I could literally pick 20 of their songs. Before these guys it was Rock Vs Disco and Disco Vs Rock after them it was Disco Rock and everybody else Vs us LOL we all owe these guys!!! I can't honestly remember the first time I saw them. I think it was at a loft party. I was good friends with them, my aunts went to the same high school. They showed the world that a bunch of poor glue huffing kids with no hope from nowhere could change the world!!!! They took music away from the Virtuosos and the Rock stars and gave it back to the kids! They proved that you can take 3 or 4 notes and write a fucking classic that can stand the test of time for ever and ever!!!! God Bless the RAMONES!!!! That's right! Punk Rock started in QUEENS NY!!!!! Love UK Punk Love the MC 5 and the Stooges etc but Punk Rock started in Queens ;) If you never saw it check out Ramones Live in London at the Rainbow 1977 that was a game changing gig!!!!! Every big Punk band from the UK was at that show and they all walked away like DAMN!!!!!!!
One of the things I love about these guys is that they were always changing and they didn’t stick to the same repeat cycle over and over that most bands do. Out of all their records Damned Damned Damned and Machine Gun etiquette are my absolute favorite. The first lineup was unstoppable. I love the way Brian James played guitar on it but then the captain came in and turned it to another level. The captain is One of my favorite guitarists of all time. I’m lucky to have played with these guys back on the machine gun etiquette tour and recently four times with the Misfits. I have some great stories about these guys. Love the Damned Damned Damned!!! For life life life!!!
I picked that song cause it was the first one i heard. Their first two albums are two of the greatest albums by one of the greatest punk bands ever. These guys changed my life in so many ways, especially by the way they treated me. It was life-changing. It meant a lot to me to meet some of my musical heroes and for them to treat me the way they did granted I was a kid. But that meant a lot to me and is the reason why I’ve always taken time to talk to fans and sign whatever they need and treat them with the respect that those guys treated me cause I know how much it means. Of course these days that opens a lot of doors to a lot of asshole encounters and weird shit but what can you do LOL things have changed a lot since those days . I have some great stories about these guys. Some of them are in my book.
Stevie Wonder Music in the key of life and Herbie Hancock Secrets and Headhunter were the first three albums I purchased with my own money. Still love them. Then came Punk Rock!!! ;)
23. JIMMY CLIFF - THE HARDER THEY COME
One of the first albums I ever owned. I still love it and listen to it regularly.
24. BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - LIVELY UP YOURSELF- LIVE AT THE PAVILLON DE PARIS, 1977
One of the albums I have spun more times than any other in my life. I was listening to this album when I was a little kid way before punk rock was even a thought and I still play it often.
25. AGNOSTIC FRONT - VICTIM IN PAIN
In my Not so humble opinion this is the Best NYHC album. It is Pure Hardcore done New York style. What we did was a little different. They along with bands like the Mob the Influence and others were some of the real pioneers of NYHC and although I had been in bands a little longer they really set the pace for NYHC. Then Cro-Mags came and took it to another place that first generation of NYHC bands had a lot of diversity each had their own style but the majority of the bands that followed them were copycat bands trying to sound like other HC bands . AF had their own thing and have kept it going. RESPECT.
26. COCKNEY REJECTS - BAD MAN
OK Sham 69 was definitely the precursors to Oi and they’re definitely one of my favorite Punk bands from back then. Tell us the Truth is a fucking classic, but in my NOT so humble opinion the Rejects were the first and the best Real Oi band ever and were one of my favorite bands of that era. Still have greatest hits volume one and two and all of the singles. Real street Punk with a boot boy attitude!!!
27. DEAD BOYS - SONIC REDUCER
This was one of the first real Punk bands I saw at CBGB also one of my first Punk albums (Thanks mom). They did two sets,and at the end of the first set Stiv hoisted himself up by his ankles with a rope or a noose and kept dropping himself on his head onto broken glass. I think he had to get stitches. For the second set he also threw a open jar of bugs into the crowd which had bolted seats all the way up to the front of the stage back then it sent all these people scrambling who had just came in to see a show but didn't know what they were gonna see. Lol some funny memories from that show and those days... First time I went to CBGB I was around 7. Great band, great album, insane times. I got some good Cheetah and Stiv stories.
28. SEX PISTOLS - HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN
Ok I know its Popular to talk shit about the Sex Pistols these days amongst "Punks" because of Johnny Rotten’s politics and Sid’s swastikas and so on. But the fact remains that Most Punk rockers worldwide especially the old school ones owe them their "Punk Rockness”. Yeah sure there were tons of great Punk bands but I don’t give a fuck what anyone says this album was the one that kicked the doors in on the world and taught it what Punk Rock was! And still to this day it is a great album with great production and great songs and i for one still LOVE the Sex Pistols and always will. Fuck everyone who hates on them. Try to do something as significant yourself and maybe i will give a fuck what you have to say until then not really. Thank God for this album I’m sorry I mean Thank the Sex Pistols for this album. It changed my fucking life!!! And i still have all their singles as well. Sex Pistols fan for life Fuck the shit talking posers out there go listen to Rancid or something LOL.
29. BAD BRAINS - I
This has to be the band and recording that did more for me then just about any other.for a number of reasons despite it being a four track recording it is in my NOT so humble opinion one of the greatest recordings of all time Shout out to Jay Dublee Aka Jerry Williams ,it is raw and perfect. its such a great mix of songs and they were like family to me I was there for those sessions they recorded them 2 blocks from my moms house and i tell you this growing up watching them play was one of the biggest inspirations to me ever. There are a lot of records that i love many genres many eras and styles all the classics that i love, the Clash Sex Pistols Coltrane Miles Marley even the Cockney Rejects You name it . But this one will always be up in the top somewhere.
30. MOTORHEAD - ACE OF SPADES
One of the albums that influenced my playing and style of writing the most. This along with Bad Brains Discharge etc were some of the main ingredients in my early music and still is to this day!!! Motörhead FOREVER!!!
31. VENOM - BLACK METAL
An absolute game changing record love love love this album!
32. BLACK SABBATH - INTO THE VOID
In my Not so humble opinion one of the greatest albums of all time!!!
33. MISFITS - HATEBREEDERS
There has to be Misfits involved!!! Love these guys since back in the day!!!! Was so honored that Glenn asked us to do 5 shows with them on their return shows. It was a blast!
34. JACOB MILLER, RAY I, INNER CIRCLE - WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
Jacob Miller Wish you an irie christmas.
35. BILLIE HOLIDAY - GOD BLESS THE CHILD
I could listen to her for hours!