11 great punk rock albums from the 1970s and 1980s

These albums stand the test of time.

1. Plastic Surgery Disasters - Dead Kennedys

This album should be listened to from start to finish. On the Vinyl it had an effect where the outtro sound collage went into the groove and would repeat until you lifted the needle. The track sequencing is perfect: you can just draw half a breath between each track. On CD it is frequently bundled with the infamous "In God We Trust" EP:

2. Complete Discography - Minor Threat

Ian MacKay later led Fugazi. Another tight bend from the Washington DC area. Their entire catalog fits on a single CD:

3. Damaged - Black Flag

This pre-Rollins black flag album shows raw power: great work from Greg Ginnn on guitar.

4. Never Mind the Bollocks - Sex Pistols

Iconic album. Very well recorded . Steve Jones (guitar, also played the bass parts) and producer Chris Thomas created a wall of guitars and Jonny Rotten delivered his inimitable sneer.

5. Zen Arcade - Husker Du

A double LP that is stylistically varied with screaming punk, sound collages and piano ballads.

6. Senseless Offerings - Black Market Baby

A regional band from Washington DC, this album is super tight and sounds great. I sold my Vinyl copy and have "gone digital" but this is still available to stream as part of a compilation:

7. Ace of Spades - Motörhead

It is debatable whether this is a punk or metal record: Motörhead was a crossover band: loved by all!

8. The Record - Fear

Great band, great voice.

9. Group Sex - the Circle Jerks

The vocalist Keith Morris was originally in Black Flag. "14 songs in 15 minutes!"

10. Suicidal Tendencies

Their self-titled album is chaotic and aggressive! The video for "Institutionalized" blew up on MTV. They have been continuously active since 1980: 43 years!

11. i against i - Bad Brains

A very influential band from Washington DC. "i against i" is their third album. After a lot of lineup changes, they have been active in the 2000s.

Chris407x