The king(s) of Punk

[El Rev sXe]

The genre of Punk started around the decade of the 1970's mostly in the U.K. It was a genre full of anger and it was at the same time a response to those artists that had solos of 20 minutes. But we can't forget that it was also a consequence of the social context.

Either way, the Punk movement give us great musical acts such as: The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, The Misfits, Black Flag etc.

These artists then in some way help to the birth of a new genre: grunge. It had the simplicity of Punk but also the anger.

Fast forward a couple of years, the Punk movement evolved once again this time bringing the concept of punk rock and punk pop with bands such as: Blink 182, Green Day, Sum 41, Simple Plan etc.

Now, while these bands that I just mentioned were mainstream, we can't forget those who were "true" to the genre: Rancid, NOFX, Bad Religion, The Exploited etc.

With all of this being said I recently read an article in ultimate.guitar.com (http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/green_day_named_the_kings_of_punk.html) that had the top 10 of Punk bands. In the number one spot we had Green Day.

I completely disagree with that statement, besides American Idiot,Green Day hasn't been excatly remarkable. So it all comes down to this: who are the kings of Punk?

Personally I have no idea. Probably a tie between the Misfits and the Clash. Due to their influence in other genres and well musically speaking somtimes they were one step ahead than most of the typical 1-2 minutes punk song.

Once agian I ask you guys who are the kings of Punk?

 

[Alex]

Its The Ramones and its not even close.

The Ramones were arguably the first punk band, laying the foundations for all the punk bands to come (three chord progession, DIY t-shirts etc) they influenced a ridicolous amount of punk bands (including their contemparies) and arguably have the most famous punk songs out there (Blitzkrieg Bop, I Wanna Be Sedated) Not to mention their logo is one of music's most famous (as its based on the President of the USA's logo witht he members name's around it) as is their motto 'Hey Ho Let's Go' and the members are easily memorable (possibly due to all having the surname Ramone)

 

[RicoLen]

Green Day was punk a long long time ago. 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours is about the only punk album you'll find from them. And that album IS a good punk album, and I'll even give an honorable mention of Kerplunk as well. But starting with Dookie, they were something different, more likable maybe, certainly more popular, but they were no longer straight up punk. The term I heard used most often back in the 90's was neo-punk, and I think that fits well enough, because they were still very true to their legit punk backgrounds, but they were very different too.

The Offspring was another band just like Green Day. I LOVED their self entitled first album, and Ignition. Session, LAPD, Blackball, Jennifer Lost The War, Kick Him When He's Down, Beheaded, & Burn It Up were the first punk songs I really got into and they're still some of my very favorites.

The best Punker bands? The Ramones & The Sex Pistols are so far ahead of the game it's not even funny.

But if we're talking neo-punk, I liked The Offspring the best, even their biggest album Smash was still pretty legit. I LOVED Bad Habit, and to this day I still think the song, Smash is my favorite punk song of all (even though I fought the law and I won is pretty amazing). "I'm not a trendy asshole, I do what I want, I do what I feel like. I'm not a trendy asshole, 'n who gives a f**k if it's good enough for you, cause I am alive."

 

[DirtyJosé]

Wow, really? Fuck The Ramones. Boring, dull, monotonous. Maybe they sounded edgy back in 76 but time is not kind to their sound as it is to TRUE Punk pioneers like Iggy Pop & The Stooges. Seriously. Any given Ramones album is like any given AC-DC album; if you've heard one, you've heard them all. The Ramones legacy is one of merchandising, not one of music. Go on and cry in the corner about how your bro stole your woman, Joey...no one cares.

So, if I'm putting out names for King(s) of Punk, I'll start with the aforementioned Iggy Pop. While The Ramones were jacking off in the garages of Forest Hills in 74, Pop & The Stooges were nearing the end of their run as protopunk pioneers. Fans of the UK early Punk scene will likely remember a young Joe Strummer from around the same time. The argument that The Ramones are the kings simply because they were around first (ha!) or somehow were the first commercial successes (ha!) are invalid.

If you're going to go off of how long they stuck around, NoFX, Rancid, and Bad Religion would like to have words with you. Fat Mike, Lint, and Brett would kindly like to show you their work not on on stage and in the studio but also in the offices as proof of their dedication and long term worth to the cause (Mike runs Fat Wreck Chords, Lint runs Hellcat Records under the blanket of Epitaph, run by Brett). Each of the three labels are responsible for the greater modern popularity of Punk Rock than any played out hit of The Ramones. Epitaph/Hellcat is a musical juggernaut, and Fat Wreck Chords is one of the most successful indie labels out there.

In closing, again...fuck The Ramones.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The Sex Pistols

The Pistols were responsible for starting the whole UK punk movement back in 1975. They were loud, foul-mouthed controversial and could barely play their instruments, and had a singer in Johnny Rotten who could not sing in tune to save his life. And people loved them.

Their "Never mind the bollocks, here's the Sex Pistols" is still regarded as one of the most influential albums of all time and their legacy still lives on today even though their actual career was very short. Classic tracks such as "Pretty Vacant", "God Save The Queen" and especially (with the UK riots occuring right now) "Anarchy In The UK" are all still relevant today.

Sid Vicious died of an overdose and was suspected of killing his girlfriend, the band went through numerous break ups and reunited several times. Even in 2006, they refused entry into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame, calling the event a "piss stain".

The Sex Pistols influenced many bands over the years, and are certainly iconic figures in the world of music. While I much prefer the music of The Clash, no other punk band has ever had the impact that the Pistols had. They basically started the whole punk movement in the UK.

 

[ejc8710]

The Ramones
Minor Threat
Bad Religion
The Clash

Are the kings of punk in my mind

 

[Alex]

Wow, really? Fuck The Ramones. Boring, dull, monotonous. Maybe they sounded edgy back in 76 but time is not kind to their sound as it is to TRUE Punk pioneers like Iggy Pop & The Stooges. Seriously. Any given Ramones album is like any given AC-DC album; if you've heard one, you've heard them all. The Ramones legacy is one of merchandising, not one of music. Go on and cry in the corner about how your bro stole your woman, Joey...no one cares.

So, if I'm putting out names for King(s) of Punk, I'll start with the aforementioned Iggy Pop. While The Ramones were jacking off in the garages of Forest Hills in 74, Pop & The Stooges were nearing the end of their run as protopunk pioneers. Fans of the UK early Punk scene will likely remember a young Joe Strummer from around the same time. The argument that The Ramones are the kings simply because they were around first (ha!) or somehow were the first commercial successes (ha!) are invalid.

If you're going to go off of how long they stuck around, NoFX, Rancid, and Bad Religion would like to have words with you. Fat Mike, Lint, and Brett would kindly like to show you their work not on on stage and in the studio but also in the offices as proof of their dedication and long term worth to the cause (Mike runs Fat Wreck Chords, Lint runs Hellcat Records under the blanket of Epitaph, run by Brett). Each of the three labels are responsible for the greater modern popularity of Punk Rock than any played out hit of The Ramones. Epitaph/Hellcat is a musical juggernaut, and Fat Wreck Chords is one of the most successful indie labels out there.

In closing, again...fuck The Ramones.

Yeah Iggy Pop may have helped pioneer the punk movement, but he wasn't really punk, thats like saying The Beatles were the first hard rock band because they did songs like Helter Skelter.

Onto the subject of The Ramones, yeah ok fair enough if you don't like them, but you can't deny their influence on punk music, pretty much every punk band has said they've been influenced by The Ramones in some form or fashion, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Black Flag, all of them have been influenced by The Ramones in some form.