Spinner.com just posted a listing of their picks of 20 Bad Songs by Good Bands, and I was a little amazed by what they picked. Mixed in with some understandably bad tunes like “Beth” by Kiss were some definite masterpieces by some great punk bands.

For example, “I’ll Be You” by The Replacements came it at number 9, under attack for its college radio-friendly format and TV-friendly video. Despite it being somewhat of a departure for the band, it wasn’t a bad song. In fact, it was well crafted and fun, a probably one of their better tunes.

The same can be said for the Beastie Boys’ “Brass Monkey.” Spinner called it “annoying,” when really it’s anything but, despite the number of times the track gets looped on parties or college radio. This is the type of criticism dropped by the sort of music writer who says that Paul’s Boutique was the best Beasties record because they were told that’s what they’re supposed to say.

The list’s biggest travesty, however, was in their pick for #1. They went for the jugular by picking The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” essentially citing it for a lack of the political substance typical of releases by the band. This may be so, but it ignores the fact that, like “I’ll Be You,” a departure from a group’s standard fare does not a bad song make.

It’s not like I think The Clash is above criticism; I would have gone for the dreary “Lost In The Supermarket” over Spinner’s choice, or one of several songs off Sandinista! that really missed their mark. Simply calling a song “bad” because it’s too radio friendly or not political enough smacks of pretension, not legitimate musical criticism. It’s the sort of thing one would expect from a writer who pretends that Radiohead and Oasis aren’t annoying.

If it had been my list, I would have slipped few punk gems in there, too. The Ramones are not above reproach; “Pet Sematary” could easily have gone in there for its bad lyrics (bad even for the Ramones) as well as the fact that it tied in to a Stephen King movie – an awful one at that!

They also avoided the monumental task of going after bands that were once good, but went on to produce drivel. I’m not just talking about all the Green Days and Blink 182s that started out as good pop punk bands before moving on to catering to 13-year-old girls and Top 40 Radio; I’m also referring to later-career slumps hit by bands like Siouxsie And The Banshees and Buzzcocks, when it seemed like maybe they needed to take time off before recording that record.

Honestly, it may come down to a lack of opinion, but really, their justification for classifying some of their picks as “bad” didn’t seem very, well, justified. If you’re interested in reminiscing about some other tunes that are actually bad, you can see the list here.

What do you think? Who are some punk bands you’ve dug who’ve managed to let you down with a song or two, or even an entire album or career slump?