The Best Punk Song ever?

[Brundle-Fly]

God Save the Queen was pretty vacant astonishing, so I must echo again this as the leading nomination.

However, this link below will always be the most significant punk track for me back then, purely for the lyric "Because your hands are cold.".  Watching the accompanying Two Tone parody is so preciously Oxbridge and childish, all participants must cringe now. Funny though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=judcHxF68t4

No future new page.

[armful]

Oh Armful, I almost envy you getting to experience Bad Brains for the first time - here they are in their prime at CBGBs in 1982 being one of the best and most exciting bands - punk or otherwise - in the history of music.

But the answer to the OP is obviously Sonic Reducer by the Dead Boys.

I have heard Bad Brains name checked a few times , but never the music. I will be getting an album.

[Paaaaul]

Death Is Forming by Jay Reatard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmjNqk7dduQ

[Dr Rock]

God Save The Queen for cultural impact. Any number of Damned songs as personal favourites.

[SteveDave]

Something by Duke Ellington probably.

Winking face.

[Black_Bart]

The Marcels version of Blue Moon.

[Janie Jones]

Subway Sect - Nobody's Scared from 1978
'Everyone is a prostitute...'
https://youtu.be/nRdidsKQAhE

[clingfilm portent]

God Save The Queen for cultural impact. Any number of Damned songs as personal favourites.

Came here to post New Rose. Anyone reading this thread has already heard it anyway so its a bit redundant.

[clingfilm portent]

Ha! So the 'original' GSTQ makes you proud to be British?!

Beat me to it. Blinding bit of cognitive dissonance there.

[Dr Syntax Head]

It's this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw6ctcXh0aQ

[marquis_de_sad]

Beat me to it. Blinding bit of cognitive dissonance there.

Kind of. The national anthem is a terrible dirge and no one except for try-hard Tory Boys actually enjoy listening to it. But being jingoistic and liking the Sex Pistols song is surprisingly common. Even John Lydon on the Filth and the Fury doc takes something like that position when he says, "You don't write a song like that because you hate the British people, you write it because you love them and can't stand to see what's being done to them" (or words to that effect). Now, he's not exactly saying he thinks the Queen works really very hard actually and deserves our respect, but I think the line between ironic and genuine flag waving in Sex Pistols fandom is a very blurry one. See: this.

[Fonz]

'Time and Matter' UK Subs
'Problems' Sex Pistols

[buttgammon]

I love Complete Control by The Clash - it's such a thrilling, energetic song (and also has the ghost of Lee Perry's failed attempt at producing the band in some great reverb on the vocals). They're my favourite punk band, and it's my favourite song from their pure punk phase.

[Avril Lavigne]

Oh Armful, I almost envy you getting to experience Bad Brains for the first time

Speaking of which, I nominate Bad Brain by The Ramones.

[Head Gardener]

as an old punk who can still remember the thrill and the impact of when they were released, it's hard to beat the holy trio of
God Save The Queen - New Rose - Complete Control

[armful]

as an old punk who can still remember the thrill and the impact of when they were released, it's hard to beat the holy trio of
God Save The Queen - New Rose - Complete Control

Cool. Who was the best punk band you saw back in the day ? My father in law saw The Pistols at the Cleethorpes winter gardens , he said they looked afraid of the audience. Glen Matlock confirmed this was a gig the band didn't enjoy in an interview I read.

He also saw the Stranglers end up having to challenge the whole audience to a fight at the Wintergardens.

Doesn't sound a very punk friendly venue if you ask me

[Head Gardener]

my heart said Sex Pistols back then but the reality was probably The Damned for being easier to see live and less druggy and more drinky,
they were a 2 fingers up cartoon band even then but that was the fun spirit to a 15 year old. The records I loved most in '77 were pretty much
anything that was hard and fast and on 7" (that was probably when I fell in love with collecting vinyl) even The Ramones never appealed to me as an album band
but I hardly played them so my Punk LP's are still in lovely condition.
The first band I saw live were Queen but swiftly moved onto all the guitar bands like Vibrators, Generation X, Eater, Penetration, Damned etc but never saw the Pistols/Clash

[the science eel]

The Damned were awful tho' weren't they? A really shit band.

Pistols
Clash
Buzzcocks



Ramones
Undertones

X-Ray Spex


Adverts





Dead Kennedys



Damned

[armful]

my heart said Sex Pistols back then but the reality was probably The Damned for being easier to see live and less druggy and more drinky,
they were a 2 fingers up cartoon band even then but that was the fun spirit to a 15 year old. The records I loved most in '77 were pretty much
anything that was hard and fast and on 7" (that was probably when I fell in love with collecting vinyl) even The Ramones never appealed to me as an album band
but I hardly played them so my Punk LP's are still in lovely condition.
The first band I saw live were Queen but swiftly moved onto all the guitar bands like Vibrators, Generation X, Eater, Penetration, Damned etc but never saw the Pistols/Clash

I've never been able to get into the clash or the Ramones. My faves from that era are the Pistols the Buzzcocks and the Jam had a few good singles . from across the pond the Modern Lovers are my fave 70s punk band , but they came out a little too early for the bandwagon

[armful]

The Television personalities also had some good tunes

[armful]

I also love Steve Jones post pistols band the professionals

https://youtu.be/wUHcmVe687I

[Head Gardener]

Steve Jones' book Lonely Boy and Viv Albertines' Clothes, Clothes, Clothes... are essential Punk reading though Steve's book is a bit of a shocker about his early years

[armful]

Steve Jones' book Lonely Boy and Viv Albertines' Clothes, Clothes, Clothes... are essential Punk reading though Steve's book is a bit of a shocker about his early years

I got lonely boy for Christmas, read it in two days very good, as you say pretty dark

[Dead Soon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWHgcBIqdJ8

It's this one, right?

The Vibrators - Baby Baby. It's fucking perfect. The completely unpolished production, untrained vocals and a guitar riff that radiates nostalgia and a longing yearning. Maybe a bit too long, a lovely 3:41 minute song could become an incredible two and half minute song, but otherwise it's a gem.

[the science eel]

Great but a bit slow for punk

[Dr Rock]

The Damned were awful tho' weren't they? A really shit band.

Pistols
Clash
Buzzcocks



Ramones
Undertones

X-Ray Spex


Adverts





Dead Kennedys



Damned

I'd say they've maintained the most loyal following of all the punk bands (or possibly The Ramones but it's hard to tell with all the people wearing their t-shirts that don't even listen to them - and hey, where's that footnote button gone? And the Spoiler one is missing). Can't see how you could listen to their varied back catalogue and call it shit. You probably haven't even heard Strawberries!

[the science eel]

Ho hi ave!

[neardark]

Basketcase

[armful]

Basketcase

I actually  like   Basketcase

[kngen]

Machine Gun Etiquette is a masterpiece.