Just thought I'd post a thread that might promote a conversation about a genre of music rather than a specific reissue or new release. I own records by most of these bands and find most of them to be as fresh and interesting today as they were when I first heard them.

Do you still listen to any of these bands? Any particular favorites? Recommendations?

Edited: Typo and added a few bands to the poll

Gotta go with the Clash here. Great ethic, great talent, able to play straight up rock and roll, and they had something to say. They also had a deep enough catalogue that you weren't hearing the same 12 3 minute songs every time you listened to them. I think it was Rolling Stone that had London Calling as a top 5 album of 2 different decades, and I think it deserved it. What's that list - Beatles, Zeppelin, Clash, U2, Pearl Jam?

I own multiple albums (where possible) by all of these acts but Magazine, and the Saints. In addition to the Clash, I also love X and The Ramones, the Buzzcocks are a great pop band, and X-Ray Spex may have had the best single album of any of them.

For this era, I think the major ones you forgot - jerk - were Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Adverts, and Generation X. Plus the CBGB art house crowd - Costello, Smith, Talking Heads, and Blondie, but they don't really fit.

What really amazes me though, is how much classic Punk has in common with 50's rock and roll.

God I wish music could be that good again.

Jason

There is one you forgot fer' sure - The Tuff Darts with or without Robert Gordon...

I gotta go with Siouxsie first , the Ramones a very close second and then the Sex Pistols . I never saw the Pistols live but I did see the Ramones and Siouxsie about 5 times each . They were both great great bands . I still listen to them regularly along with the Buzzcocks and the Dead Boys . As far as "You forgot ____ you jerk" , Sham69 , a great punk band !

I voted for The Stranglers, but they never were really punk, were they?

I went with the Ramones, who changed everything for me, as a music fan. But I love all this stuff.

That resets the poll results, though. I think The Jam lost some votes. Mine was one of them, so I re-voted.

Calling The Jam a punk band might be a stretch, but if they're in the poll I have to default to them. Rarely listen anymore except for their last few releases, although I do have a nice complete Jam collection. Weller's solo material remains in heavy rotation here.

They're not the "punk"-est, but I've gotta go with The Clash; they would've been great in any era.

I think punk is one of the hardest genres to dig into with hindsight... to me, there's a lot of "you had to be there" element to really enjoying many of these bands.

Bow Wow Wow is the closest to punk that I like.

I'd vote for Magazine but they're not Punk in the least. Post-Punk with hints of Prog and Pop, whatever the hell that is, yes. That being said, it has to be X for me.

This was really hard.....I love most of them. I ended up selecting X.....but could have easily The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, or The Jam. If Patti Smith Group would have counted, I would have voted that.

Jerk category (not previously mentioned):
The Pogues - one of my favorites. Yes, they're just as much Irish music, but they were considered part of the English Punk scene.
Black Flag - the next important LA Punk band after X
Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
The Dead Kennedys
Flipper

I did a CBGB poll last year in case anyone hasn't voted yet
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=61038&hilit=cbgb

The Attractions were specifically excluded, so I was torn between The Clash and The Jam. Like Linda said, The Jam weren't really Punks, but rather New Mods, so I give the nod to The Clash.

Punk (and postpunk like Gang of Four etc) has aged better than much of the music that came after it. It's the music from the mid-eighties through the early nineties that seems to have a "had to be there" quality to it, while a lot of the music on the list above still sounds fresh to my ears. Just one opinion though.

Jerk category (not previously mentioned):
Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers


How could I forget Johnny ? I love his albums , I saw him many times and he was always very entertaining . I would have to put him as my number 1 .

Of all those bands I listen to The Clash the most so I went with them. Also love The Ramones and Sex Pistols. After that The Jam.
The rest not so much.

Took a long time to choose between the Ramones and the Clash. Today I went with the Clash because I think I probably like more of their songs in total. Very tough choice.

I voted for the Ramones as I listen to them more often than the other bands listed, and I saw them live back in the very early '80s. After the Ramones, I would have picked the Minutemen.

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of the Minutemen. I didn't include them in the list because they came a little after that first late seventies wave. I saw the Minutemen live a few times and they are still some of the best shows I've ever seen.

The Damned are also missing from the list.

I went with The Clash, not only were they embody the sound and attitude of classic punk they showed what could be done with that genre as a launching pad. They became something more. If you ask me on some days I think they were the greatest band ever.

I chose the Ramones, although I'd have been equally happy to choose the Clash or Sex Pistols. All great bands; I love the early punk era.