1. New York Dolls - "Trash" (1973)
Photo (c) Nicole Lucas
Taken from their self-titled debut, "Trash" is a revved up glam track that paints a clear picture of the punk sound that was about to explode in New York.
2. Patti Smith Group – “Gloria” (1975)
“The Punk Rock Poet Laureate,” Patti Smith was more innovative for her style and attitude than her sound. Musically, Smith performed her poetry in front of amateurish musicians who played improvisational jazz and primitive rock. It was this DIY attitude that made her a part of the punk scene, playing at CBGB with Television and the Ramones. Her refusal to use sex appeal to promote herself was also influential on countless female punk musicians.Her 1975 debut, Horses, was innovative and well received, hitting the Top 50 despite almost no radio play. The first track, a raucous, bluesy take on Van Morrison’s “Gloria” is infused with the attitude she was going for, taking a party song and making it both high and lowbrow at the same time.
3. Ramones - "Blitzkrieg Bop" (1976)
On a list of essential songs by New York punk bands, the Ramones are of course a gimme. The tough call is which song to choose. The music critic could go pretentious and go with a lesser known song, but I don't think that gives enough credit to "Blitkrieg Bop," the band's first single. Sure, everybody knows it, but there's a reason: it's built around three simple chords and the cry of "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!" which has become a rallying cry for punk rock in the U.S. and around the globe.4. Television – “Marquee Moon” (1977)
Another early punk band from the New York scene, Television never got the notice they deserved until much later, when they came to be widely acknowledged as heavily influential to punk music worldwide. In addition to influential sound, they helped create the live music scene. They were the band who convinced CBGB's owner Hilly Kristal to host live performances at the now-legendary club, and were the first band to play there.The band is well known for their intricate interlocking guitar harmonies, where the lead guitar wasn’t intended to overshadow the rhythm guitar. “Marquee Moon,” the 10-minute title track from their debut album, exemplifies this rich guitar sound that’s incredibly complex for an early punk band.
5. The Dictators – “Master Race Rock” (1975)
Another band that never got the recognition at the time, the Dictators went on to be widely influential to punk, not just for its sound, but for its fresh irreverent attitude, and often the refusal to take itself seriously.Taken from 1975’s The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, “Master Race Rock is great portrayal of punk’s evolving attitude. It’s funny, and captures the band’s mantra in the line, “We're the members of the master race. Got no tact, and we got no taste.” In a nutshell, that sums up the direction punk music was headed.
6. Richard Hell and the Voidoids – “Blank Generation” (1977)
After leaving Television, Richard Hell went on to front another band. Taking the sounds he had developed with Television, he continued to employ sharp intricate guitar sounds, technically more proficient than many of the early three-chord punk bands.The title track, “Blank Generation” was intended to be a response to the Who’s “My Generation,” but it also ended up spawning a name and attitude that would be often applied to the punk scene. With the chorus “I belong to the blank generation and I can take it or leave it each time,” the song helped put words to the general apathy and nihilism that would be prevalent in much of the punk scene with the onset of the ‘80s and the Reagan Administration.
7. Reagan Youth – “New Aryans” (1984)
Reagan Youth was a band that often caused an uproar with their appearance by those who weren’t aware of their beliefs. The band often employed Nazi and Klan-related imagery, but it was part of the irony of the band’s political stance. They were actually a heavily political socialist and anti-racist band that toured heavily with the all-black DC hardcore band Bad Brains, as well as with the Dead Kennedys.A trademark song for Reagan Youth, “New Aryans” placed the bands ideology in just a few lines: “A final solution for all new Aryans/ Death to the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan!/ Anarchy in the fatherland!” The fact that this message was wrapped up in a great punk tune made it a powerful anti-racist anthem.
8. Murphy’s Law – “A Day In The Life” (1986)
When the New York hardcore movement was getting up and running in the ‘80s, Murphy’s Law was at the forefront, but they did things a little differently. They shared the same hardcore stylings with their fellows, but were at the same time a little more laid back.Along with fast heavy tunes, they were not afraid to be a little laid back, and when many other hardcore bands were blasting out sociopolitical street anthems, Murphy’s Law would often rather get the party started, as is evident in “A Day In The Life,” a California-influenced tune from 1986’s self-titled album.
9. Youth Of Today – “Youth Of Today” (1985)
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Murphy’s Law were Youth Of Today. Actually hailing from Connecticut but getting lumped in the New York Hardcore, Youth Of Today not only played traditional hardcore lyrics, they were also a straightedge band – one that was coming out as older straightedge bands were falling to the wayside.Their self-referential “Youth Of Today” is a hardcore anthem, a rallying cry to jumpstart the straightedge movement, summing up their attitude with an attack on the punk rock scene with the line “live fast die young was just a fad for a bunch of losers who didn't take care.”
10. The Toasters – “Mr. Trouble” (1987)
New York also was a city on the forefront of the Third Wave of ska, most heavily with the Toasters, now one of the longest running ska bands in the states (albeit with only one original member).1987’s Skaboom! is considered by many to be the origin of modern ska in the United States. After you give one listen to the sweet groove on the ska classic “Mr. Trouble,” you’ll understand why.
