umbrella of 'punk'. The only real quaification for a song to appear on this list was that it should have been released or recorded between around 1975-1986 (with one or two exceptions), thus disqualifying any modern bands classifying thmselves as punk. Also, although each song has a number, these do not in any way relate to any kind of ranking - I had a hard enough job just choosing 50 without attempting to pit them in order, they are all worthy of your time. The links next to some of the tracks will take you to a selection of websites who host these tracks, including some of the good folks linked on the left hand side of this page, so if you go to these pages have a look around - there's lots more eserving music within those pages. Well, without further ado, here goes......

1. The Saints - Know Your Product
2. Lipstick Killers - Hindu Gods (of Love)
3. Joy Division - She's Lost Control
4. Au Pairs - You
5. Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business
6. Bloody Mannequin Orchestra - Streets of Saigon
7. The Offs - Everyone's A Bigot
8. The Cure - Killing an Arab
9. The Fall - Psycho Mafia
10. Pel Mel - No Word From China
11. Limp - Marked Man
12. Black Flag - American Waste
13. Minor Threat - Bottled Violence
14. Flipper - Sex Bomb Baby
15. Germs - Lexicon Devil
16. Negative Approach - Can't Tell No-One
17. Weirdos - Life of Crime
18. Kiwi Animal - Blue Morning
19. Animals & Men - Don't Misbehave in the New Age
20. Misfits - Hybrid Moments
21. X - Johnny Hit and Run Pauline
22. Pylon - Crazy
23. Discharge - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing
24. Wire - A Question of Degree
25. Beaver - Georgetown Sucks
26. Pagans - Eyes of Satan (live)
27. Television - Little Johnny Jewel
28. Savage Republic - Film Noir
29. Proletariat - Options
30. Descendents - Hope
31. Circle Jerks - Deny Everything
32. Fastbacks - Swallow My Pride
33. Clash - Guns of Brixton
34. As Mercenarias - Inimigo
35. Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog
36. Killing Joke - The Wait
37. Gang of Four - Damaged Goods
38. Purrkurr Pilnikk - Ovaent
39. Gun Club - Sex Beat
40. Fang - Fun With Acid
41. Metal Urbain - Panik
42. Public Image Limited - Swan Lake
43. Crass - Big A Little A
44. Dead Kennedys - When Ya Get Drafted
45. Josef K - Sorry For Laughing
46. GISM - Endless Blockades for the Pussyfooters
47. Kalashnikov - Laederhalse
48. Slits - Heard it Through the Grapevine
49. Void - Condensed Flesh
50. Cabaret Voltaire - Nag Nag Nag

Phew! That was hard work. For the benefit of my mate who thought it shouldn't be too hard, here's the rest of the songs I wanted to put on the list but just couldn't find the space....

51. Radio Birdman - Aloha, Steve and Danno..
52. Victims - Television Addict
53. Damned - Neat Neat Neat
54. Sex Pistols - Bodies
55. Stiff Little Fingers - White Noise
56. Ramones - We're A Happy Family
57. Rudimentary Peni - Nothin' Like A Nightmare
58. Sonic Youth - Burning Spear
59. Seems Twice - Anglican War
60. AK47 - The Badge Means You Suck
61. Minutemen - The Maze
62. Butthole Surfers - Bar-B-Q Pope
63. Eat - Communist Radio
64. Gorilla Aktiv - Spiegelbild
65. Monochrome Set - Monochrome Set
66. Bad Brains - Right Brigade
67. REM - Burning Hell
68. Pere Ubu - Final Solution
69. The Count 5 - Psychotic Reaction
70. Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer
71. Adolescents - Amoeba
72. Husker Du - Something I Learned Today
73. Angry Samoans - Homosexual
74. Alleycats - Too Much Junk
75. Fartz - World Full of Hate
76. Agent Orange - Bloodstains
77. Throbbing Gristle - United
78. Flying Lizards - Money (That's What I Want)
79. Pop Group - We Are Time
80. Pigbag - Sunny Day
81. Essential Logic - Wonderful Offer
82. DRI - Violent Pacification
83. Septic Death - Silence
84. Bodies - (Where are the) Bodies?
85. No Trend - Cancer
86. Negative Trend - No Alternative
87. Subhumans - Wake Up Screaming
88. Rip, Rig & Panic - Beat the Beast
89. Liquid Liquid - Cavern
90. Swell Maps - Read About Seymour
91. Cramps - Human Fly (should be in the top 50 for sure)
92. Meat Puppets - Lost
93. James Chance & the Contortions - Contort Yourself
94. Specials - Ghost Town
95. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get?

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