Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Okay, that was, to some extent, discussed here before, but just to collect different thoughts in one place.
What's the song or perhaps album which is most representative of punk genre in your view?
Waiting for your suggestions. Maybe that'll help answer the question, "what is punk"? Of course, if there is "one and only" answer to that question, and of course if this question needs an answer at all.
Cheers.

Of course, the most representative punk song is "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" by the Ramones from "Rocket to Russia".

No. No way.
I was thinking "Mental hell" by the same band. But then again, it's representative for me personally...

Has to be Nevermind the .... Of coarse you know i don't mean mine

I vote for 'Sonic Reducer' by The Dead Boys. Their 'Young, Loud and Snotty' album was one of my first punk purchases in 1977 along with 'Never Mind The ...' and 'Rocket To Russia'. Although I liked them all, The Sex Pistols' sound was like sloppy glam and The Ramones' was basically fast surf with buzzsaw guitar.

I graduated from high school in '79, and the songs that really seemed to stand out for me at the time were the ones that lyrically spoke directly to dissatisfaction with the status quo. Songs like Richard Hell's "Blank Generation", The Stranglers' "Something Better Change", The Jam's "The Modern World", those were the ones that were telling the kids to be who you are, you don't have to follow in anybody's footsteps, and that's what we wanted to hear.

But with that said, it's "Sonic Reducer" for me, too. Every little DIY punk show that you'd go see at the local Lion's Club or whatever, somebody would play Sonic Reducer. It wasn't uncommon to hear more than one band play it in a night. It just seemed to be the anthem of the teenage punk scene when I was a kid. That song more than any other says "punk rock" to me, and it's probably because I heard it played live so many times (even though I never saw the Dead Boys), rather than just hearing it on a record. While I loved (and still love) listening to punk records, punk rock to me was always more a live phenomenon, going out with your friends and seeing some bands.

randyz wrote: The Sex Pistols' sound was like sloppy glam .

I have to agree, with reflection this is very true.Glam Punk maybe!

Anarchy In The UK

Brian: I also graduated high school in '79. As far as I'm concerned that allowed me to see the entire punk movement first hand. I recall reading about the Sex Pistols in '76 when I was 15 or 16, before I found a copy of 'Pretty Vacant/Submission' in a local record shop. Although The Ramones already had two albums out, the first that I saw was 'Rocket to Russia' when stores started adding a punk section. Pretty soon the first albums by The Jam, Elvis Costello, XTC, etc started showing up and things quickly moved from punk to new wave, as many of these groups like The Talking Heads were getting hard to classify. Although I was always more into The Beatles and The Kinks, it was hard to resist the raw energy of a punk show at the time. Lots of regional punk acts started playing the local club circuit, and a couple of my favorites were The Rhythm Pigs and The Explosives. I saw lots of great gigs when bands like Blondie, The Police, U2, The Cramps, etc were playing in clubs to small audiences (sometimes less than a dozen). Probably the best show I ever saw was Costello on his 'This Years Model' tour in '78 with Rockpile as the opening band.

Hi Randy, I grew up in the San Diego area so saw a bit of the San Diego and Los Angeles bands. My first exposure was a local rock radio station, KGB-FM, that had a weekly punk show. Then as it turned out a couple of guys from The Zeros, who were the hottest punk band in San Diego at the time, attended my high school. One of the local discos started having punk shows once a week, and a few friends and I would go to those shows (first one I saw featured The Hitmakers, The Penetrators, and The Zeros; we heard Sonic Reducer at least once that evening ) That's where I really developed an appreciation for seeing live music in small venues; it sure beat seeing the big name rock shows at the San Diego Sports Arena, which had the acoustics of a tin can, and it seemed you were miles away from the band. Saw several of the national acts as they came through the town -- the Ramones on several occasions, LA power-pop band The Plimsouls opening for Elvis and the Attractions, and probably the best show I ever saw, Oingo Boingo/XTC/The Police at San Diego's CIvic Theater.

Brian: I was in Dallas when punk music came along. I saw The Police on their first US tour at the Palladium in Dallas with a crowd of 15-20. 'Roxanne' was just breaking on the radio, so a local station hosted the event for 99-cent admission. They didn't have enough material to fill a set, so they repeated a few songs. They had all their gear packed into a station wagon that they drove cross country. Sting sweated profusely throughout the show and continually spat on the stage. I caught U2 at a bar in Lubbock, Texas with less than 10 other people on a week night. 'I Will Follow' was getting college radio play. They played two sets and joined us at our table for a few beers during breaks. Bono appeared to be coked out of his mind...

For me it is "Mommy's Little Monster" by Social Distortion. Not even in the first wave, but sums it all up quite nicely.

The cover of "Let it All Hang Out" by Scrawl. Best. Period.

Although the Ramones (1977) were my first exposure to "punk" I think the first song that really made me stand up and say "This is raw anger" was "god save the queen".

First Clash album.

And the Monster Muppets from Sesame Street; give their stuffa try.