GI

It is definitely a punk rock album but not a good one. I don't think I needed to listen to this and I don't have a need to listen to it again.

Another one of these 'influential but not actually entertaining to listen to' ones

Proof that music is whatever people will make and whatever other people will listen to, everything else is extra.

Awesome punk album. Crazy that it was made in '79. Wonderfully produced, every instrument comes in clear, while still being chaotically punk.

A blast of self-lacerating L.A. punk in its original glory, (GI) is simply classic; a commanding, rampaging sneer at everyone and everything infused with a particular, disturbed vision. Said vision belongs to Darby Crash, whose proclivities for charismatic manipulation were already well established before he fully spelled them out in lyrics like "Lexicon Devil," here featuring in a re-recording, and "Richie Dagger's Crime." His David Bowie worship was also paramount -- "Land of Treason," "Communist Eyes," and "Strange Notes" are just three numbers featuring his transformation of the apocalyptic aesthetics of albums like Diamond Dogs and Station to Station toward more brutal ends. Practically speaking, his snarling star quality comes through more than his words, but it's more than enough on that front. Pat Smear has an equal claim to being the album's star, though, and for good reason -- not only did he co-write everything, his clipped, catchy monster riffing was as pure punk in the late-'70s sense as anything, wasting no time on anything extraneous. Lorna Doom and Don Bolles keep up the side as a kickass rhythm section, Bolles in particular making a good mark in the first of his many drumming stints over the moons. Joan Jett's production got knocked at the time for perceived thinness, but she and engineer Pat Burnette actually did a great job at recording the band with crisp, strong results. The notorious closing number, "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)," makes for a nicely balanced contrast to the 42-second opener, "What We Do Is Secret." While the latter song is pure hyperspeed, Crash sounding like he's about to run out of breath on the shout-along chorus, "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)," recorded at a club gig, shows how the Germs could (quite intentionally) tick off an audience via long, meandering numbers if they so chose.

the fucking worst noise i’ve ever listened to.

I’m double vaccinated so didn’t think I’d have to put up with Germs. My first reaction was this sounds very basic and I can't understand the lyrics but the same could be said for The Clash's 1st album (which I rated 5) so I thought I should give it a chance. I looked up the lyrics to a few songs (including Communist Eyes and Lexicon Devil). Lexicon Devil seems to be about a dictator (possibly Hitler); it’s not necessarily taking a positive view but not taking a negative one either. The lyrics coupled with the violence incited at their concerts indicate that Darby was a nihilist. (I haven’t heard anyone being called a nihilist since The Big Lebowski). I immediately booked my booster shot so this is hopeful the last of the Germs showing up.

Germs are a 70's hardcore punk band. Super fast and thrashy like punk should be, but I haven't got a baker's fuck of an idea what the lead singer is saying. It's exactly what you expect from a good punk band. Hard, fast sloppy, and unforgiving. I realised while listening through the album that one of their songs "Lexicon Devil" was featured on the Radio station Channel X on GTA 5. I couldn't remember where I heard it before until I looked it up. Punk is a weird genre. Each song ranges from 1-2 minutes in length, and never overstays its welcome. That is, except for the last song on the record, which is almost 10 minutes long. Overall, a perfectly fine punk record from the roots of the genre. Nothing really to write home about, but not bad at all. Favourite songs: Lexicon Devil Least favourite songs: Shut Down (Annihilation Man) 3/5

The snobs who don't get punk won't like this, but this is terrific for those who do. It's raw and hard hitting. It's the kind of album that really helped define the genre. It's too bad we never got another album.

If aliens landed on earth, came to me and said you have one chance to choose the most perfect example of a punk rock album or we'll turn the Earth into a smoking barren wasteland, this is the album that I would confidently choose.

Not unlistenable, but not my style.

A mad band, though only the rhythm section benefits, musically speaking. Hardcore moves fast enough that misses and hits are obvious; Remarkably, Germs veers back and forth between success and failure in the space of seconds. Repeatedly. This is a remarkable set to have captured on wax. The bass and forward momentum carry a listen or two and one hopes there are grimy depths to plumb.

File under B for "Bitchin"

One of my favorite albums of all time by one of my favorite bands. There's no denying the songwriting here is great - the songs all have great melodies and the lyrics are clever and poetic in a good way. I would even say Darby was one of the best lyricists in punk, maybe music in general. The music is also great, very catchy, fast enough, energetic and short as it should be. I'll admit I often skip Shut Down, but it's not actually a bad song. All in all, an absolute masterpiece.

My knowledge of The Germs up until now was limiting to knowing they were featured in Penelope Spheeris' film The Decline of Western Civilization, and that they were a hardcore band. Shamefully, despite their importance to the hardcore scene, GI isn't on Spotify. GI doesn't sound like a band that barely knew how to play their instruments when they were formed. For punk, this is not simple music. Compositionally, it has more in common with the Pixies than the Clash. There are start and stop rhythms, odd time signatures, and the chord sequences are not the standard I, IV, V beloved by punk bands everywhere, and all of this is played at breakneck speed, with energy to match. It would be tempting to lay this at the feet of guitarist and co-composer Pat Smear, who later went on to tour with Nirvana, but the truth is that bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Don Bolles match him step for step. They're a damned good rhythm section. As for frontman Darby Crash, he sustains a near inhuman level of energy, even if you can hardly understand a word he screams/sings. I feel like I'm not doing a very good job of explaining how good this band is. The thing is, Smear writes really strong riffs and instrumental hooks, and there's a wide range of stylistic variety for hardcore punk. It's just a shame you can't understand what Crash is saying and that he isn't technically a strong singer. Also, as fun as GI is, it starts to wear you down after four or five songs and there's sixteen tracks! At a mere 38 minutes, GI feels really long, even punishing. One last thing I should mention. Joan Jett (yes, that Joan Jett) does a great job of producing, imparting GI with a clarity of sound that reveals that the Germs were not just mindless hardcore punk thrashers.

There's just something about this album... Its attitude, its strength, its lyrics... it is one-of-a-kind indeed... and jewel of the crown of US punk

An important album for LA/hardcore punk, and it still sounds great and powerful

Great classic punk.

No need for a coffee wake-me-up this morning. "(GI)" is the only studio album from the LA punk band The Germs and it is often considered the first full hard-core punk album...GI standing for Germs Incognito. Oh, and it rocks in a pretty relentless way. The album was produced by no other than Joan Jett as the band were big fans of The Runaways. The band consisted of the charismatic (in a hardcore punk way) lead singer Darby Crash, Pat Smear (guitar, he might have been in a few subsequent bands), Lorna Doom (bass) and Don Bolles (drums). The music is pretty much straight-forward hard-core punk..the musicians are top-notch for what they are playing and Darby is unique with his sneer and lyrics. And the lyrics appear to be pretty autobiographical and sometimes political although I'm not sure if it's serious or tongue and cheek or both. This music is very influential; I hear early Husker Du and just about every other hard-core punk band. The album kicks off and the stage is set with the 43 second "What We Do Is Secret." Here's the Incognito. "Communist Eyes" is just a great hard-core song..thumping bass, Smear's guitar, Darby's sneer. Seeing through the Communist eyes. Hard to tell if he's serious or not but he compares it to a double-edge sword and suppression. "Lexicon Devil" might be their biggest song. Kind of a classic rock guitar riff. Has to be autobiographical with a leader making people believe anything with words. "Manimal" is slower and more in the heavy metal category, at least in the beginning. Humans have the power to nature and destroy. The second side starts with "Media Blitz" and comments on media control. "The Other Newst One" is the closest thing to a pop song. It's slower..very Ramones-esque. The band goes horror and Black Sabbath at the end with "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)." This nine-minute long song was recorded live in the studio. Darby brings all his evil out and comments on Joan Jett, Sid Vicious and a lot more. An appropriate way to the end. The first time I came across The Germs was in the film "The Decline of Western Civilization" which prominently featured Darby Crash. I think I went immediately out and tried to find a Germs' album. I need to watch this again. (GI) is a great and influential album. I actually think The Germs were one of the highlights of western civilization in the 20th century...there was a lot worse.

4.5 The Ramones may have invented punk, but The Germs invented hardcore... and the genre owes so much to them for it. It's not for everyone, but man it's for me - I couldn't help but bang my head along even though I was working in the office while listening. Darby Crash is an all-time great punk vocalist (RIP) and Pat Smear (later of Nirvana/Foo Fighters fame!) an all-time great guitarist. Would have loved to mosh to these guys. It's really all killer, no filler here - just 38 minutes of raw, uncut punk. Yeah, not the most versatile record to exist, and maybe some songs blend together, but dammit I had a great time with every single track. Special shoutout to Lexicon Devil for being one of the greatest punk songs ever written. Would listen again in a heartbeat... though probably need to take a minute to calm my anarchical urges. Favorite songs: Liked them all, but love Lexicon Devil

Over forty years old and still sounds fresh.

Raw, sneering, blistering, hyper-paced, classic punk album. The lyrics are pretty impossible to fully discern by ear but surprisingly smart and eloquent. It's incredibly biting political and social commentary, some of the best. Listen, the go read the lyrics to catch the full measure of what this band was about. Album is not on Spotify, go to YouTube. Fave Songs: Our Way, We Must Bleed, Media Blitz, The Other Newest One, Land of Treason, Strange Notes

The newest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - PAT F’N SMEAR!!!!!! Great album with lots of punk rock anthems. Best when kept short and sweet. I liked the 8 minute Shut Down track but it did feel like it took some unnecessary detours Fave tracks: “Lexicon Devil” “Communist Eyes” “Richie Dagger’s Crime”

This one made me laugh out loud from the nostalgia of hearing early punk rock! I do not think I have ever heard any of these songs before - the Ramones, Clash, and Dead Kennedys were more on my radar. The pace is relentless - reminding me of why punk is best served in small doses. If you are into punk this one probably rates higher for you. For me, well not so much - once the nostalgia wore off, the screaming continued.

Les Minutemerde ont encore échoué dans leur couverture, on les reconnait immédiatement.

Nee...

Props to this list for having the US alternative to the Sex Pistols. I like both bands (as I would have back then).

Shout out Pat Smear

First full-length hardcore punk album?? That's HUGE!

Just like every single punk album should sound like. Raw, hard, pissed, short songs, angry, mosh pit igniter, jumpy, This is an amazing album for the punk genere. Im giving it a well deserved 5 star rating. On a side note the guitar player pat smear has the worst luck ever. Germs disbanded after a bandmates suicide and the. He joined Nirvana as a touring memeber and we all know how that ended up.

Absolutely one of the best and most important to the scene

Incredible hardcore/punk album. Absolutely rips.

Fantastic. A band that I have heard a lot about over the years but have not listened to.

The quintessential snotty punk album. It never lets up. Killer riffs throughout too.

One of the better L.A. hardcore albums, in large part due to Joan Jett’s production.

The album that spawned an entire genre, this album is all killer no filler. Pat Smear’s howling guitars, the super tight rhythm section and Darby Crash’s vocals are absolute assault on the ears.

This album was the birth place of a lot of the punk/hardcore I love. Crazy they sound like this so early and how many bands sounded like them for so long.. Great stuff and great pick.

Genre defining hardcore punk record by a legendary band headed by a central figure of the scene. RIP Darby Crash.

Just a great loud punk record. I was thinking about listening to this when it came up on the feed.

Loud and in your face. Darby Crash's lyrics are some of the best in punk. And Pat Smear's guitar work is really good here, too. This is a great example of late 70s punk/hardcore.

Loved it, exactly my kind of thing

What I needed to hear today!

Had to back and relisten to the Lost Notes podcast on John Lennon and Darby Crash ahead of putting this on today. So good. Ironic that I got this the day after McCartney. It does kind of eulogise Crash's death by overdose/suicide as a somewhat romantic tragedy however, but it's a good story. The album I didn't actually expect to enjoy that much, from the snippets I'd heard prior, muddy recordings of the chaotic live gigs with Crash snarling and gnashing over the top, thought it would be more of a mood than actually good. But holy hell, there's a lot of riffs going on if you listen, Pat Smear fully deserves equal kudos for this. Too much punk, especially hardcore, just thrashes through the same simple riff for 2 minutes and calls it a job. Not so here, there's loads going on. Banging.

awesome addition to this era of punk. Probably the closest thing to bad brains I've heard without it being bad brains. AND I FUCKING LOVE BAD BRAINS!!!!!!

classic

cool

legendary vocal performance, for sure influenced Attila Csihar decent/strong 9

YES! I've never heard this band but was so nice to get some legit punk on here.

YESSSS

Excellent

Yeeeeees!

Great classic punk

A proto-hardcore classic

5 Absolute quintessential punk fucking rock. Lexicon Devil is what got me started (s/o THUG2) and I’ve listen so many times since. Top shit

germs!

One of my favorites albums of all time

👍🏼👍🏼

Hard punk f******

Classic album. If only Darby lived.

Punk as fuck. Media blitz and lexicon devil are the stand outs. The 9 minute closing song was unnecessary.

4/5

Banger old punk record

A US band playing bona-fide punk? (not "punk" like Billy Idol or Blondie) With an album cover that would not be out of place in the house or techno section of a record shop? Brilliant!

If you want a punk album, this is it. Rough, shouty vocals, short songs, musical errors, discordant, not really polished in any way. We get a full punk aesthetic, almost 40 minutes of tension and inspiration to mosh. This isn't pre punk, or post punk, this is the real thing. The lyrics are political, rebellious and powerful. Overall, not my personal style, but if we are music completionists, we have to experience punk. And I am growing to it as I finish the album. Powerful and addictive. We will Bleed begins to allow us to hear the music, and we get that more through the magnificent bass in Shut Down. I appreciate Joan Jet's work here, and I appreciate the influence this movement had on later music. Thanks, yall. 4/5

I have already heard this a bunch of times and enjoyed but but my 5 year old Was on the car while I was listening and he loved it

4/5

I was honestly surprised by how cool this was.

Energizing!

A polished Pistols with a cleaner sound but less anger.

A solid punk album. One that I've been meaning to listen to for 30 years and bow I have.

4.4

Has a weird sound, even for early hardcore, but still very enojayable.

GI is definitely a guilty pleasure album of mine. It is often regarded as one of the first hardcore punk albums to ever come out and it is pretty good for holding that honor. The music definitely is chaotic but is also fun to listen to and never got very annoying even with the final song's piano work. The lyrics and vocals also are incredibly stupid but its not the cringy kind of stupid but rather, the fun and endearing kind of stupid and they fit the rhythm of the songs well. I really liked the fast pace of the album too which always made sure to keep me on my toes. This is a fun album that is pretty deserving of a 3.5 Best Song: Media Blitz Worst Song: Our Way

You know, the albums that get lower ratings here because they’re noisy or not pristinely produced or not mainstream enough or whatever…those are the exact albums that a lot of the users here actually need to hear. Otherwise, this list is just a vehicle to reinforce the status quo… Oh, you think Abbey Road is a 5 star record? And Rumours, too? Holy shit, tell me more. Wait, let me guess…you also love Led Zepplin IV and think In the Court of the Crimson King is the greatest prog album ever made. Of course you think those things, because you’ve been told for the decades that they are the height of recorded medium. You might think you have good taste, but the truth is, you just have someone else’s taste. Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have to put these egg whites in my hair and style it into liberty spikes.

Good solid punk album.

while i know many will dismiss this album as “unlistenable”, it is important to note that punk music by its very nature is not intended to be accessible to a mass audience. fascinating listen. while darby crash had admittedly mostly indecipherable lyrics, they somehow fit into the chaotic music around him. the punk energy is palpable on this album; it grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. the most fascinating thing about this band, however, has to be the fact that somehow guitarist pat smear eventually ended up in one of the biggest bands of the modern era, the foo fighters. highlights: “what we do is secret” “richie dagger’s crime” “manimal” “the other newest one”

Normally I look up the album wiki and read about the artist before I listen, but today I just went straight into the album as I left for work. My first though was 'I'm not in the mood for punk today' but by the time I got to work I was enjoying it. Like usual, never heard of the artist but I'll listen again,

Loud, raucous and energetic! Raw punk from the origins.

This album is a mess of beautiful contradictions. Inaccessible, but inviting. Dirty and brutal, but fun and melodic. Terrible, but awesome. I think it’s fantastic. 4/5

Can't believe I have never heard of these guys.

Fuck. I needed this. Let's kick the shout outta Thursday morning, YEAH? Not an album I'm ever goign to buy, but the attitude and energy gives you a boost over crappy breakfast radio. Shut Down would sound GREAT just before the 8am news on Smooth Radio.

I can smell the smoke, whiskey and stale beer where this album was recorded. I can feel the crowded room and feel the bodies pushing me back into the circle pit. Hardcore punk never tickled me in the way that hardcore did but there is an undeniable breath of fresh air and authenticity to these wacky kids from the 70's.

Really surprised by this one. Now I understand the punks in school

Thought I hadn’t heard this before, but I actually knew and already liked a few songs off here. Good stuff, nice little old school punk record, too bad their run was stopped tragically short.

I listened to this album back in my early 20s and liked it alright then. I remember the songs being decent despite Darby's terrible vocals. It's less that his tone is bad (it is, but it's punk so whatever), but that he seems to lag the music. Anyways, I guess I care less about that now, because I enjoyed it. 3.75/5

Like Minor Threat, I have their complete discography release, so I spun that instead. Incredible punk, highly recommended. B+

So many punk acts burned brightly for a record and then were gone. I hadn’t heard this before but really enjoyed.

Not a ton to say other than I think this album rocks as much as I did the last time I heard it, which is a lot. Also: it’s really funny that it has sixteen songs, is only 38 minutes long, and the last song accounts for about 1/4 of the whole album. Every punk band should do that. Pad the total.

One of the ultimate "you have to know a guy" picks. My buddy will insist up and down that punk – *true* punk – has to be British. He might concede for this one.

This is so unhinged and I love it. Just some of the rawest, heaviest, no bollocks punk I have ever heard.

I hadn't heard this and only knew the band because their guitar player, Pat Smear, would later join Nirvana and later again, the Foo Fighters. This is really good punk. I usually prefer post punk or pop punk. But this is clear and raw. It's solid.

Great

Was not expecting this piece of hardcore punk history to pop up on the list! Germs held a nasty little spot in LA punk in the late '70s. Darby Crash was a messy son of a bitch that died of heroine overdose in 1980, effectively ending the band. His antics causes Germs to be blacklisted from the LA club circuit so they effectively had no other way of playing live by 1979. While not quite at the levels of the Big 4 of hardcore punk, Germs give the genre a much-needed speed boost before thrashcore began to take root. GI is messy just like Darby Crash and it's always on the move. This is about as manic as it gets. The album plays out pretty well and then all of a sudden Lexicon Devil! Where did this song come from? It's extremely well-constructed and distinct for it's songwriting. Nothing else on GI sounds like it and then we all move on because GI is about just hitting banger after banger. Germs had a reputation for their unhinged live shows and a portion of that definitely comes through on this album. This album is the definition of Live Fast Die Young and it's probably the best to ever do it like that. It ends on a mean, noisy, blues punk jam that toils for nearly 10 minutes but after the rest of the album I'd reckon they're allowed to do that. I like Germs. I like GI. I like hardcore punk. ◯

Everything punk should be, really. Direct, confrontational, authentic.

punky goodness. 4 stars.

From the minimalist cover to the crystal clear Joan Jett production, this is quite the unique punk album for a 1979 release. (GI) is dirty, gritty and at times perfectly ugly especially due to the sneering presence of Darby Crash. They’re overdoing it with the live version of “Shut Down (Annihilation Man)”, but other than that it’s just a fun ride. It’s no wonder Pat Smear went on to become a touring member of Nirvana with a calling card like this.

I didn't enjoy this on my first (and focused) listen. For various reason the pretty short album kept repeating for the next hour and a half while I worked, and this really turned the experience around. The energy alone gives a few stars, and by the third time round I caught myself thinking "that's neat" at a few points. I'll never be a big fan of punk, but this album turned out to be fairly enjoyable.

Short, punchy, raw punk. Loved it

this is the type of music I need to listen to when I study... bc if its anything else I can't focus on my work. for studying to 8/10, would I listen to this otherwise, absolutely not but sticking w/ 8/10

I like punk.