Top 20 Greatest L.A. Punk Albums of All Time: The Complete List


Suicidal tendencies .jpg

11. Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
"Institutionalized," for which the album and band is most known, is the punk rock version of the talking blues. Instead of "mama's in the kitchen fixing biscuits," it's "momma's in the kitchen tryin' to get me to take my Ritalin." The work is in the very DNA of every subsequent hardcore kid, punk, anti-social shitfit misfit who wanted to piss off their parents by doing something different. Suicidal Tendencies is filled with serious speed and aggression, but punctuated and occasionally slowed for effect -- making its politically charged, humor-tinged lyrics entirely intelligible. That's not often the case in hardcore. --Paul Bradley

dickies.jpg

10. The Dickies
The Incredible Shrinking Dickies
The Dickies' amphetamine-soaked covers of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and The Monkees' "She" provide an insight into the heart of punk: speed it up and get to the fucking point. Reacting to the ballads of long-haired troubadours of the '70s, The Incredible Shrinking Dickies injects quickness where there was once excess. They never take themselves too seriously; on "Poodle Party" they sing "You're the easiest except for me." In the end, the group were never scared to break any of punk's unwritten rules, even allowing for a variety of instrumentation, including a sax solo on "Shadow Man." --Kai Flanders

wasted youth.jpg

9. Wasted Youth
Reagan's In

Ole' Ronny took office in 1981, the same year this vitriolic gem was released. Its ten tracks last barely that many minutes but, along with the terrific cover art -- where the band's logo is carved into Reagan's forehead -- they get you terrifically angry. In a way, Reagan's America both spawned and destroyed hardcore punk. In their review of the documentary American Hardcore, Slant Magazine wrote that the late president "figures prominently in the film's explanation for domestic punk's birth... and unceremonious disappearance shortly after Reagan's reelection." --Kai Flanders


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35 comments
edu.dedini
edu.dedini

NOFX???

edu.dedini
edu.dedini

Despise you??? Nerves??? Minutemen??? Where is Fear The Record? Adolescents?

rolandarredondo
rolandarredondo

Where is bad religion's" how could hell be any worse" and wher are the adolescents? Id dump half this list of bands who are not that well known because they were not relevant then or now. 

miamuse
miamuse

@rolandarredondo The Adolescents are from Orange County. This is a list for LA bands. I agree about Bad Religion, however.

greatwhitekong
greatwhitekong

TSOL's self titled album is way better than dance with me wtf and where the hell are the smut peddlers they have had a cult following for years

jcrush13
jcrush13

Is there not "OC" bands on this list? Orange County Hardcore kicked LA A**!

jpm9293
jpm9293

 @jcrush13 descendents were an OC band, everybody knows that

chatomelendez
chatomelendez

What is up with you not even placing the adolescents on this list?

 

chato 

 

marxbros9972
marxbros9972

Double Nickels on the Dime only #19? Wild in the Streets but no Golden Shower of Hits? I would definitely make this list differently

trevswenson
trevswenson

"Double Nickels On The Dime" is so far and away above anything else on this list it's just unspeakable. 

 

mchuge
mchuge

Fear's The Record is a pretty glaring omission. Also, lists are stupid.

mbouchey
mbouchey

I would have moved TSOL up in the list and Hell comes to your house is the definitive Bad Religion LP

mbouchey
mbouchey

I am largely in agreement and Damaged was clearly #1

myakel
myakel like.author.displayName 1 Like

I would like to have seen How Can Hell Be Any Worse? from Bad Religion on the list.

 

pdfreeman
pdfreeman

Nice to see Despise You on this list, but it would have been nicer to see some recognition for the Plugz' "Electrify Me."

aloop4687
aloop4687

It is so hard to pick a Bad Religion album. Personally I'd pick either "No Control" or "Recipe for Hate" (if you are going into the 90s). If you are just staying in the 80s than "No Control." 

pchatelle
pchatelle

Asides from the nils, cramps, and plimsouls (maybe they were considered new wave) the nils were definately punk. The circle jerks were awesome, but the top two Black Flag and X deserve 1 & 2. Nice review. The rest of these idiots who say they're trendy or main stream can f-off. There are probably a ton of acts that didn't get there spot light, but LA owned punk, even though NY and the east coast seen was where it was at.  -remebering the stardust.

varnishsplat70
varnishsplat70 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Some decent entries, but Fear's the Record has to be on this list, maybe even top five along with the Adolescents debut. Uniform Choice's Screaming for Change, Agent Orange's living in darkness would have been nice too.

 

 

 

Jason House
Jason House

I'm sure you're pretty much expecting some vitriolic reactions to ANY sort of semi-definitive 'list' of a music scene that seems to insight the worst forms of 'I heard it FIRST!' in its fan(atics) . . . That said, I do think The Adolescents, The Zeroes, shit even The Gogo's bootleg demos are an oversight.

Jay McCabe
Jay McCabe

Nice list but the order is poop....The Germs should be #1 without question.

AreTee Bagz
AreTee Bagz

I think Union 13 East Los Presents should be on here!

AreTee Bagz
AreTee Bagz

Its a good list and I personally believe there is no order for great albums like these you can enjoy them all just as much as the other....

Diana Loredo
Diana Loredo

Personal opinion... Nervous Breakdown was a better album than Damaged. Adolescents not on the list because they are from The OC kind of unfair since Social D was included! lol.

Andre Arias
Andre Arias

Hell Comes To Your House! Perfect from start to finish.

Luc Assens
Luc Assens

Cool list but... don't you forget a band ? "Adolescents" !???

Bryan Rozof
Bryan Rozof

All great records just think in the wrong order! ST needs to be way higher, should be top 5!

Victor Vasquez
Victor Vasquez

Milo goes to college is one of the best albums of all times but Minutemen could gave been placed higher.

Joe Tafoya
Joe Tafoya

Try MIJO GOES TO JR. COLLEGE, Manic Hispanic on for size.

Greg McGonagle
Greg McGonagle

Cool article. Suicidal Tendencies S/T should have definitely been higher in my opinion though. Same with Milo Goes to College.

Ollin Rojas
Ollin Rojas

milo goes to college is my personal favorite

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