Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Jane's Addiction in 1988
Artists “It’s a unique sound, the divinity of my vocal cords”: How Perry Farrell defined alternative rock with Jane’s Addiction
Motörhead
Artists “It was the height of our popularity. And of course, when you’ve peaked there’s nowhere to go but down”: How the ‘Worst Band In The World’ had their revenge with the noisiest No.1 album of all time
David Thomas performs with Peru Ubu at Cabaret Metro in Chicago, Illinois, USA circa 1988
Artists Pere Ubu founder David Thomas has died after “a long illness”
Singer Joey Ramone (1951 - 2001), of American punk group The Ramones, backstage at the Paradise Theater (now the Paradise Rock Club) in Boston, Massachusetts, 22nd March 1978. In the background are bassist Dee Dee Ramone (1951 - 2002, centre) and drummer Tommy Ramone (1949 - 2014).
Singles And Albums "At first the tension was unbelievable. Johnny was really cold, Dee Dee was OK but Joey was a sweetheart": The story of the Ramones' recording of Baby I Love You
Green Day
Artists How Green Day exceeded expectations with their most ambitious song
Billy Idol and Avril Lavigne
Artists "With her on it, it got 3 times better": Watch Billy Idol and Avril Lavigne perform their new single, 77
Lifeguard's Kai Slater, Isaac Lowenstein and Asher Case
Artists Lifeguard on abstract noise and pop hooks – and the creative epiphanies behind their stellar debut
  1. Artists
  2. Singles And Albums

X's John Doe: my favorite punk albums of all time

News
By Joe Bosso published 24 July 2011

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

John Doe's favorite punk albums of all time

John Doe's favorite punk albums of all time

"A great punk record should have a certain amount of humor," says John Doe, bassist and co-lead singer for the groundbreaking Los Angeles outfit X (which he also founded). "The all-important 'I'm pissed off' message has to be there, but it should be balanced. People in the initial wave of punk bands knew this, but along the way that sensibility got lost. You can't progress musically if all you're peddling is angst."

According to Doe, essential punk albums share a common theme: "Things are unfair, things are fucked up, everything's going to hell…But let's have a good time while we can."

Hearing Patti Smith, says Doe, was the first time he felt as though “there was more to music than what was on the radio.” But he cites his live introduction to punk rock, a gig by the Talking Heads early in their career, which took place at New York City’s CBGB, appropriately enough, as a true life-changing event. “Their music was an elixir,” he recalls. “It filled the space and affected everybody who was there. The band played Psycho Killer, and at the end, David Byrne took off his guitar and just walked out the door. I thought to myself, This could be his last performance.”

With X and in his solo work, Doe has broadened the scope of punk by embracing genres such as country and folk music. “But the rock ‘n’ roll spirit is always there,” he stresses. “When I moved to LA from the East Coast, things were just starting to change for the better. New groups were popping up, and The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt were on the way out. To me, that wasn’t rock ‘n’ roll; that was pop music. I was like, ‘Get the fuck out of here with that stuff.’”

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Patti Smith - Horses (1975)

Patti Smith - Horses (1975)

“I was very involved with poetry, and so it was only natural that I was drawn to what Patti Smith was doing. Mixing poetry with music reminded me of what The Doors did in the ‘60s.

“The music itself was very direct and unpretentious. You could tell that the band just set up in the studio and played what they wanted to play. They basically didn’t give a shit what anybody told them, which is cool.

“Patti Smith wasn’t a great singer on this record, but she was an amazing communicator. She put unchecked emotion into every word.”

Listen: Patti Smith - Free Money

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Ramones - Ramones (1976)

Ramones - Ramones (1976)

“Without them, there would be no punk rock. Their very look, their essence, everything about them defined the genre like probably no other band.

“Musically, the Ramones proved that you can say all you need to say in two minutes. Even though I like poetry, I’m not into bullshit storytelling. I have no problem with dumb lyrics that sound good, and in my opinion, every word that Joey Ramone sang sounded great.

"Plus, the band was comical. Joey wasn’t being literal in the song Beat On The Brat; he was doing a total tongue-in-cheek thing. The Ramones' whole attitude was, ‘This is so fucked-up, it’s got to be funny.’”

Listen: Ramones - Beat On The Brat

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
X - Los Angeles (1980)

X - Los Angeles (1980)

“It wasn’t a mistake that we called the record Los Angeles. At the time, everybody was giving the West Coast a lot of grief. The prevailing thought was that if you lived in Southern California, you had nothing to complain about. Well, not all of us were doing cocaine by the swimming pool.

“You can’t pinpoint a location for angst. Just because you live in Germany, you don’t have an exclusive claim to anger and frustration. It happens everywhere. That’s what we were singing about on Los Angeles.”

Listen: X - Nausea

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Germs - (GI) (1979)

Germs - (GI) (1979)

“The song What We Do Is Secret is an amazing recording because you can actually hear Darby Crash’s words. At a Germs show, you could never make out his lyrics, which were so intricate and mysterious. Like great poetry, they meant whatever you wanted them to mean.

“The Germs had such a unique sound, and they dispelled the notion that all punk bands sounded alike. Actually, the same could be said for the first wave of punk bands. Richard Hell didn’t sound like the Talking Heads, and the Talking Heads didn’t sound like Blondie. After a while, some groups did adopt a similar style, but the initial burst of bands – and I would include The Germs here – had their own thing going on.”

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers (1976)

The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers (1976)

“For people in the LA punk community, this was a very influential record. I remember a time when everybody had this album on the turntable. You couldn’t walk into somebody’s house or apartment and not hear it.

“Jonathan had a completely different take on melody, and the players in the band were fantastic, particularly Jerry Harrison, who would go on to join the Talking Heads. In some ways, this is pre-punk rock, but the ‘This-is-just-coming-out-of-my-head’ attitude is very much there.

”Even though the songs on the album deal with pain on many levels, there’s a lot of heart and dry humor to it all. The music is a lot of eighth notes, and there’s some very deceptively simple chord structures being used. Great stuff.”

Listen: The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
The Clash - London Calling (1979)

The Clash - London Calling (1979)

“There are many reasons to love this record, and they're all valid. The Clash were a great band. They proved it on Give 'Em Enough Rope, which is a brilliant album, and they rose to a new level on London Calling.

"What always fascinated me about London Calling is how inclusive it is. There’s all kinds of music on it, so many styles. The band seemed to be just as eager to explore different genres and get inside of them as they were to spread their message. They knew what they wanted to say; they just didn’t want to say it the same way twice.

“What's also interesting is that The Clash were powerful without being bombastic. On London Calling, you hear all of these funny little instruments being played. There's experimentation and nuance. They were really quite different from the Sex Pistols.”

Listen: The Clash - The Right Profile

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Black Randy And The Metrosquad - Trouble At The Cup (1977)

Black Randy And The Metrosquad - Trouble At The Cup (1977)

“It's a single, not an album, but I wanted to include it because I think it's so crazy - a funny and irreverent take on punk rock music. Randy was a white guy, but he liked to say that he was born to a black family. He had all of these ridiculous song titles, things like Loner With A Boner. It was all pretty funny.

“Live, the band put on quite a show. The lineup changed a lot, but there was always a minimum of six people on stage. To me, this was punk rock because it was total chaos.”

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
The Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer (1977)

The Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer (1977)

“Another single, but a very important one. The Dead Boys took all the elements of punk that were coming from England, New York and LA and brought them to the Midwest.

"They put their unique Rust Belt rock ‘n’ roll spin on the genre. Sonic Reducer is a pretty great record.”

Listen: The Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned (1977)

The Damned - Damned Damned Damned (1977)

“They embodied so many things that were great about English punk rock. Great spirit, total attitude. I love the songs on this album, particularly New Rose, which a lot of bands have covered.”

Listen: The Damned - New Rose

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Iggy And The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)

Iggy And The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)

“This isn’t a record I discovered when it was released, but when I moved to LA, somebody said, ‘Hey, have you heard Raw Power?’ I listened to it and was like, ‘Holy shit!’

“It predated punk rock, but I call it punk rock because of its total abandon. Without Iggy, there would have been no Germs. Darby Crash took a lot from Iggy Pop. The songs on Raw Power are truly memorable. Search And Destroy, in particular, is really terrific.

“I love the chaotic mix, too. A guitar solo will come in and it’ll be totally cranked. Then when the solo is done, you’re like, ‘What happened to the song?’ A wild record, and an important one.”

Listen: Iggy And The Stooges - Search And Destroy

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.

Read more
Jane's Addiction in 1988
“It’s a unique sound, the divinity of my vocal cords”: How Perry Farrell defined alternative rock with Jane’s Addiction
Motörhead
“It was the height of our popularity. And of course, when you’ve peaked there’s nowhere to go but down”: How the ‘Worst Band In The World’ had their revenge with the noisiest No.1 album of all time
David Thomas performs with Peru Ubu at Cabaret Metro in Chicago, Illinois, USA circa 1988
Pere Ubu founder David Thomas has died after “a long illness”
Singer Joey Ramone (1951 - 2001), of American punk group The Ramones, backstage at the Paradise Theater (now the Paradise Rock Club) in Boston, Massachusetts, 22nd March 1978. In the background are bassist Dee Dee Ramone (1951 - 2002, centre) and drummer Tommy Ramone (1949 - 2014).
"At first the tension was unbelievable. Johnny was really cold, Dee Dee was OK but Joey was a sweetheart": The story of the Ramones' recording of Baby I Love You
Green Day
How Green Day exceeded expectations with their most ambitious song
Billy Idol and Avril Lavigne
"With her on it, it got 3 times better": Watch Billy Idol and Avril Lavigne perform their new single, 77
Latest in Singles And Albums
Singer and mastermind Brian Wilson of the rock and roll band "The Beach Boys" directs from the control room while recording the album "Pet Sounds" in 1966 in Los Angeles, California
“One of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it”
Raye and Amy Winehouse
Raye on her decision to work with Amy Winehouse producer Mark Ronson, and those inevitable comparisons
Singer Joey Ramone (1951 - 2001), of American punk group The Ramones, backstage at the Paradise Theater (now the Paradise Rock Club) in Boston, Massachusetts, 22nd March 1978. In the background are bassist Dee Dee Ramone (1951 - 2002, centre) and drummer Tommy Ramone (1949 - 2014).
"At first the tension was unbelievable. Johnny was really cold, Dee Dee was OK but Joey was a sweetheart": The story of the Ramones' recording of Baby I Love You
Bob Marley and the Wailers
"Reggae is more freeform than the blues": Bob Marley and the Wailers' Catch a Fire, track-by-track
Joe Bonamassa [left] plays his Epiphone 1955 Les Paul Standard and wears a bright blue suit and polka-dot; Sammy Hagar [right] wears shades, a black Cabo Wabo T-shirt and plays his red Gibson Explorer with white pickguard.
“The track is a monster!”: Joe Bonamassa and Sammy Hagar have got the Fortune Teller Blues
beyonce album cover
“Part of a beautiful American tradition”: A music theory expert explains the country roots of Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em, and why it also owes a debt to the blues
Latest in News
Danny L Harle and PinkPantheress
Producer Danny L Harle enlists “dream collaborator” PinkPantheress for new song Starlight
Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy plays his Zemaitis singlecut onstage in 2023.
Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman ruled out for rest of the year as he gets surgery on injured right hand
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) conducting, circa 1800.
Why you should care about music theory - and 5 reasons you maybe shouldn't
Vivian Campbell and Ronnie James Dio onstage in 1985 as they tour Campbell's final studio album with Dio, Sacred Heart. Campbell is playing a well-worn Charvel S-style electric guitar.
Vivian Campbell on his relationship with Ronnie James Dio – and what Dio told Ozzy about his playing
Forever89 Visco 2
Visco 2.0 turns Forever89's boundary-pushing drum machine into a polysynth – hands-on
tape
Richie Hawtin produces short film inspired by '90s Detroit techno scene

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...