#162: Germs - (GI) (1979)

Zack: Behind The Clash by the Clash, Horses by Patti Smith, Never Mind the Bollocks… by the Sex Pistols, and New Boots and Panties!! By Ian Dury, this was the most eagerly awaited punk album by me. That might not sound too impressive, until you realize that I am excited to listen to every punk album on the list (now that we’ve gotten the Green Day out of the way at least). The biggest difference is that most people I talked to about this album before listening to it responded with either who or what, while these same people would probably be familiar in at least a cursory sense with those other four. But while Germs may be a bit more unknown that some of the other bands of this list, there is one factor that sets them apart: Pat “Mothafuckin’ Smear. We’ve actually encountered Mr. Mothafuckin Smear before (he was the touring guitarist used on Nirvana’s Unplugged) and both Emily and I have been lucky enough to see him live (with the Foo Fighters). Germs is how Pat Smear got his start, leading up to his work with those other two more culturally significant bands. I was curious to see what his guitar work sounded like back then. The answer, apparently, is fast as fuck. Germs play like a true hardcore punk band, meaning so rapidly that you don’t have time to really think about whether it’s really good or not. Under such strict pressure, I was forced to say that it was good, and I’m sticking to my guns on this one. This album made me want to punch the woman sitting across from me on the train. She’s a lovely woman (even watched my bags when I ran to the bathroom). But damnit! This is punk rock, and it’d just be phony if I didn’t punch someone. Punk is pretty easily divisible by decade, mostly because punk bands tend to last for such short periods. Of each decade, the battle for my favorite 80s punk band is probably the most wide open. That said, with (GI), Germs have certainly entered the race, if not taken a bit of a lead.

Favorite Tracks: Communist Eyes; Shut Down (Annihilation Man); Manimal

Emily: The reason I wanted to listen to Germs came down to one guy: Pat Smear, my unofficial favorite member of the Foo Fighters. He’s the same age as my parents, except he awkwardly plays rhythm guitar standing next to Dave Grohl – pretty sure my dad hasn’t done that. This album, however, features Smear in his way younger days (1979, to be exact), though I’m sure he was still awkwardly playing the guitar on the side of the stage. (GI) was the only album released by Germs, who were best known for their lead singer’s erratic, drunken, non-singing behavior at their shows. They were crazy, got banned from clubs, and made some pretty kickass punk music. Each under-2-minute nugget of a song is loud, fast, and makes you want to pogo/mosh/thrash/whatever punk dance they did in 1979 alongside a 20-year-old Pat Smear.

Favorite Tracks: Media Blitz; We Must Bleed; Manimal

#161: Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)

Emily: Dundundundundun…crack that whip! Okay, so that lyric is about all Devo is known for. That and some funny cone-shaped hats to go along with said lyric. But Devo is a surprising prolific and accomplished band. Mark Mothersbaugh, the lead singer and songwriter, even wrote the Rugrats theme song! And it all started with this early New Wave album. The stilted, manic delivery over basic synth grooves hits on some songs, and misses on just as many. Such inconsistency is expected for a debut, but some of the misses were just grating to listen to. The hits, however, are fun, bouncy nuggets of New Wave that to me seemed perfect for an awkward kid dance party. Funny hats not included.

Favorite Tracks: Mongoloid; Come Back Jonee; Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy

Zack: Quick! Name three new wave bands! Chances are Devo made your list. At the very least, had you held a gun to my head (a shockingly frequent occurrence), Devo would have been mentioned. So imagine my surprise when this album wasn’t nearly as new wavey as “Whip It” would have led me to believe. For starters, there were exactly 0 songs about whipping it (good). But I wouldn’t exactly describe it as post punk, a line which many important bands from this era straddle quite precariously it seems. It just seemed to be a rock album with a healthy dose of 80s corniness. That said, there was at least one trait you’d expect from a Devo album. It was kind of weird in an alien kind of way. This weirdness occasionally works, but most of the time it’s mearly meh-ish. I didn’t hate this album as I have some previous new wave experiences (I’m looking at you, Soft Cell) but I wasn’t blown away or even happy with the investment of time (I’m looking at you, Duran Duran and a-ha). All I felt was a state of ambivalence that you wouldn’t expect from a band known best for pyramid hats.

Favorite Tracks: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction; Shrivel Up; Mongoloid

The Wrap Up

Emily: What a journey this has been. Four albums, many months, and the one genre of classic rock. Well, kind of one genre. If this challenge taught me anything it’s that classic rock is rooted in and is the root of so many different breakout genres of rock music. With the Beatles, you have pop and some psychedelic influences, the Stones have blues, the Who are essentially proto-punk, and the Kinks are garage-ish. Each of these iconic bands and their equally iconic albums has left a lasting legacy on music history through this genre-bending prowess, but also by standing out on their own. Revolver and Aftermath showcase legendary bands at their peak, while Something Else and My Generation reveal burgeoning talent from which the best is yet to come. While I still dispute the validity of these bands as a “Mount Rushmore” of classic rock, each one at the very least deserves its own statue.
Ranking: Revolver; Aftermath; My Generation; Something Else

Matt: Which of the British Invasion albums is the best? My natural inclination would be to pick The Who, but to be realistic, the honor has to go to The Kinks. The Who is one of my all time favorite bands, but they were definitely a live act and a singles band until their third album (The Who Sell Out), certainly their fourth (Tommy). The Beatles are phenomenal and got the ball rolling for every other band in the British Invasion, but in my opinion, The Beatles could no longer maintain the size. The Rolling Stones were always for the “outcast” in the 1960s, as they were very crass and played a bit more on the wild side, as shown with Brian Jones dying in 1969. The Kinks were the perfect mix of the 3 big British bands. They had the grooves that The Stones had, the energy The Who had and the charisma of The Beatles. This album was beautifully written, best represents British culture and music, as well as a panorama of the musical transition of the mid to late 60s.
Ranking: Something Else; Aftermath; My Generation; Revolver

Zack: Let me just start by saying this was much harder than I thought it would be. When we set up this little ranking game, we didn’t establish particularly clear rules, preferring to let each writer figure out how to rank the candidates. Kind of like how the NBA MVP voting works. Of course, even in that arena this system isn’t always that effective, as evidenced by Joe Johnson getting a vote this year. For me, it always kept coming back to one question: am I ranking these four individual albums or the bands as a whole? It couldn’t be the latter, since that just isn’t reasonable. For instance, before we started this blog, I had listened to every Rolling Stones and Who album on the list but not a single one of the Beatles or Kinks (a fact I am rather ashamed to admit). Now, to be fair, I had listened to other Kinks albums and a few songs off the major ones here and there. And, of course, I had heard all of The Beatles big singles. But this can’t replace the intimate relationship I have with The Rolling Stones’ and The Who’s music. At the same time, how can I be expected to pass judgment on the four individual albums without positing Aftermath and My Generation in context with both bands development overall? If you look down to my reviews, you’ll even see I did it there. I mention that Aftermath is my favorite Stones album, as compared to three of my other favorites and I compare the Who of My Generation to The Who who made Tommy. I couldn’t separate my fandom there, so how could I possibly be expected to do so here? If you look at the rankings up top, you’ll probably conclude that I couldn’t do it. To some extent, you may be right. But I did try. At first, I thought about devising a ballot, ranking all four in categories like lyrics, concept, instrumentation, et cetera. But this isn’t a homework assignment, so I’m damn sure not going to put in that kind of effort. So, ultimately, I decided just to rank them in order of which album I enjoyed the most. I listened to all four within a span of 17 hours, and I have to say that I had the most run (re)listening to Aftermath. There’s no elaborate reasoning, no analogies, no backstory, and certainly no ballots. Just a shrug, point, and “that one.” And yes, it did take me over 400 words to get to that conclusion. Bite me.
Ranking: Aftermath; My Generation; Revolver; Something Else

#160: The Who - My Generation (1965)

Matt Brune: It is hard for me to not write a dissertation on any aspect of The Who, so I will try to restrain myself from getting too distracted. When people think of The Who, this usually isn't the album that comes to mind. This album is the 1965 debut of four Mods hailing out of Shepherd's Bush. This colorful album of 13(?) tracks has a variety of the bands lesser known songs, several covers from noted black musicians from the States, and two of the best songs Pete Townshend see wrote: My Generation and The Kids Are Alright. Both of these tracks have had a significant impact on music then and now. Other swinging jams on this album include La-La-La Lies and It’s Not True, and the Good Is Gone. It would be a while and a couple albums before the band would achieve its place in music history for creating the first ever rock opera and becoming the icons they are now. But hey, they had to start somewhere.

Favorite Tracks: My Generation; The Kids Are Alright; It’s Not True


Emily: This album surprised me. A lot. You see, I thought I knew about The Who. They’re rock legends, punk before punk was even a thing. That sentiment really comes across in My Generation the song, so naturally I thought My Generation the album would be like that too. Boy, was I wrong – but not in a bad way. I was completely not expecting My Generation to be heavily influenced by R&B and pop. They even cover songs by James Brown and Bo Diddley. My Generation the song is pretty unique, perhaps the best sign of what came next for the band. While the rest of the album is more poppy and listener-friendly (for the time), My Generation is loud, fast, and aggressive – at least for 1965. It’s the best song on the album, and certainly the most important. Less than four minutes of music became a guiding influence for the rest of the band’s music – and without it, there may not have even been punk or hard rock. While I don’t think My Generation (the album…they really need to stop titling these things after important songs) truly encapsulates The Who’s genius as a band, as a debut it is certainly a sign of great things to come.

Favorite Tracks: My Generation; It’s Not True; I Don’t Mind

Zack: As far as I’m concerned, The Who are the first punk band. They practically pioneered youth rebellion way before Patti Smith’s legendary Horses album (which I still haven’t listened to, but hopefully soon!) or the Ramones and the Sex Pistols started being snotty. Hell, they were smashing guitars before bands like MC5 and the Stooges thought to be angry as well. Their most renowned track of “you can’t tell us what to do!” has got to be My Generation, a song which I don’t particularly like. The stuttering just kind of pisses me off. Luckily, this album has a few other generational potshots included, like the megahit The Kids Are Alright and the lesser known, A Legal Matter, bashing the traditional societal institution of marriage. Songs like these are where the Who are at their best. They throw in a few love ballads, more akin to the fellow British Invasion cohorts, which just seem to fall flat. The Who are very, very good at writing songs about how they hate authority telling them what to do or how to feel, but they just don’t seem to have much of a knack for expressing how they feel on their own. Who can blame them? They have as much energy as a megaton of dynamite, something that doesn’t translate to cutesy love songs all that well. The Who are a complex band. One day, they evolved into the group of guys that produced such high-brow concept albums as Tommy and The Who Sell Out. But, before that, they crafted a different legacy as a bunch of angry young guys who played louder and faster than many of their contemporaries. It’s an interesting starting point, considering their career arc, and one that invites the argument over which phase of the band’s development was better. But that’s an argument for another day. Until then, I’ll just say that My Generation kicks a whole slew of asses.

Favorite Tracks: I’m a Man; The Kids Are Alright; I Don’t Mind

#159: The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (1966)

Zack: As much as I love Exile on Main St., Beggar’s Banquet, and Let it Bleed, Aftermath is my favorite Rolling Stones album. Besides for having my single favorite Stones song (Paint it Black, because I’m just so original), it’s just jam-packed with that vintage sound of blues harmonica, hard rock guitar, and sexually-charged lyrics. It is, quite frankly, rock ‘n’ roll. When you picture McCartney and Lennon or the Davies brothers or even Pete Townshend setting out to write songs, the image probably involves some paper and a pencil. Probably an acoustic guitar or something as well. And, depending on the era, maybe a little something extra to boost the creative process. Now picture Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during the songwriting process. If you’re anything like me, you immediately saw scantily-clad women, empty bottles everywhere, and some smashed windows or something. Essentially, you saw what they sing songs about personified into real life. How badass is that? With Aftermath, you get a Stones album so good it could only have followed one hell of a bender. It’s no frills, stripped-to-the-bone music, but damn is it good.

Favorite Tracks: Paint it Black; Under My Thumb; Going Home  

Emily: The Rolling Stones just aren’t a band I’ve explored much on my own, but I’m glad to be able to experience them through the list. After listening to Aftermath, there’s no doubt in my mind as to why the band is legendary. They infuse 60s rock with classic blues, with each track displaying different levels of each. Paint It Black, the best-known song of the album (which was surprisingly not included on the original release), leans more towards the rock end with its driving guitar (and sitar) riff. Most of the other tracks, however, are more straightforward blues with a bit of psychedelia. The balance between rock and blues was most apparent to me in the 11-minute-long closing track, Goin’ Home. Usually songs that break the 6-minute mark tend to drag on forever, either repeating the same notes over and over or venturing into crazy jam territory. Goin’ Home does neither of those, which I think is why I enjoyed it so much. The blues influence is clear, but it’s classic rock through and through. Without being repetitive or venturing too far from the core sound and story of the song, Goin’ Home is just 11 minutes of great music – a fitting conclusion to a great album.

Favorite Tracks: Paint It, Black; Goin’ Home; Think

Matt Brune: This album sums up the early Stones quite nicely. This is the first album to be made entirely of songs written by the Jagger/Richards partnership. This song was also the first to be recorded completely in the States. It featured the late and ever so brilliant Brian Jones on a variety of instruments, including marimbas and sitar. There are different UK and US versions of the album, which was common practice for British bands in the 1960s. The UK version had Mother’s Little Helper on it, which is by far one of my favorite Stones songs. The US version had Paint It, Black, another amazing classic. Songs of merit on both versions include Stupid Girl, Under My Thumb, and It’s Not Easy.

Favorite Tracks: Mother’s Little Helper; Paint it Black; Under My Thumb

#158: The Beatles - Revolver (1966)

Zack: The Beatles have obtained a level of cultural significance that permeates into any and all segments of society. Don’t believe me? Look to Kanye’s MBDTF, when he asks, “What’s a black Beatle anyway? A fuckin’ roach?” Or when LeBron compared the way the Miami Heat were selling out stadiums to the Beatles, prompting the great Heatles nickname (which I still endorse, by the way). Or when Jay-Z comments that, legacy-wise, he is “on the Beatles’ ass.” There are a few points from this. First and foremost is that I know a lot about hip-hop and basketball and will look for any opportunity to bring those topics up. But the main one is that the Beatles are so widely known that every member of our society is at least familiar enough with them to make some passing reference to their legacy. Who else can claim that? Off the top of my head I would say Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson. You could make a case for Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones, but I don’t think it’s as persuasive. And if you questioned these same people, who are all at least moderately familiar with the Beatles, do you know how often Revolver would be mentioned? Seriously, do you? My guess is not nearly as often as it should. Revolver routinely trades spots with Sgt. Pepper’s as the greatest album of all time on most critic publications, but doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of name recognition. I think. Once again, and I cannot stress this enough, I have done exactly zero research on this because I’m too lazy. Which is crazy to me, since I think Revolver is the Beatles best album. It’s just a better representation of what the Beatles were all about. It takes their traditional pop-rock sound but also blends in their obsession with innovation, this time in the form of Indian instrumentation. Plus, it has Eleanor Rigby, which is a huge advantage. Basically, Revolver is the Beatles at their absolute best, a lofty peak that few others can compare to.

Favorite Tracks: Eleanor Rigby; Glad tot Get You Into My Life; And Your Bird Can Sing

Emily: What an apropos time to be returning to this album! Just a few weeks ago, Mad Men (one of Zack’s and my favorite shows) used Tomorrow Never Knows as the ending coda of an episode. Don plays this last track from Revolver after his young wife tells him to open his mind to the equally young Beatles, but cuts it off halfway through. Now that I’ve listened to the track (and all of Revolver) fully, I see the genius in Matt Weiner’s choice of the song for this season of Mad Men. You see, both Revolver and this season Mad Men depict their subjects in a state of transition – not surprising in 1966. Don, Roger, Pete, Peggy, and the other members of SCDP are facing numerous personal and professional challenges to their status quo. The Beatles, on the other hand, challenged their own status quo on Revolver. There are hints of their earlier pop/rock and roll sound, but it also foreshadows the radical reimagining of sound and image that came next with Sgt. Pepper. Love You To highlights George Harrison’s growing interest in India, Eleanor Rigby uses shimmery strings (unusual for any pop or rock song, let alone in 1966), Got to Get You into My Life has some R&B and soul going on…I could do this for every track; they all sound unique, looking both back and forward in the Beatles’ history. As the closing track, Tomorrow Never Knows gives a great hint to the future with its psychedelic, somewhat experimental arrangement. Transitionary albums aren’t often a band’s best work; they’re trying to work out the kinks of a new sound that can still sound rough or confused. However, much like the current transitionary season of Mad Men, Revolver is one of the Beatles’ finest, most eclectic efforts.

Favorite Tracks: Eleanor Rigby; Tomorrow Never Knows; Got to Get You into My Life

Matt Brune: A band that revolutionized music and culture in the United Kingdom, the United States, and so many other countries. They hardly need an introduction, as remnants of Beatlemania still exist today, nearly 40 years after they disbanded. Here is Revolver, the Beatle’s 7th album, released in 1966. The album shows a change for the Beatles, a movement away from the rest of the British Invasion and into the psychedelic sounds of the 60s. Two of the Beatles’ most famous songs, Eleanor Rigby and Yellow Submarine, are both on this album. Personal favorites from this album include Eleanor Rigby, I’m Only Sleeping, as well as And Your Bird Can Sing. If you are looking for a Beatles record that is not Abbey Road, The White Album, or Sgt Pepper’s, than this is your album, post-Mod Beatles.

Favorite Tracks: Eleanor Rigby; And Your Bird Can Sing; For No One

#157: The Kinks - Something Else by the Kinks (1967)

We would like to start by apologizing for the long pause since that intro post. Unfortunately, one of our guest bloggers has run into some technical difficulties in getting us his posts. This has caused a bit of a logjam effect, so we've decided to post what we have now and retroactively go back and add his once we have them. So, without further ado, The Kinks!

Emily: I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical when Zack wanted to include The Kinks on this pantheon of classic rock. It’s not a name you hear very often compared with the epic likes of the Beatles, Stones, and Who, and I had very minimal exposure to the band beyond You Really Got Me and the other album we listened to by them. However, I trusted his musical judgment and agreed to add Something Else into this experiment of classic rock classification. Though I still don’t think the Kinks are quite as on par with the other three bands, I can see (rather, hear) the important influence they had. Some songs on the album have an ethereal, lilting, dreamy quality to them that doesn’t sound very rock but definitely sounds very ‘60s. Most of the second half of the album, however, is essentially proto-garage rock. It was a unique, almost revolutionary sound for the time and influenced one of the most large and important sub-genres of rock music. Now, that accomplishment is worthy of this musical pantheon.

Favorite Tracks: Afternoon Tea; Love Me Till the Sun Shines; Two Sisters

Matt Brune: The Kinks are the quintessential mod band of 1960s London. Though The Kinks would have limited success after the mid-60s, they would remain a fulltime band until 1996, longer than The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles. But, back to 1966: This album has some precious gems amongst it. No Kinks fan could possibly overlook that beauty that is Waterloo Sunset. It is hard for me to pick favorites, as there are no bad songs on this album. It had a brilliant balance of songs that were reminiscent of the initial phases of the British Invasion, as well as the psychedelic tunes that were brewing and would eventually run out the mods. Two Sisters, Situation Vacant, and Waterloo Sunset were, in my opinion, the best tracks, but that is subject to change next I listen to this album.

Favorite Tracks: Waterloo Sunset; Two Sisters; Situation Vacant


Zack: From discussing my Mount Rushmore theory with other human beings, I have concluded that the most controversial of the four is easily the Kinks. It’s certainly understandable. As influential as the Kinks were/are, they’re being compared to the freaking Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Who. Obviously, part of the reason I included them is my previously discussed bias. If you’re too lazy to click the link, then I’ll just say that my dad is a HUGE Kinks/Ray Davies fan and I’ve been listening via osmosis for years. But even I have to admit that the Kinks sort of lack that clearly-identifiable trait that makes them stick out. The Beatles are pop-rock. The Stones are blues-rock. The Who are practically protopunk. The Kinks are…the most likely to write a song called Afternoon Tea? The most difficult to pigeonhole? All four of these bands change their sound to some degree as they progressed, but the Kinks make one of the bigger jumps. It’s easy to forget that they first burst onto the scene with the hard rock classic “You Really Got Me.” Years later, they were writing silly acoustic ditties about trannies. They, of course, had a psychedelic phase as well. If you had to give them a sub-sub-genre, I guess it would be pop-rock, but that seems to only cover about half their repertoire. After much thought, I’ve decided that their claim to fame is that they are the most conceptually sound. Not an easy task when you consider that they’re up against the band that made Tommy and the overall brilliance of the Beatles. But it’s definitely true. The Kinks simply do not make albums as songs; they make them as storybooks. While they definitely got better at it as time progressed, it’s just as true for Something Else, one of their earlier works. Maybe the subject material isn’t as united as you’d expect, but the tone of each song works to reflect a certain mood on the listener. Furthermore, they use the album as a palette to express their unique blend of hard rock, psychedelic, and pop brand. The execution on this technique is near flawless, making it a great example of the Kinks sound, both to someone whose dad has been pumping it into his brain from the time he was young and someone who has never checked them out before.
Favorite Tracks: Waterloo Sunset; Death of a Clown; Afternoon Tea