This is the first in the Daily’s four-part series about punk music, in

honor of the 25th anniversary of what most believe to be the start of

the genre. Today’s features include an introduction to punk music,

the state of punk rock in Ames and Central Iowa, and the first five

albums in Daily staff writer Boonie Boone’s Top 25 Punk Albums

list. Boone has spent nine semesters as a DJ at KURE, was

director of local music venue the Maintenance Shop last year, and

is currently on the Institute on National Affairs, which will bring a

number of music-related speakers to campus this year.

Thursday’s Daily will include an update on the return of `80s and

punk fashion, as well as the next five albums on Boone’s list.

This is the music that spawned a million middle fingers, countless

“Fuck Yous!,” and the opportunity for every kid with limited talent to

start a band. As volatile and self-deprecating as punk’s players

have been, it’s incredible the genre has survived this long.

Punk has survived because it has been accessible to youths

again and again. It will continue to persevere. The kids can relate

to the angst and repression many artists have spoken out against.

Whether one hails from the trailer park or suburbia, punk has a

place for all who step forward of their own free will and accord.

Whether parents understand the draw to punk culture or not is not

part of the equation. Punk’s not theirs, it belongs to the kids.

With respect to Iggy Pop and the MC5, most agree that punk’s

foundation was laid by four guys hailing from New York’s Bowery

district. It was the Ramone’s self-titled release in 1976 that set the

music industry ablaze. They were loud, abrasive and fast;

cartoonish to a degree. They established the precedent that you

didn’t have to be “good” in order to be heard or gain notoriety.

Though the Ramones never clearly attained mainstream success,

how many people haven’t heard the chant “Hey, Ho! Let’s go!”?

Those words are as American as their logo, an eagle holding a

baseball bat and apple tree branches.

Today, twenty five years after the Ramones’ initial release, punk

remains.

Trends have come and gone, bands have fallen from the spotlight,

clothing styles have changed, but punk has for the most part

retained its true intent. Play it loud, proud and fast.

Aaron Perrino, guitarist for the Boston based indie band The

Sheila Divine says, “The essence of punk is to destroy and not

care. Whether it’s emo, punk or hardcore, it’s just about letting

go.”

There are as many subgenres of punk as there are bands. Saying

you like punk is like saying you like music. There are a

tremendous amount of bands representing a variety of lifestyles

and issues. Hardcore extremists Earth Crisis take an almost

militant vegan approach to their music, while Blink-182 keep the

day’s mall shoppers in fine fashion.

Big me to think I have the background, knowledge and ability to

write up a list of this magnitude. Yeah, it wasn’t easy. A lot is

missing: no Germs, Bad Brains, Bikini Kill, Buzzcocks and on and

on. There was never a criteria set for what qualified and what

didn’t. This is just how it ended up at this time and manner.

A year from now, I’ll probably want to hit myself for including some

albums and not others. I’m sure I’ll catch enough hell for

attempting this in the first place. I can hear it now. A passerby

ranting “Nice list, but you forgot…”

In true punk rock style, if you don’t like it, make your own fuckin’ list.

Oi!

Best punk Albums: #25 to 21

25. Operation Ivy – “Operation Ivy” (Lookout!, 1991)

The Specials meets street punk. This album is a compilation of

the “Energy” LP, “Hectic” EP and the Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll

seven-inch “Turn It Around.”

Formed in 1987, Operation Ivy managed to establish a popularity

that is still going strong after a mere two-year existence. They sang

passionately of the tragic shortcomings of society and the

consequences that all would have to endure if a change wasn’t

made. These guys were aware of the culture clash transpiring

around them and made a considerable attempt to right society’s

wrongs. They stressed unity, peace and above all, consideration

for your fellow man.

Their reggae/ska song “Take Warning” highlights not only their

definitive ska sound, but also the message they sent. “Single out

and attack the ones who got no defense/You call that a new way of

thinking/I call it regression to ignorance.” Members Tim Armstrong

and Matt Freeman would later go on to reminisce about their time

with Operation Ivy in Rancid on the “…And Out Come the Wolves'”

track “Journey to the End of the East Bay.” Bands like Less Than

Jake and Reel Big Fish who enjoyed widespread popularity during

ska’s third wave in the ’90s have Operation Ivy to thank for paving

the road.

Featured tracks: “Take Warning,” “The Crowd”

24. U.S. Bombs – “War Birth” (Hellcat, 1997)

One would be hard pressed to find another album that accurately

portrays life on the street. No stone is left unturned, no subject

untouched.

The album opens with a cover of “That’s Life” which is quite

possibly better than any version Frank had hoped to perform.

“That’s life, that’s what I say/Shot up in April, strung out in May/But I

know it won’t be too soon, when I’m back on Night Train in

June.”

This album preaches about the shortcomings of the United States,

the turmoil of war and a failing decrepit society. Songs range from

the serious, “12/25” and “War Birth” to the more laughable, “Jaks”

and “Beetle Boot.”

Lyrically, these songs are the essence of punk, tremendously

crass but surprisingly brilliant. “Rocks in Memphis” pays homage

to Elvis with lines like “The King’s fucking dead, fat man on a

throne/Dead in his piss, that’s how I’m gonna go/The King is dead

and punk rock lives.”

“U.S. Of Hate” rails on societal America while mentioning our over

involvement in international affairs. “I don’t like Disneyland/I can’t

stand Uncle Sam/I don’t believe in the Klan/I don’t believe in a

statue made in France.” In the midst of a Green Day dictatorship,

U.S. Bombs managed to pull punk back to its very roots at the end

of the ’90s.

Featured tracks: “U.S. Of Hate,” “Jaks”

23. Murder City Devils – “Empty Bottles Broken Hearts”

(Subpop, 1998)

“Empty Bottles Broken Hearts” could be placed at the top of a

greatest rock ‘n roll albums list. The Murder City Devil’s first

release on Subpop appears to be the blueprint on how to live the

rock lifestyle. Go on tour, drink constantly, tear yourself up

emotionally, then go home and write about it. There is nothing but

romanticized tales of the road accompanied by sinister guitar licks

and one helluva evil organ.

Lead singer Spencer Moody’s raspy vocals wallow in hopeless

desperation for the semblance of a life a little more ordinary. “18

Wheels” and “Cradle To The Grave” highlight Moody’s emotionally

distraught feeling.

“When you’re sleeping in the truck stops/when you’re living in the

parking lots/it’s hard to pull it’s hard to pull yourself up” from

“Cradle To The Grave” captures the beat down, broken spirit

element evident throughout “Empty Bottles Broken Hearts.”

Featured tracks: all twelve

22. Suicidal Tendencies – “Suicidal Tendencies” (Frontier,

1983)

While West Coast outfits X and Black Flag were developing their

own interpretation what punk should be, Suicidal Tendencies

created a genre all its own. Equal parts metal guitar, punk

arrangements and socially conscious lyrics made this release an

early definitive thrash-punk album. Topics range from the mature

governmental denouncements on “Two-Sided Politics” to the

hilarious ramblings of “I Saw Your Mommy.”

This album culminates the troubles inside the young teenaged

mind of lead singer Mike Muir and gave every kid with a skate deck

a soundtrack to grind to. Not to be taken too seriously, this album

brandishes some great lines on such tracks as “Suicidal Failure.”

“I beat myself with a bat/put a noose around my head/I overdosed

on heroin/but I’m still not dead.” Maybe Suicidal Tendencies’

songs were too laughable to cause the outrage like that of Ozzy’s

“Suicide Solution,” but they definitely put the “fun” back in

funeral.

Featured tracks: “Fascist Pig,” “I Want More,” “I Saw Your

Mommy”

21. Jawbreaker – “Dear You” (Geffen, 1995)

As the saying goes, “Save the best for last.” Jawbreaker did just

that with their 1995 finale on Geffen Records. Having garnered a

devoted following with their three prior releases, Jawbreaker was

able to lay down a collection of lead singer Blake

Schwarzenbach’s most lyrically enticing works on “Dear You.”

Melodic and slightly abrasive at the same time, these tunes weave

through broken relationships, revenge and denial only a pessimist

mind like that of Schwarzenbach’s could conjure up. It’s hard for

one not to grin upon hearing one of the dozens witty one-liners in

the album’s thirteen tracks. “I dot my t’s and cross my i’s/Pretend

that I can write/I haven’t got a nice thing to say,” from “Oyster”

comes to mind, as do a few lines from “Chemistry.” “This school’s

a living hell/I work and don’t get paid/I smoke a lot but can’t get

laid.” Many would come to embrace not only “Dear You,” but

Jawbreaker as a whole, as one of the cornerstones of “emo.”

(Don’t ask what “emo” really means, because I don’t think anyone

actually knows.) This album charts based solely on its bulletproof

songwriting.

Featured tracks: “Sluttering (May 4th),” “I Love You So Much It’s

Killing Us Both,” “Chemistry”

– Boonie Boone