Hardcore by Distinction: A Look at the Greatest Hardcore Bands in the Context of Hardcore Part III

The Damned, waiting outside Harball via Hardcore Headquarters for an interview. Photo borrowed from the bands' Facebook page.

By Stevil, March 13th, 2020

 

Just over a year later and here we are, finally arriving at Part III. This would have came sooner, but HVH lost its corporate sponsorships, so the funding to continue this series has been dependent on donations you, the typical tightwad fan. Cough it up, if you're in a hurry for more. If this sounds familiar, it should, because it's exactly how I introduced the last ten in Part II.

With that out of the way...


21. The Damned: While the 'Pistols were getting all the credit for being the first in Britain, Dave Vanian and company had already been stirring the pot with New Rose. Best known for Damned Damned Damned, their first album, it was the third album, Machine Gun Etiquette, that had this author of bullshit blogging sold. And I'm still sold, with exception to fruits offered by the good Captain (never accept an offer for a free banana). Seriously, The Damned is one of the longest-running and most important bands to the scene, make no mistake about that.

22. Youth Brigade: When three brothers from Canada decided to try their luck in Southern California's film industry, they were dealt a very harsh reality: They weren't good looking enough. Nobody really likes Canucks, do they? With xenophobia in full swing, the brothers turned to punk rock, and eventually swing, but it was the punk rock that helped them settle into the new world. A t-shirt they sold me that would later cause a few problems with gun fiends, but I forgave them long ago. Still waiting for the apology, but that's okay. Worth noting, the Youth Brigade from DC was great as well, though short-lived.

23. OFF!: Few newer bands make HVH's lists for two reasons: 1). We rarely listen to new music, because we're old, senile, and are still catching up with tons of shit we couldn't find until now. 2). Because we don't care. OFF! is an exception, though none of members are new to the scene, nor the insect repellent industry. They blast straight-forward punk rock down your throat they way it's suppose to be, making them the Ears Nose & Throat-specialists of the scene. 

24. The Replacements: Many, many people--perhaps thousands--will wonder why the hell we have The Replacements on this list. Go listing to "Stink" or "Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash and you'll have your answer. Chances are they were the favorites of some of your favorites. Chances are the EP and LP I cited will become two of your favorites, too.

25. Bad Religion: I'm so goddamn far out of the loop that I had no idea Greg Hetson was no longer in the band until a couple of weeks ago. It makes little difference to me as I haven't bought an album in 25+ years, but somehow it just seems wrong. Anyway, plenty has gone right for this SoCal super-group. Few can lay out the harmonies with quality lyrics your parents can't understand like they do, and we're all better for it. I've proclaimed "Suffer" as being a must-have in any record collection and I stand by that claim today.

26. Ratos de Porão: Some of you may recall this band getting some notoriety in the Bay Area in the 1980's. But they aren't from the Bay Area, they're from Brazil and they're still at it, having actually gotten tougher each year and no band has left a greater mark on the country than them--including Sepultura. We define the mark, but anyone who checks out a local show will be a believer in the aftermath.

27. The Germs: LA had a number of bands explode out of the region and onto the national scene, but before most of the names you know got started, there were The Germs. Made more famous after Pat Smear joined Nirvana, the band had split in 1980 after Darby Crash committed suicide. They reformed with the actor who played Crash in What We Do Is Secret and did a couple of tours, which I missed, and I'm still bitter for not making a greater effort to catch them.

28. FEAR: Rather than try to explain what FEAR was, is, and should have been, I simply challenge everyone to search for their performance on SNL and pay close attention to those you see around them. That should say it all.

29. Poison Idea: Famous for hurting the feelings of Ian MacKaye (and let's face it, they were dicks at the time), this band should be more famous for their damage to the Pacific Northwest and helping link California Hardcore to Northwest Hardcore. Unfortunately, founding guitarist Tom Roberts, AKA Pig Champion, died in 2006. The show still goes on, and they're worthy of your $5 allowance, so don't be stingy.

30. Articles of Faith: One of the bands whose LP's eluded me for years, therefore having to settle for shitty cassette copies (yet, still grateful for them), Articles of Faith were a tough band to get a hold of and one I was never able to catch live. Poor me. AOF were among the fasted bands around, with carefully and cleverly worded messages like you get from Bad Brains. They had the Windy City on their toes and they even had an effect on the ballet scene. Okay, I'm making that up, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had.



Still wondering where your favorite bands are listed? Odds are you'll never see them, and if you do, they'll be in the last segment.

That said, let me put out a friendly reminder that this isn't an actual ranking system, it's just a series of lists of some of the bands we like a lot and fee were highly influential and important. So, don't take it too seriously. Feel free to contribute write-ups of your own in the comment section.

Part 4 to come much sooner.