#219: Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)

Zack: I think it’s fair to say that the big three of punk are The Ramones, The Clash and the Sex Pistols in some order or another. Technically, The Ramones were first, and The Clash had the longest stretch of sustained excellence. But I’ll be damned if anyone did the whole punk rock thing as hard as the Sex Pistols did. I mean, damn. The Ramones had a 22-year career that included 14 studio albums. Since my first London Calling experience, I’ve listened to every Clash album but their debut (on this list, so I’ll get to it) and Cut the Crap (unanimously understood to be terrible) and they really were just consistently great, even though they updated and expanded their sound pretty much at every turn. To be put in the same level with those two when you were around for two years and have exactly one album is an impressive feat. And they definitely earned that spot. This album is so consistent throughout. The instrumentals are more aggressive than The Ramones. Even if I compare them to Give ‘Em Enough Rope (the most apt comparison I can come up with within that era), there’s just a sharper edge, a certain violence, that you don’t hear elsewhere. It’s something that we heard echoed in The Dead Kennedys and The Germs, but the general attitude that they imparted in their music sticks out from the contemporaries we’ve already experienced and shows just how monumental their influence was, even though they only had one album to do it.

Favorite Tracks: Anarchy in the UK; Pretty Vacant; God Save the Queen

Emily: Somehow, in all of my time listening to punk and punk-influenced music, I have never listened to the the entirety of the Sex Pistols debut (and only) album. I'm a bit embarrassed by this fact too, since essentially all of punk music and culture can be traced back to this album. It has the bouncing-but-sneering three-chord sound, the loud scream-sung vocals, the social and political commentary, and - most importantly, at least to me - the punk attitude. That angry, vocal, don't-take-shit-and-don't give-a-shit attitude that became an absolute staple of the movement that followed and its many revivals and iterations. The Sex Pistols embody punk because they created it, and everything that followed built and developed off it. So if you've ever been a punk fan, or a pop-punk fan, or a post-punk fan, or an alternative fan, or a grunge fan, give this album a listen. My guess is you'll be a fan of it too.

Favorite Tracks: Anarchy in the UK; God Save the Queen; No Feelings

#112: The Good, the Bad & the Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2007)

Zack: Damon Albarn. Four total albums, three with Blur and one with Gorillaz. Paul Simonon. Two albums, both with The Clash. Simon Tong. Two albums, both with The Verve. Tony Allen. A role-player 2 guard for the Memphis Grizzlies who specializes as a defender. Also the name of the drummer for Fela Kuti’s band, who have two albums. A total of ten list-approved albums combined. And then they all teamed up for this project. That’s not even a supergroup. I’m not sure what that is, but my guess would be the Frankenstein monster of music. Oh, and the whole thing is produced by the notoriously kickass producer, Danger Mouse. Sounds like the ultimate combination for awesomeness, right? I thought so too. But I just ended up being disappointed. It’s a good enough album, alright. But with those names, I expected my eardrums to explode and tears of both joy and sadness (for the other musicians who are expected to compete) to flow freely. It was pretty good, I guess. Damon Albarn’s fingerprints are all over it, but I didn’t think it lived up to my admittedly lofty expectations for just him, let alone the incredible supporting cast. I’m much more familiar with Gorillaz than any of the other bands mentioned in this review, and I would take Gorillaz or Demon Days over this album any day. Maybe even Plastic Beach. Overall, I would say that it’s a good album, but certainly not a must-have.

Favorite Tracks: Herculean; The Good, the Bad & the Queen; Nature Springs 

Emily: I kind of had some high hopes for this album. First of all, the name itself is just badass. It sounds like a British Sex-Pistols-era punk band, which automatically put me in the mindset for some fast, anti-establishment, pogoing punk. Then, I found out it was a Damon Albarn project. Not quite as badass and punk, but I like Gorillaz and Blur, so I figured I’d be a fan. Add in the bassist from The Clash – maybe I’d get my punk after all! And it’s produced by Danger Mouse. The Grey Album? Awesome. Gnarls Barkley? Even awesomer. All that said, I was expecting to be a big fan of The Good, the Bad & the Queen. Alas, I was not. The electronic and synthesizer sound made for a cool, vaguely ambient experience – very Damon Albarn, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. However, this is a supergroup that combines some great talents from very diverse musical backgrounds. I expected more diverse influences, especially Clash-style punk or some ‘70s Afrobeat (the drummer, Tony Allen, used to play for Fela Kuti). It’s a solid album, with signature Albarn sound and production, but I think this group has so much more collaboration potential, and I’d definitely like to hear what else they could come up with together.

Favorite Tracks: The Good, the Bad & the Queen; Kingdom of Doom; History Song

#108: The Clash - London Calling (1979)

Zack: I’ve always considered myself a Ramones fan, which in my mind also meant that I had a general apathy towards the Clash as if there was some sort of hidden rivalry between the two, even though I’m like 99% sure that this beef only exists in my head. Despite all that, I was really curious to listen to London Calling, since my only Clash experiences have pretty much been via radio. I knew it was a highly decorated album with universal acclaim and that all CD versions naturally emanate a glorious orange glow, but that was about it. That orange glow part may be an exaggeration, but upon listening to the album you would swear it might as well be true. My interest was initially peaked by this Sporcle quiz (as per usual) where (spoiler alert) London Calling appears on the two lists that I actually trust. You know, not the one who incorporates two (spoiler alert) Oasis albums including the #1 spot. The Clash took there punkedness and infused it with a splash of just about everything. The result is a catchy but still edgy album that beats its message into your skull using a guitar like a hammer. Which I guess makes it like a reverse-lobotomy. Anyways, London Calling blew me away. Just 8 reviews ago, during our 100 Album Spectacular, I mentioned that it would take a magnificent album to unseat Are You Experienced? as my favorite album. I think it may have already been done.

Favorite Tracks: London Calling; Lost in the Supermarket; Train in Vain

Emily: The Clash are one of those bands I should’ve gotten into years ago. My friend gave me a couple tracks back in the day, and those tracks remain the only Clash songs on my iPod to this very day. I liked the songs well enough, but actually finding and listening to more of their music was not exactly a priority. Well, after today, I am definitely a converted Clash fan. They are so much more than their punk labeling makes them out to be. London Calling definitely has the rebellious spirit of punk, but incorporates different sounds of the time and place – ska (which of course I loved), soul, pop, reggae – to create a real, compelling interpretation of UK music circa 1979. Each song has a different feel to it, partly due to the wide range of musical influences, but also due to the subject matter. The lyrics deal with subjects as far ranging as the Three Mile Island accident (London Calling) to the Spanish Civil War (Spanish Bombs) to Joe Strummer looking back on his life (Death or Glory). But each subject is handled with passion and thoughtfulness. London Calling is simply a fantastic album, and one that I know I will listen to again and again.

Favorite Tracks: The Guns of Brixton; London Calling; Clampdown