Reviews (page 3 of 7)
É cool mas não estou na vibe
Now this is OG punk
Thrash Growl Rahhhhh!!! Good punk album; still feels fresh and full of energy.
It really sounds awful
Surprisingly enjoyable. Pat Smear is in the band! Interesting way to end most of the songs, they just kind of abruptly stop!
It sounds dirty and slimy but not in a way that made me think 'oh this rocks'
Historically significant, but musically I put this into the "had to be there at the time" category.
Better than the Sex Pistols. Still don’t really like punk.
2.7 3x
Listened previously. Expectations: Mid - Verdict: Good - What We Do Is Secret sets out the intentions of this album very clearly. Land Of Treason is a great energetic rager. The vocals are impossibly snotty and snarling throughout. I like the guitar on Manimal a lot. Shut Down is a sprawling, messy closer that reminds me of the influence of The Stooges on punk rock.
3 stars
Good
There is so much energy on this album. This is a band that demanded you see them live. If any of you have been to a punk show, you would get the whole thing. It is not swaying or polite movements. Raw and powerful. Make some noise. Move your body. In spite of punk making a living on short songs, the last song keeps threatening to break down. I can see why they ended their sets with this. I'm not going to mythologize this band but Darby Crash, the lead singer, has it. Charisma leaks out of this record. It is the beginning of the recording of hardcore and did enough to capture the spirit. I will give it a 3 though it is close to a 4.
Jorå! Verkar väldigt inflytelserik men nu kändes det inte så utstickande.
Ok important record, great to listen to? Not really
This was a better album than it should be. Darby's vocals get pretty bad at times, but the music is solid and the production elevated this from being as raw and unhinged as I was expecting..
Ok album. The last song dragged on a bit, but the rest moved along pretty quickly. 3.5/5
I know the punk community puts this up there as an all timer so maybe I just need more time with it but thought it was kind of a mess. I’m ok with raw but I wanted there to just be a little more melody or something…
This is so funny, the vibe is very much "look mom look look look we made a band!!"
Ok
I think this album appeals to me most in small doses, but I appreciate its place in the music landscape
I listened to this album as I danced through the parking garage, helping my coworker map out the cameras. Right from the jump, GI sounded pretty much like the platonic ideal of a blistering, rebellious punk album. Some portions of the album get so fast and unintelligible that they almost sound like metal music, and thus, GI has the same issue as a lot of metal albums for me: it's too fast and steady for me to latch onto any dynamics or movements. The rhythm just moves at a tempo I have a hard time vibing with, and that's not even considering how messy the vocals are. I find it near-impossible to decipher what's being said most of the time, and the incendiary lyricism is usually one of my favorite elements of punk. When I can't keep track of its messaging, it becomes difficult for me to stay engaged. This band also has one of my least favorite voices on the list so far, as my brain is simply unable to reckon with this level of slurred and garbled speech. I wholeheartedly respect and admire the punk energy on display from the Germs here, but no amount of ideological admiration can make up for how little this connects with me musically. Highlights: Lexicon Devil, Media Blitz, The Other Newest One, Shut Down (Annihilation Man)
I get the timing and influence of this album, but, the best I can do is a 3
Its okay, not a gleaming example of punk. I think Milo Goes to College or How Could Hell Be Any Worse? are way more worthy of a place on this list.
(GI) feels like an early step towards hardcore punk, but you can also hear traces of the jagged guitar sound that would later turn up in grunge and the alternative scene. Darby Crash’s snarling rants feel rooted in Sex Pistols/Ramones/Clash/Stooges punk, while Pat Smear’s guitar coupled with the rhythm section feels more like an early waypoint towards what Joey Santiago would later explore on Surfer Rosa. While it can feel like standard punk fare on the surface, as you progress through the album, you get more of a feel for the Germs’ LA punk art-damaged weirdness: a mixture of suburban nihilism, performance art, violence, and Hollywood sleaze. Songs that stand out are the uncharacteristically melodic “Richie Dagger’s Crime”, the very Pixies-esque “Strange Notes” and the freeform avant-garde “Shut Down (Annihilation Man)”. As I listen, I realise I’ve heard one of these songs before: cruising along the roads of Los Santos in a stolen car, Channel X blaring “Lexicon Devil” on the radio, most likely after I’ve enacted numerous random acts of nihilism. 3.5 stars
Fast, hard and to the point.
The vocals are definitely interesting, but unfortunately I think I dislike it more than I find it novel. The instruments sound good. I think the sound of the album is interesting, though probably not something I'd choose to listen to again.
what we do is secret이라는 곡이 너무 뜬금맞게 시작해서 뜬금맞게 끝나서 응잉?잉?엉 했다. 하드락...? 디게 원초적인 락하면 생각나는 느낌
True story, I was in my backyard listening to this and a squirrel took up a knife against a chipmunk. It made sense in the moment.
I never paid too much attention to American punk at this time: by 1979 here in the UK we'd moved on to a more interesting post-punk. I actually found this album fun to play, but remain a bit underwhelmed as to how essential it is.
At times a 4 and even a 5, I love early LA punk, but I guess I'm getting older and ended up at a 3. The 9:40 ending track didn't help. It would have been better with a 28:30 play time.
The music is pretty solid punk rock. Nice tone and mixing, good riffs, great energy. Darby Crash's voice is mostly not for me. Not a huge fan. "Lexicon Devil" was in some Tony Hawk game and I've loved it since then. I could kinda take or leave the rest of it. The music is nice but dragged down by the vocals.
Very good well produced angry punk. Something you’d hear odd Tony hawks pro skater
A few awkward cuts between songs; not sure if that was Spotify or what. Overall, pretty solid punk album!
These guys are the real deal. Doesn’t get much more punk than this
not the best export from punk
I welcome punk over a lot of the other drivel I've endured so far. Still, this ain't no Dead Kennedys. If one *must* hear punk, I'd nominate them or The Stooges over this. You don't really need much else to represent first-gen punk.
A fine punk album! Could have given it 4 stars too, but felt cranky today.
Un poil long pour autant de violence simpliste.
Nothing amazing but not bad either. I thought it actually got better and better as I progressed through the songs. Didn’t love the singer. Overall, don’t think there is anything really great or memorable here. Would much rather have seen Suicidal Tendencies’s self-titled album on this list.
Good punk, but somehow most of the bands sound sooo similar. For the history of punk a very important album so well worth being here on the list!
Groupe de punk rock Américain. Considéré comme le premier 'full length'' album hardcore punk rock. Leur seul album, car le chanteur est mort par suicide 1 an après la sortie de leur album. Grosse histoire intéressante autour du chanteur et même un film fait à cet effet. 16 chansons, 38 minutes, donc courtes chansons. Je comprends l'ambiance full length en l'écoutant. Les chansons se ressemblent toutes et on comprend pas toujours les paroles vu que le chanteur fait juste crier avec une voix un peu nasillarde. J'aime en général, mais je capote pas mettons.
Punky, energetic and raw, I liked how this album brought these things to their core and brought it out in every song on this album. I will say that it brought about shorter songs then I would like but I did enjoy how every instrument had its place in each track. 5.5/10, Favorite Song: Shut Down
No. 155 Germs is hardcore punk band. Super fast and thrashy like punk should be, but I haven't got an idea what the lead singer is saying. It's exactly what you expect from a good punk band.
Punk by people who can actually play their instruments. Good rhythm section. Can’t understand the lead singer half the time and his personal story is tragic. Good but kind of a downer. Better than the Pistols.
You caught me at a very punk time in my life
3 meno
I like punk but never really liked this album. Wild that Pat Smear and Belinda Carlisle were in the same band.
A glorious noise Raw and in your face! Not really my thing, but good to know its out there in the world
A reasonably solid three. I liked this, but not as much as some of its contemporaries.
I liked this more than I expected to based on what I knew of their music. Being produced by Joan Jett most certainly must have helped.
Had a lot of punch. Didn't really catch much of the lyrics. High 3
I’m not a mosh pit kind of guy, but I’d like to witness the pit at this show from a safe distance. I am a big fan of singers growling and shouting incomprehensibly over the top of manically crunching guitars with relentless pummeling bass and drums. This series of incredibly short punk songs are to my mind the quintessential punk sound, given this comes from 1979 I now know who was responsible for it! My main criticism is that the last third of this record really drags. For the first 11 songs it's a thrill ride, then from The Other Newest One onwards it felt like they had nothing new to say.
It’s not for me, i have trouble with the fascist symbolism and some of the lyrics and am not particularly game for contextualising it as early punk shock value, the music is good, i’m not big on the vocals but the guitar playing is excellent throughout and I definitely hear the influence in modern hardcore and hardcore emo artists i like - a 3 for me
This is great music to use to seriously thrash around the room if you're having a bad day. It doesn't always sound like they're playing well together, but hey, it's punk. I like the guitar playing, and then I read about the Germs and learned that this was actually Pat Smear!
i like the music but not the way he sings. i wish i could rate it higher fav song: Richie Dagger's Crime
Pretty decent album that could turn into a 4* with repeated listens
Its ok and my stlye of music, but i dont like what he does with his voice. Just kind of yelling to yell and im not really a fan of that. some good songs but others i could take off the album. They have a kind of Descendents speed and style but dont like these guys as i do Descendents. Didn't finish the album but don't think i was going to because i didn't enjoy it much. 3/5
It's as punk as punk can be. But that also means I don't need to listen to it more than once.
Decent punk album.
The beginnings of Pat Smear, Belinda Carlisle, and hardcore punk. Yes, as a punk album, it very clearly sounds like the beginnings. But it's polished and so, so influential. Influence 4. Hits 1. Quality 4. Intangibles 3. Don't hate or love it 3.
This is some great punk rock. It's barely controlled chaos. I'm glad it was pointed out to me check out the lyrics. Otherwise I would zero idea what I was missing. I wonder if I had ever seen them live if I would feel the same way.
I am sure this was groundbreaking at the time, just not my cup of tea.
I don't love the snotty punk singing style, but the songs are, and it pains me to use the word, catchy. High-tempo fun.
Its punk that's great but there's better
Pretty good
3.5
Pretty solid punk rock. Apparently it's the first punk rock record ever? Sounds like they already had the formula down.
Ordentliche Hardrockpower aus den 70er. Zeitlose Sounds zur Gartenarbeit oder Steuererklärung.
A Joan Jett production!
Important for its intersection of east coast hardcore and LA punk. Produced by Joan Jett? That's worth at least three stars.
Loud, energetic and pretty interesting. But no real standouts and a little raw for me.
Not sure. Came2 years after punk. So what is the interest ?
Short and not so sweet songs. That’s the great thing about punk songs is they are usually like 2min long. Couldn’t understand a single word. Every song sounded like the last. It’s probably on here for being one of the first of it’s kind but it just didn’t do anything for me. 5/10
Very fast paced and lots of energy. Didn’t dislike it but just lacked something that would’ve made me like it more
I have not heard of this band before but I read a little bit about them so I am definitely anticipating some punk rock. I also accidentally clicked on the reviews first and saw the ratings for this album are not that good. Track 1 was not that bad to be honest. This seems like punk I can get behind. The first three tracks have kind of sounded the same. I am feeling pretty indifferent about this album. I do not hate it but I do not love it either.
I gave it a 3 as musically was decent. It was a typical punk album, short intense songs. Some had better lyrics than others.
Good early American hardcore stuff, but not that interesting.
First time listening. Enjoyed the tight 70s punk sound - reminded me a bit of the Stooges (no bad thing). Saved Manimal for my playlist
Old hardcore punk album. I like it but I don't like, like it like it. but I get it
I'm not really into that kind of stuff, but I guess it's pretty good in the standards of the genre
I really like how this minimalist cover complements the one from yesterday’s “Ladies and Gentlemen…”. I like punk as a general rule and I enjoyed this at first, but past the halfway point, it started to feel a bit grating and I stopped paying as close attention to individual tracks. To be fair, I listened to this at the end of a long work day right before bed, which really isn’t the ideal setting for any hardcore punk album. 3
1979 is crazy (not a SP reference). Life-changing? No. Boost of energy? Yes.
First song clocking in at under a minute- check; 16 songs in about 38 minutes at an average length of 2 minutes each - check; loud, hard, aggressive punk- check. This checked a lot of boxes. Listening to this as I did while sweeping my driveway is possibly the most unpunk thing ever though. 3 out of 5 for this
Sure, I see some appeal here
Almost made my didn't listen to list but made it to the 3rd track which I liked. Then did some historical background on them and this inspired me to give it a total listen out of curiosity and there minimalistic musical approach. The songs are very short like from back in the early years of rock n roll.
Courtney: good, fun, a little repetitive Craig: I thought I would like it more.
Listenable but rather samey.
Punk is not in the usual rotation. Music is fun, pretty easy listening experience. His voice is a little rough
Basically the Ramones but better in every way: more aggressive, more raw, more punk. That being said, I'm just not a fan of 70s/80s punk. It's so...empty.
Don't mind a bit of skate punk and in fact recognise one of these tracks from an early 90s skate video. I get that its not for everyone and part of my rating is probably down to nostalgia....
it can lay as i sleep
Lowkey erratic.
This is heaving, sweaty, gasping for air music that luck and fortune seem to be owed for what was captured at all. Knowing the year and the sound is now a ominous tell in music history that the blueprint for so much punk and hardcore had arrived: it is an indispensable document of early Hardcore and West Coast punk. In the year of the release of '(Gi)', Germs were playing harder, faster, and closer to the razors edge of coherence than any of their contemporaries (except maybe Crass, in regards to speed and intensity, who released 'Feeding of the 5000' in the same year; the manifesto-punk aspect of their music seems to have forbade them from even thinking about the rolling snarls and slurred whips that Darby Crash blessed us with, however.) Even compared to the infinite number of Germs' hard-fast-loud successors there is a sonic quality of a searing exposed-nerve, un-numbed by drink and pill, that simply won't be replicated beyond '(Gi)' and the moments in which it was captured and released. That all being said, it is a punk/hardcore album, and how does anyone critically evaluate an album that lives in its flaws, and would not exist if it's seemed purpose was not to embody damage? As I work through this project of listening to one of 1089 (at last I checked, the total quantity following additions to new editions of the "1001 ATLTBYD" book) albums, daily, I knew sooner or later I would have to contend with the ugly chore of assigning an album to a hierarchy to one that it has no place being around in the first. I've been writing on some strategies and rationales for assigning star ranks to difficult-to-place music, and (grateful for the challenge) Germs' '(Gi)' has broken all my frameworks. Personnel-wise, while the lineup at the time of recording, as a whole were both individually and collectively extremely talented and creative, singer Darby Crash in particular was haunted by Heroin addiction. While addictions can play out as inward dramas, without many outside the afflicted's circle made aware, their own terrible modes of outward destruction, although less exposive, are not to be downplayed. To the members' credit, though when comparing modes of destruction to the toxic antics that more mainstream musicians were guilty of, Germs' were more food fight than actual fight. Of notable flaws, there is weird phasing on the drums, particularly heard in the cymbals, on “Manimal” and “Our Way”. 'm not sure if this was a production choice or an engineering misstep. The newscast samples on "Media Blitz" seem applied with the intention to be clever, but come off heavy handed and distracting. I love all the instruments. The playing is intense and relentless. Lorna Doom's restless and punchy bass provides unexpected melodic structure while sticking tightly with Don Bolle's whitewater rushing drums. Pat Smear's guitar breaths on top, in a balanced mix of weedwacker hammering and punctuation of sustained chord. There are moments where guitar growls and Darby are nearly indistinguishable. Does a punk album even want to be a five? I doubt Germs would have cared for a three. In some ways the historical significance and quality-within-the-context-of-genre defies the assumed goals of "(Gi)". My ranking is inherently pointless, but still needs to proceed. For all that, I fight against giving it a four and give it a three. Fun fact: Belinda Carlisle played drums for Germs, briefly.
some good guitar moments. i bet id tear it up live
I’ve always had a real soft spot for the Germs and Darby Crash. I remember first learning about them in college and just being taken by their story, their sad, tragic story. Darby, this messed up, probably queer, kid who had a rough life and who couldn’t sing a note, but had this whole inner world of turmoil and was so literate and complex and angry and philosophical. The lyrics of Germs songs, despite barely being comprehensible are so rich - not a lot of other contemporary punk bands could say that, imo. He was always hurting so much, and he extinguished his own flame far, far too young. 22. A baby. Pat Smear also incredible here. A virtuoso on the guitar. His sound is so solid and fun, and you can see how he went on to influence bands like Nirvana. Germs really hit me hard, man.
I always think hard-core is better live. Apparently this was not better live though, so idk.
I don’t really know what to make of punk. Is it good? Is it bad? This wasn’t as bad as some of the other punk on her, but equally wasn’t as good as some of the other punk on here. Middle of a very bumpy, pot hole-ridden road.
Interesting to listen to this so soon after Black Flag. I liked it more as a listening experience but not enough to earn it an extra star. I found the music and Crash's voice interesting. Manimal was one of my favorites.
Pretty good hardcore punk album. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I do believe this is an important record. Creating this kind of sound in the 1970s is wild. Solid 3/5
Standard punk not unenjoyable
ehhhhh
I think this might have just been noise. Some of it was enjoyable but it was overall chaotic nonsense.
Fine
Yesterday I had Television. Today Germs. Both late 70s, both American, both 'punk'. But worlds apart. One melodic, the other angry with short tracks that are generally cut off at the knees after 2 minutes. Sad to read that their leader went the same way as Sid Vicious. Chalk and cheese - but liked both the same. Great until the final track Shut Down which is just a total mess and makes this a 3
Okay kind of unenjoyable to listen to with earbuds on but if I was in some stinky dive bar and this band was playing I would definitely be into it so I have to consider that in my rating
Cool!
What makes this album so interesting is the fact that it may be the first album that can be properly labeled as 'Hardcore Punk'. If it isn't the first, it still is a pioneer of the genre. You have everything to expect from the style. Fast and pumping drums, noisy and distorted guitar riffs and bass lines, and screaming. There are also some melodic parts coming from both bass, guitar and voice that help to break a bit of the monotony of only playing fast riffs and yelling. And with that, I think I have described all the album. It is very simple in concept and ideas, but manages to be a solid experience with enough variation in its sound to not feel too repetitive.
Abrasive but a good listen that I'm glad I have listened to. Some solid riffs at times.
All these songs sound the same.
average punk record
Álbum bem Cru. Punk com qualidade. TRN Conch.
After the opening notes, I was, like, "Yeah! This kicks ass!" And it's fun, but... it's just 40 minutes of mostly the same. I love the energy, and it's good, but I don't consider it great. This deserves more than 3 stars, but I don't think it's quite 4, so rounding down in order to keep the group of 4+ star albums exclusive. (Not to even mention that I actually got bored and didn't finish the last few songs, which based on the number of Spotify listens, are not the best songs on the album.)
Medium well done punk, at its finest.
I thought it was ok. Eva said it sounded like gibberish.
Классика - самое то, чтобы давить хуесосов-байкеров и толкать мет 7/10
Sometimes there’s something amidst the chaos.
Decent 3,5
I was a huge fan of Punk when I was as a teenager and I probably would have loved this album if I heard it at the time. These days I can appreciate the music, but Darby’s voice is a little annoying to me.
2.5
The L.A. Hardcore scene definitely not my favorite flavor of punk. There's some cool riffs here, but it's a little one note and I wish it was a little more melodic. 3 stars.
Salut l'ami, c'est ton disquaire préféré (enfin, ex-disquaire, mais on ne se refait pas) qui reprend la plume. Aujourd'hui, on plonge la tête la première dans le cambouis californien, dans la crasse mythologique de la Cité des Anges qui n'avait d'angélique que le nom à la fin des années 70. On s'attaque à un monument, une pierre angulaire, un monolithe bleu qui trônait fièrement dans le bac "Punk US" de ma boutique entre un Black Flag et un Dead Kennedys : "GI" des Germs. Retour en 1979. J'avais 9 ans, je jouais aux billes, pendant que de l'autre côté de l'Atlantique, un type nommé Jan Paul Beahm, plus connu sous le pseudonyme ravageur de Darby Crash, décidait de saboter sa vie avec un panache qui ferait passer Sid Vicious pour un enfant de chœur sous Ritaline. Les Germs, c'est ça : l'urgence absolue, le nihilisme élevé au rang d'art contemporain, et une volonté farouche de ne pas dépasser les 25 ans. Alors, "GI" pour "Germs Incognito", c'est une pochette bleue, un cercle noir, simple, efficace, iconique. C'est le seul et unique album studio de ce groupe qui a pourtant marqué au fer rouge toute une génération de musiciens, de Red Hot Chili Peppers (qui ont sûrement trop écouté ça avant de faire n'importe quoi) à Nirvana. D'ailleurs, parlons-en de Nirvana car si tu aimes Kurt Cobain et sa clique, tu ne peux pas ignorer ce disque. Pourquoi ? Parce que le guitariste qui tricote ces riffs rapides et étrangement mélodiques n'est autre que Pat Smear. Oui, le grand dadais tout sourire qui a fini par gratouiller sur "MTV Unplugged in New York" et chez les Foo Fighters. À l'époque, il avait des cheveux, une attitude de voyou et il portait le groupe à bout de bras musicalement parlant, parce que Darby, soyons honnêtes, était souvent trop occupé à se rouler dans le beurre de cacahuète ou à se mutiler sur scène pour se soucier de la justesse. Ce qui sauve cet album du naufrage cacophonique total, c'est une marraine la fée inattendue : Joan Jett. Oui, la Joan Jett des Runaways, celle qui aime le rock'n'roll. Elle a produit cet album et franchement, elle a fait un boulot de dingue. Elle a réussi à canaliser (un peu) le chaos, à donner une épaisseur au son, un côté "mur de briques dans ta face" qui manque cruellement à beaucoup de productions punk de l'époque qui sonnent comme enregistrées dans une boîte de conserve via un talkie-walkie. Là, ça sonne avec la basse de Lorna Doom (meilleur nom de scène de l'histoire, on est d'accord ?) qui gronde comme un moteur mal réglé, la batterie de Don Bolles tribale, et la guitare de Smear qui tranche dans le vif. Musicalement, c'est quoi "GI" ? C'est 38 minutes de cavalcade. Ça démarre avec "What We Do Is Secret", et paf, tu as le mode d'emploi. C'est rapide, c'est hargneux, c'est sale mais attention, ce n'est pas du punk "no future" à l'anglaise, politique et social. Non, ici on est dans le "no future" personnel, existentiel. Darby Crash écrit des textes fascinants si on prend la peine de les lire (parce que pour les comprendre à l'oreille, bonne chance, le type chante comme s'il avait une patate chaude et trois Valium dans la bouche). Il y a une poésie bizarre, influencée par Bowie et Nietzsche, une obsession pour le contrôle et le fascisme esthétique (le "Circle One"), qui donne une aura un peu malsaine à l'ensemble. C'est ce qui me plaît, moi qui aime les trucs un peu tordus. Ici on n'est pas chez les Ramones avec leurs histoires de sniffage de colle rigolo car là, la colle, ils la sniffent pour oublier qu'ils sont en train de crever d'ennui sous le soleil de Los Angeles. Il y a des tubes, indéniablement, "Lexicon Devil", c'est l'hymne et si tu ne tapes pas du pied là-dessus, vérifie ton pouls. "Manimal", "Richie Dagger's Crime", c'est du solide et ça n'a pas "si mal vieilli". Pourquoi ? Parce que ça a inventé le Hardcore américain avant l'heure et sans les Germs, pas de Black Flag (ou pas comme ça), pas de scène californienne enragée. C'est la genèse du punk qui ne sait pas jouer mais qui a des choses à dire, ou plutôt à hurler. Mais alors, pourquoi seulement un 3/5 ? Pourquoi pas le panthéon ? Parce que, soyons réalistes deux minutes. C'est parfois brouillon, c'est parfois répétitif et surtout, c'est un album qui vaut autant pour sa musique que pour la légende morbide qui l'entoure. Si tu enlèves l'histoire de Darby Crash, son suicide planifié (le mec s'est injecté une dose létale d'héroïne pour devenir une légende immortelle... le 7 décembre 1980, la veille de la mort de John Lennon. Résultat : tout le monde s'en est foutu, personne n'a parlé de lui dans les journaux. Le timing le plus foireux de l'histoire du rock), si tu enlèves tout ce folklore, il reste un très bon album de punk, mais pas l'œuvre d'art absolue. Comparé à la complexité émotionnelle d'un "Closer" de Joy Division sorti un an plus tard, "GI" fait figure d'adolescent en crise qui casse sa chambre. C'est touchant, c'est puissant, ça défoule, mais ça tourne un peu en rond. Quand je bossais au magasin de disques, je conseillais cet album à deux types de clients : * Le gamin qui venait d'acheter "Nevermind" et qui voulait savoir d'où venait le "deuxième guitariste" de la tournée. * Le vieux punk aigri qui trouvait que The Clash, c'était "de la pop music pour vendus". Pour moi, qui me suis nourri au sein du post-punk et de l'indus, j'écoute "GI" avec une nostalgie bienveillante. J'aime l'énergie brute, j'aime le fait que Pat Smear y dévoile déjà un jeu de guitare qui n'est pas juste du bourrinage, mais qui cherche des harmonies tordues (écoute bien "Communist Eyes" ou "Land of Treason"). C'est là qu'on voit le lien avec ce que deviendra le rock alternatif des années 90. En résumé, ce 3/5 est justifié car c'est la note de l'honnêteté. On ne va pas crier au génie absolu juste parce que le chanteur est mort jeune et que le groupe est culte. C'est un disque charnière, un disque témoin, un disque qui sent la sueur, la bière tiède et le désespoir adolescent sous les palmiers. C'est une petite bombe, une grenade dégoupillée laissée sur une table de chevet. Ça ne va pas détruire l'immeuble, mais ça va faire un sacré désordre dans la pièce. Allez, je le remets sur la platine, juste pour entendre Darby bafouiller ses délires mégalomanes une dernière fois. "Gimme gimme this, gimme gimme that..." Repose en paix, l'artiste, même si ton plan de carrière post-mortem a été ruiné par un Beatles. C'est peut-être ça, le summum du punk : rater sa sortie avec autant de style.
Standard punk for me. Didn’t seem groundbreaking, but I guess it doesn’t need to be to be included on this list. Needs a few more listens.
Raw, loud, obnoxious Punk. Doesn't deserve them, but gets bonus points for invoking Tony Hawk's Underground 2 flashbacks.
Better than the Adverts. Not as good as fugazi or iggy
Possibly one of the best punk albums I’ve heard on here so far. Haven’t got a Scooby doo about what the singer is saying, but that’s probably for the best. Guitar work deserves the 3 stars all on its own.
Hm, not sure how to rate this one. I can't say I enjoyed it, exactly, though I can appreciate its place in history. It sounded surprisingly modern. Hardcore punk has never been my favorite. I like my punk with more melodies. But the music was often quite good, if sloppy. I see that Joan Jett produced this. Good on her. I dug the production.
I get why this receives a lot of hate here and I fully expect my compatriots to hand out a couple of ones but I can't help but really appreciate and like how raw the album sounds and the pure energy song to song.
Good. Enjoyable. Fast, passionate, good.
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3. This is a fine enough album – it’s just not really my style. Instrumentally, I think what’s here has a pretty damn good energy to it, and the band is technically sound. Their performances help steer a rhythm that each track needs to keep from falling apart (save for when they intentionally fall apart, for effect), and they’re good enough that the album stays very listenable throughout. I think where this album falls down for me comes in two things, one more consequential than the other. The first is in the repetition; not a big deal, given that this is just what 1970s punk rock is, and more of a hit-or-miss in terms of how well they shake it up from track to track. I’d say they shake it up well around 60% of the time, but that other 40% just hits a total snag for me, and somehow makes the first 29 minutes of this album feel a lot slower than that, especially after “Media Blitz”. The second is… well… Darby Crash has a very abrasive voice. I think I get what he’s going for, and I admire his vocal style as a pure ball of energy, throwing caution to the wind for vocal structures & any kind of safe enunciation to use it as an instrument unto itself. I think it works on a few tracks, but for my tastes, he’s just a little bit too free / loose here. I think a lot of these tracks have decent enough lyrics to them, but I can’t understand what he’s saying to save my life without those lyrics in front of me. Even when I can kinda catch those lyrics, I don’t think a lot of the vocal structures here feel very melodically compelling, actively challenging and rubbing up against the rhythm of the instrumentation to create that abrasive effect. I can hear the appeal, don’t get me wrong, and if someone wants to give this a 5 on the strength of that abrasion working for them, I can’t really fault it. It’s the make or break aspect of this album though, and it’s probably why this has a 2.53 on the site. This is influential, as I can hear a lot of other punk bands start to form from the foundation that this album set, but it just didn’t feel as compelling as it could to me. Maybe with a little more of an open mind on a future relisten, this could go up to a 4, but I don’t really see myself coming back to this album anytime soon. I do respect everything it’s going for, & I can’t say there’s ever actually a bad track here, just a lot of flatter ones, partially due to his vocal style. It just never did anything to really elevate higher, hence the 3.5 bumped down to a 3.
It's a punk album. It's probably slightly better than most, but punk isn't exactly known for nuance.
Had a bit of a punk run lately. I think I prefer this to the British punk, but I'm not 100% sold on it. I can hear the foundations for other bands that I can't really get from the other albums of late. It's manic and insane. It's just not great. Vocal is a bit shit. Don't mind the overall sound though.
Very raw hardcore punk album. Top my surprise I found the middle of the album very enjoyable once the songs stopped feeping the same. Would make for a great 15 minute EP, since a lot of the songs are subpar in my opinion. But when everything is clicking, the intensity is very enjoyable. Top tracks: Manimal, Our Way, The Other Newest One
Nicht meine Musik, aber durchaus OK.
63/100. It's definitely messy, almost to a fault, but that messiness is part of the charm. It's a punk record that captures the chaos and spirit of the scene. The guitar work stands out, at times noisy and unhinged, but also surprisingly inventive.
What a surprise to see this here! Honestly, Germs aren’t anything amazing, they might be on this list because they were one of the very first hardcore punk bands, and maybe because of Pat Smear, who somehow ended up in Nirvana and then the Foo Fighters ten years later. This isn’t Dead Kennedys or Black Flag, it’s more like GG Allin style self-destruction. For a Californian band, it is quite something. Great raw hardcore energy, this is pure punk, but nothing that original.
later
Supposedly on the list for being the first full length hardcore punk album. I’d never heard of them, perhaps in part because this is not my usual wheelhouse, but perhaps also because it was their only album owing to the tragic death of their lead singer. The raw energy of this, along with good production (by Joan Jett) values, all the instruments are allowed to shine, and make it worth a listen. Typical of punk, all the songs are short and punchy, which often is in lieu of developing ideas further, the exception however, is with closer Shut Down [Annihilation Man] which is over 7 minutes long, perhaps too long.
Slimy nasty filthy music. I can appreciate it more than I can enjoy it
Skate punk in the 70s, produced by Joan Jett! Super rad. Not what I’d reach for if I’m jonesin’ for some hardcore though.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
Glad I listened, but probably won't be revisiting it much outside of Lexicon Devil.
honest punk
As somebody who doesn't usually like Punk, I immediately knew what this was going to be when I saw it was the Germs. However, this album didn't really bother me at all. The recording is clear on all the instruments. You can tell the band actually practiced together and didn't throw this album together over a 3-day weekend. The singing isn't my thing, but it's whatever. Not upset that I got through this one. Probably wouldn't come back to it, but didn't have a single moment here where I felt that my ears were bleeding (maybe because the songs are so short).
4 Stars
It's punk! It's definitely punk. Punk isn't my normal jam, but this is a pretty good album. If this were playing at a party, I would ask what it is and listen intently for at least a song or two. The quality of the production sounds better than I would expect for a 1979 punk album. The songs are not all the same three chords at the same tempo and same energy. Too bad this was the only full studio album by the band.
Definitely more in the influential rather than enjoyable category. I like punk, but would it kill them to keep time a little?
I’d never heard of the Getms before, I like the punk genre I’d give this a high 3 star
Possibly the most hardcore and heaviest non-metal album on the book. Germs take punk to its extreme with short, noisy, angry and politically charged songs. Technical prowess and songwriting aren't the point here, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss them occasionally. (What do you mean Belinda "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" Carlisle played drum on this band at one point?!) Key tracks: Land of Treason
Crazy influence on the whole music scene. Distinct voice from Darby. Punk rock at its rawest.
2.5/5
Love it
3.5
Pretty cool early punk
Im not into punk but this was a powerful blast of what I think all punks should be aware of.
Idk just expected a little more
Быстро, и преимущественно по делу. Лучшая песня - Communist Eyes.
Straight punk rock
As someone super into Punk music, Germs never really did it for me. Important to get to alot of the other hardcore West coast teams later like Circle Jerks and X but Germs is always kinda meh. 6/10
Lots of energy, lots of anger in here. Does a great job of communicating emotion. Vocals did a good job of complaining for 40 minutes without feeling too whiney. Guitar is kinda schnasty. Hardly casual listening though, this raised my heartrate. Happy to have experienced this one, and might be a revisit in very specific circumstances.
-not bad. very intense even by punk standards -not my absolute favorite that i’ve heard from the genre but it’s always nice to find new interesting bands i wasn’t familiar with before -considering this is their only album i think it’s a great legacy to leave behind -Favorites are Communist Eyes and We Must Bleed
Yeah punk rock. That's what this is.
Buen album, entrete protopunk
Landmark punk/hardcore album but it's a tough listen if you aren't into the genre. Raw, gritty and loud.
Like most punk bands it could really benefit from getting a real vocalist - that said I enjoyed it, great energy, it's noisy and angry without being an overwhelming cluttered mess.
Nothing like some 70s punk to get your day going… The standouts for me were Lexicon Devil and What We Do Is Secret. Personally, this isn’t an album I can listen to front to back without it feeling monotonous, but I could see myself enjoying a song or two if they came up on a playlist. I’m surprised that I had never heard of Germs before, because they feel like the Avengers of rock music. Produced by Joan Jett, Pat Smear on guitar, Belinda Carlisle joining in the later years… like damn.
A whopping 10/10 on the Tony Hawks Pro Skater OST scale. Probably about 2.5/5 on my scale. Each band member has one setting and they stick rigidly to it so it all just sounds the same. Fun though as a one off listen. Rounded up
God, I’ve been so desperate for anything in my genre wheelhouse, I almost want to give this album a 4. I swear the album generator is punishing me. I appreciated that this was quick-paced and short, but the last song dragged on just long enough for me to dock it a point.
raczej 3
Punky
#DÍA 38: 1001 Discos Que Hay Que Escuchar Antes De Morir (English Translation Below) Bueno… Definitivamente me está costando ser constante por distintos motivos, pero se intenta. Hoy me topo con el supuesto primer álbum de Hardcore Punk, un género que suelo disfrutar bastante. Germs fueron muy caóticos e incorrectos, llevando la música a ese extremo entre ser una expresión musical de protesta o ruído blanco y un completo antiacademicismo. Me puedo imaginar la influencia que tuvo este único LP de la banda, no solo presentando un sonido que luego, a mi ver, sería perfeccionado por otros grupos como Dead Kennedys o Bad Brains en los 80s y muy influyente para el desarrollo del Thrash Metal e incluso del Grindcore, específicamente Napalm Death. Es un álbum corto e intenso, como todo aquel de punk que se respete. Prácticamente ningún tema supera los 3 minutos, exceptuando la extensa improvisación con la que cierra, la cual sinceramente me sobra bastante… Pienso que le quita todo el impacto de velocidad e intensidad, aunque sí debía ser atrevido añadir una pista tan abstracta, ruidosa, rebelde y larga a un producto comercial por entonces. Pero bueno, abstrayéndonos del peculiar final, las canciones presentan lo que uno espera de un álbum de Hardcore Punk: tienes un vocalista que bien pudiera ser un bulldog, guitarras que gruñen y crujen, una batería que no sabe lo que es un metrónomo y, sorprendentemente, un bajo bastante melódico. La producción es trabajo de procrastinación y el máster satura decentemente, sobre todo en Our Way, que por momentos está rozando el Black Metal más primitivo. El sonido es tan crudo como es deseable, aunque deja deseando mayor intensidad, sobre todo por parte de Darby Crash que en ocasiones su falta de vocalización y gruñidos no son tan agresivos como me gustaría. Más allá de eso, las canciones como tal son interesantes y hay más versatilidad que la que uno esperaría de un “primer álbum de x género”. Land of Treason tiene una sonoridad bastante tenebrosa que la acerca por momentos a Slayer. Richie Dagger’s Crime parece la canción de entradilla para un personaje aparentemente anarquista y poco amigable. Lexicon Devil es para mí el mejor tema del LP, por su corta crítica al carácter manipulativo de los altos cargos y por tener el estribillo más pegadizo. También me encanta We Must Bleed, con un estilo de lírica repetitivo que, junto al riff descendiente, genera una sensación de ansiedad bastante acorde al título. Quitando Shut Down la longitud se queda en menos de media hora, por lo que cada minuto cuenta bastante. Por ello, pienso que aunque el disco tenga bastante momentos potentes, también tiene otros más olvidables que restan mucho. Strange Notes se siente como una repetición musical a su pista anterior, Our Way tiene una mezcla tan mala que hasta es demasiado para un álbum así, Dragon Lady tiene poca fuerza y parece una canción demasiado alegre entre la agresión general… Es un trabajo admirable y su influencia es muy visible en algunos de mis discos favoritos de Hardcore, pero como suele ocurrirle a los pioneros, ha sido superado en calidad notablemente por muchos otros músicos. Favoritas: Communist Eyes, Land of Treason, Richie Dagger’s Crime, Lexicon Devil, Manimal, We Must Bleed, Media Blitz Menos favorita: Shut Down #DAY 38: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Well… It’s definitely been hard for me to stay consistent for different reasons, but I’m trying. Today I ran into what’s considered the very first Hardcore Punk album, a genre I usually enjoy a lot. Germs were chaotic and unapologetic, pushing music to that extreme point between being a rebellious musical expression or white noise, and complete anti-academicism. I can easily imagine the influence this band’s only LP had, not only laying down a sound that, in my view, would later be perfected by other groups like Dead Kennedys or Bad Brains in the ’80s, but also being hugely influential for the development of Thrash Metal and even Grindcore, specifically Napalm Death. It’s a short and intense album, like any self-respecting punk record. Almost no track passes the 3-minute mark, except for the long improvisation that closes it, which, honestly, I find pretty unnecessary… I think it kills the whole punch of speed and intensity, though it must’ve been quite bold at the time to include such an abstract, noisy, rebellious, and lengthy track in a commercial release. Anyway, leaving aside that peculiar ending, the songs bring exactly what you’d expect from a Hardcore Punk album: you’ve got a vocalist who could well be a bulldog, guitars that growl and grind, a drummer who doesn’t know what a metronome is, and, surprisingly, a rather melodic bass. The production sounds like a work done in two minutes and the mastering clips nicely, especially on Our Way, which at times borders on the rawest kind of early Black Metal. The sound is as raw as it should be, though it does leave me wishing for more intensity, especially from Darby Crash, whose lack of enunciation and growls aren’t always as aggressive as I’d like. Beyond that, the songs themselves are interesting, and there’s actually more versatility than you’d expect from a “first album of x”. Land of Treason has a pretty dark vibe, at times sounding almost like Slayer. Richie Dagger’s Crime feels like an intro theme for some anarchist, unfriendly character. Lexicon Devil is, to me, the best track on the LP, with its brief critique of the manipulative nature of the higher-ups and its incredibly catchy chorus. I also love We Must Bleed, with its repetitive lyric style that, together with the descending riff, creates a strong sense of anxiety very much in line with the title. Without Shut Down, the length sits under half an hour, so every minute really counts. That’s why I think that while the album does have some powerful moments, it also has weaker, forgettable ones that drag it down. Strange Notes feels like a musical repeat of the track before it, Our Way has such a bad mix that it’s too much even for an album like this, Dragon Lady lacks strength and feels almost too cheerful compared to the overall aggression… It’s an admirable work, and its influence is very clear in some of my favorite Hardcore records, but as often happens with pioneers, it’s been significantly outdone in quality by many other musicians since. Favorites: Communist Eyes, Land of Treason, Richie Dagger’s Crime, Lexicon Devil, Manimal, We Must Bleed, Media Blitz Least favorite: Shut Down
What We Do Is Secret 3.2 Communist Eyes 3.3 Land of Treason 3 Richie Dagger's Crime 3.1 Strange Notes 3 American Leather 3 Lexicon Devil 2.8 Manimal 3.2 Our Way 3 We Must Bleed 3 Media Blitz 3 The Other Newest One 3.2 Let's Petend 3.1 Dragon Lady 3.3 The Slave 3 Shut Down (Annihilation Man)(live) 3.2 Caught in My Eye 3.3 Score: 3.1
Even though hardcore punk isn't my thing, this is good. The rhythm section is really tight throughout. The vocals snarl and spit and are incomprehensible. It's cool, but hard to listen to for long periods, especially when so many songs sound similar. There are some differentiating songs-- I liked the ringing guitars in "Strange Notes" and the slower intro to "Manimal". The closer "Shut Down" is probably the most interesting track at 9 mins and with an improvised section. Overall it's a good album, but not my taste, and I don't think I'll return to it.
8years ago so new music!*
High energy rock. Vocals were annoying at times. Standout songs: Our Way Lets Pretend
Never heard this before, but this is what I think of when I hear the term punk.
1 - 3/10 2- 5/10 3- 4/10 4- 5/10 5- 6/10 6- 4/10 7- 4/10 8- 7/10 9- 6/10 10- /10 11- /10 12- /10 14- /10 15- /10 16- /10 >>FINAL RATE:
Solid punk.
GERMS should have been sprayed with Lysol--me no like!
I thought this was cool. Definitely energetic. It would have been cool to be at a Germs show. I could picture them like at CBGBs or something wild like that. Seems like a good time. As an album that I regularly listen to? Probably not. Am I glad I did? 100%
⭐︎3.8 LAパンクの祖。 ボーカルも楽器隊もナンセンス。 似たような歌い方のボーカルならジョンライドンの方が好き。 人気なのは歌詞がいいから？ 短い曲ばかりかと思えば長尺の曲もある。パンクの黎明期のバンドだからか。 とはいえ、4曲はお気に入り。
I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I was expecting something more sophisticated
It’s fine but there’s better late 70s punk
Good energy, decent punk album. Had never heard of these guys.
not good
Ohhhh noooo my hardcore punk is unintelligible, agressive, abrasive and yet all that makes it more punk than what you consider it to be. Day in and day out this album challenge reminds me that music people are amongst the most intolerable of individuals. Its hardcore punk. Don't like it? Hit that "did not listen button". All in all this Germs album isn't their finest work but it is polished, proper and uniquely influential to late 80s- 90s hardcore punk. I'm happy I could experience something that confluence one of my favorite bands.
Listened in the truck via YouTube music. Most tracks were fairly short as to be expected from a punk group. There were some standard length songs though and the last track Shut Down was almost 10 minutes long. It was the standout track. Darby’s vocals though are just so over the top guttural that it takes away from a lot of the music. Some surf influence can be heard and makes more sense for Sublime’s influence later of punk mixed with surf and reggae.
Pretty good listen, though it felt a little long with the amount of tracks. And "Lexicon Devil" fucking rips, I think that was on Tony Hawk at some point.
Didn’t think I’d enjoy this but was actually alright 5/10
Good punk album, but not remarkable at all.
Calls for specific mood
It's not my favorite classic punk album, but it still rips.
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.
Что ж...вроде слушать можно, но не моё.
prod. by joan jett and pat smear on guitar???? hELL YEA 3.5-4/5
2,5
Were you mad before? No? Well, now you will be. Congrats! It takes true skill to play this fast, this aggressive, and still be tight as a band. And that's about where my appreciation for this ends. Musically speaking, there's not a lot to grab onto here. Some tracks like Lexicon Devil and Manimal offer a bit more in terms of melody and song structure, but first and foremost, this is music meant to make a statement, not meant to please the ears.
A promising display of contained chaos and groovy grit tragically never followed up on.
High energy. Post punk. I enjoyed this.
best song: manimal ˖˙ ( ✧ ) the bassist is extremely good, vocals too!!
3 Harsh and aggressive!! Think i would have enjoyed it when I was 19
Old school cool but not for me
The opening riffs to these songs really caught my attention and were really great. But the vocals kind of pushed me away ... and the drumming had some issues. Sometimes I like the idea of a band more than the actual recordings. Probably thrashed live tho.
A pretty solid punk album. All of the songs kind of sound the same, but they are all so short (besides the final song), that it doesn't really matter. Mid 3.
I think a re-listen is warranted. Definitely see the appeal but as it is with punk, you don’t always get the full content or depth of the message unless you’re understanding all of the lyrics. From what I did pick up though it was cool. Easy 3, almost a 4 but maybe I need more time to pick out favorite songs.
Feels like the power of this album may have been lost on me. I didn’t dislike it but didn’t love it, wouldn’t seek it out but wouldn’t turn it off.. just kinda middling for me today. 3/5
A “blueprint” record for American punk. Not sure if I’ll revisit, but it does what it’s supposed to better than most.
Not my thing, but this is by all accounts a very true to form punk rock album.
Credited as the first hard punk album and produced by Joan Jett. I can appreciate what it's doing but I don't really dig it. 2.5 stars but rounding up today
Álbum pionero del hardcore punk. Rápido, sucio, mal producido y disonante a ratos. The Germs fueron un grupo fugaz, infames por lo caótico de sus conciertos. Su cantante, Darby Crash, se suicidaría poco después de lanzar este álbum (el único), contribuyendo a forjar la leyenda de la banda. Un ejemplo perfecto del punk de principios de los ochenta, que marca la transición al hardcore. Aunque musicalmente sea mediocre (por decir algo), debe formar parte de esta lista. Si el punk es más actitud que técnica, este álbum es punk en su máxima expresión.
3.0 Tricky one this. Music wise it's a 2, but impact wise it's a 4 minimum. You can hear shades of their inspiration - British punk mainly, but heavy stooges etc al, but more importantly you can hear what a lot of future great punk/hard rock acts themselves took inspiration from. Not one I will probably listen to again, but I'm very glad I heard it. Great list inclusion.
Man what I’d give for this music to go with a competent vocalist who does more than sneer every word into a single sound.
Good stuff!! High energy as punk should be.
C'est vraiment cool, beaucoup de choses interessantes au niveau du band. Je crois que c'est un exemple parfait d'un album punk fun 1970's. Au moins 8 fois meilleur que les sex pistols, on s'approche de Wire Pink Flag mais Californien. Plus viscéral et moins intello, 2 ans plus tard. Puis y'a la derniere toune, qui n'est vraiment pas bonne et qui fait descendre ma note à 3.
Merci pour cette découverte! Envie de creuser dans l'histoire des groupes punk.
Le chanteur me semble être une personne agréable et de bonne compagnie.
I'm usually not into punk, but the hardcore elements if this, the ridiculous vocals, and the attention to detail on making some of the bass/guitar passages memorable was nice. The last song was a tedious listen which brought my rating down a bit. 2.7/5 - > 3/5
This one goes in the category of "I can appreciate it's historical importance in a genre that I like but I just don't really fuck with it." Gonna give it a second listen but I'm just not hearing it.
A deluge of noise Falling into your eardrums Forcing you to mosh
liked songs: Manimal, Our Way This is kind of terrible but also somehow fun. A number of the songs are run-of-the-mill untalented punk, but there's a few pieces of sneaky musicinship in here. Also, Pat Smear??? 2.5
20 minutter for langt. Men jeg havde brug for punk, og det fik jeg.
Short and sweet. But not really something I cared for too much.
Albumi #175, 14.03.2025 Germsin ainoa albumi (GI) julkaistiin vuonna 1979. Levy on tiettävästi maailman ensimmäinen täysimittaisena äänitetty hardcorepunk-albumi. Laulaja Darby Crashin itsemurhaan päättynyt Germsin lyhyt taival loppui vain noin vuosi (GI):n ilmestymisen jälkeen. Germsin perustajajäsen ja kitaristi Pat Smear tunnetaan myös Nirvanan ja Foo Fightersin kitaristina.
awww somehow i wish that i get Junkyard today. the band is literally called The Birthday Party and today is my birthday. and under the training of Nick, Rowland and everyone else, this album is pretty ok for me. but every song sounds the same. 3/5
A nostalgic listen for sure and I imagine its inclusion here is anchored by its year of release, no doubt having influence on yet-to-be other bands arriving a few years later. The band has stayed in relatively current conversations based on Pat Smear’s membership in Nirvana and Foo Fighters, but I’ll always find my hardcore punk preference in better bands like Minor Threat, Fugazi, Circle Jerks, 7 Seconds, etc.
A fun album, but wears on you a bit as it goes on. No reason to pull this up or down from the avg category, but overall I liked it.
I would like to dedicate this review to Pat Smear. What a life. Dude has prob lived quite hard and looks great at 65. Props. Solid album. Punch you in the face, then the nuts and drink a beer with you before it smashes the bottle on your head. Fuck you.
Not an easy listen but I appreciate it. Sad story about Crash’s deliberate OD. Would have been cool to see what these guys became. Although prob were destined for a tragic ending of some sort… good enough for a mid range rating. 3/5
Being a Nirvana fan, I've done little to seek out Pat Smear's original band, Germs. It's pretty awesome to hear his roots. This is punk with no seatbelts. Fast, reckless, and barely competent, but I think that's exactly the point. If the Dead Boys had even less patience, it might sound something like this. Every song kinda bumps into the next; all noise and speed and spit. It’s got tons of energy, sure, but not much else to hang onto. Probably won’t be reaching for it much. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - What We Do Is Secret - Lexicon Devil - We Must Bleed
Definitely a shock, but I guess that’s kinda the point of punk rock? The vocals were something else, but it was honestly really impressive that the songs never seemed to fly off the rails, thanks to a really steady rhythm section. The guitar was pretty awesome sounding, and I could recognize some of the riffs in later on punk rock as it got into the mainstream, so there’s no denying this was definitely an influential album. Plus Joan Jett produced it so bonus points for that. 3.0/5 Fav song: Land of Treason
Clearly an influence on Nirvana, and clearly the latter was much better. Many songs sound like they are sung by a coked-up gremlin. 4 stars for effort and originality, 2.4 for outcome, final score 3.2
Good punk album, maybe a bit too chaotic for me.
The Germs and their music are probably more influential than their music is accomplished. I enjoyed the first part of this album more than the second part (or second half). I was excited to hear the Germs, as this album project has turned me on to some of the late 70's punk that I only knew as an ancillary thing. I think I would consider the Germs to be like Velvet Underground in that I enjoy what their influence brought to music more than I enjoy the music made by the artist that was influential. This is hardcore punk and I definitely enjoyed listening to this when I was in a bit of a foul mood. Not sure it's an everyday listen for me but I appreciate the sound.
42/1001 - I honestly don't know what I was expecting. Hard to hear the lyrics, but everything else is fine I guess. The ducking of the instrumentals was weird and noticeable.
As much as I like punk and appreciate hardcore, bands like Germs are really hit or miss for me personally. They clearly have a lot of passion that comes through in their music, but it kinda lacks soul as a form of artistic expression. GI isn't a bad record, it's just that hardcore and especially the early stuff is anger without form.
I had never heard of Germs before. It seems to just be another punk rock band. I enjoy the punk rock sound but they don't seem remarkable, just another punk rock band. Seem to be influential on the Grunge scene, which is cool but not very apparent from this album. I am enjoying the sound of this album all up.
First time to listen to The Germs. At first I thought this was horrible but as I continued to listen, the music is pretty good. The vocals are not my thing for sure. The vocals make it very difficult to enjoy for me. It grew on me as I listened.
The only full length album from Germs embodies a one foot in and out the door mentality, as the now tried and true thrash of punk rock now unencumbered in the United States sit side by side with longer compositions that offer a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been. American punk would never sound as feral, as raw and as visceral as this again. Favorites: What We Do is Secret, Communist Eyes, Richie Dagger's Crime, Lexicon Devil, Manimal, We Must Bleed, Media Blitz, Shut Down (Annihilation Man).
I remember listening to this in high school while working and not really getting it. 10+ years later, I understand it a bit better. I still prefer early circle jerks and black flag, but there’s good stuff here. Lexicon Devil rips
Fuck yeah, I love hardcore punk! Not as complex as Black Flag or as boundary pushing as Bad Brains. But for a first, it's good. Germs were never known for their musical prowess. And it's cool they actually got Darby Crash on tape, since he was notorious for doing everything but singing into the mic. His story is sad too, like Nick Drake. Some of the songs feel a little long. There's a reason hxc is known for one or two minutes tracks. If you don't like it, it will be over soon. But the attitude here is is undeniable.
#502. The very definition of Live fast, die young. 3/5: violent
Safe to say at this point that I’m just not a punk guy. Though I feel like I would like a lot of these punk songs if they just did them in half time lol.
As punk as they come.
Oi oi oi, enjoyable noise.
Too much noise and loud.
6.5/10
totes filthy. I still prefer their contemporaries and feel this was mainly a live experience, but it was still really fun and I'd come back to it fer sure.
I kinda regret giving this website my Email because they keep sending me pervy emails and it's kinda annoying. It's pretty fun a bit silly a bit fun but please god get me out of the 70s
6/10 It’s Meat-and-Potatoes, like probably the most “prime example” a Hardcore Punk album that there can be. I can’t completely disregard the impact of this record, while many artists do get their flowers from getting to first base before anyone else while underperforming in all other areas, I think GI at the very least offers a decent amount of spirit and bite to it even if a lot of the messaging isn’t as specific or bold as a lot of their successors. It’s still saying something, and I don’t necessarily demand that there be revolutionary text behind these feverish riffs and raspy vocals, it’s just that they also still remain “solid”. Did you know that if you stare into the circle long enough, you can see the image of a gullible dumb bitch?
It starts so well this, I was disappointed by the second half and particularly the last song which seemed like it was just a studio jam.
2-3
1. "What We Do Is Secret" 2,4 2. "Communist Eyes" 2,2 3. "Land of Treason" 2,5 4. "Richie Dagger's Crime" 2,3 5. "Strange Notes" 2,7 6. "American Leather" 2,6 7. "Lexicon Devil" 2,7 8. "Manimal" 3 9. "Our Way" 2,9 10. "We Must Bleed" 2,1 11. "Media Blitz" 2,3 12. "The Other Newest One" 3 13. "Let's Pretend" 2,7 14. "Dragon Lady" 2,4 15. "The Slave" 2,1 16. "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)" (live) 2,2 Average 2,51
Classic Punk. Had a bit of a hard time understanding what they were saying, I enjoyed it tho!
Reading about this album's history and importance, I was expecting much more. I enjoyed the listening session, but it's far from something I can call a "good" album.
Good stuff
Blind album and artist. It's uh... interesting. Early hardcore punk? Well I'm glad I tried it and it's something new. It's different in ways and rough on the edges.
Fast, nasty, hard-hitting. Cool song structures and some good guitar stuff. Off-beat but I was into it—is my faith in punk rock being restored? Best song: Lexicon Devil
It was okay.
A good wikipedia deep dive around this album. Found out this is Pat Smear (of Foo Fighters) first band and Joan Jett produced it. I love seeing all the entwined connections between bands while going through this project.
I've heard of the Germs. Being a huge Chili Peppers fan I know they had a huge influence on them. I also know Pat Smear from the Foo Fighters. First time listening to them. I liked this albu. The singers voice is a bit of an obstacle to get past, but behind that there are some great guitar riffs and an excellent sound. Some good songs too.
a great rush of sound, raw, sneering, energetic
It's cool hearing a young Pat Smear, but meh.
It's becoming harder for me to write these reviews. I'm running out of ideas of what to write. Anyway, this album isn't as bad as others say. I quite like the hardcore sound. What a shame that this is the only album by Germs. 3 stars for "GI".
Apple Music says the Germs were “America’s answer to The Sex Pistols.” If that’s the analogy we’re running with they should’ve called themselves The Wet Dream Cap Guns. A ppor imitation by every measure. I think the only reason I didn’t go two stars is because I have such an affinity and soft spot for Los Angeles bands.
Didn’t listen to it all but from what i heard decent punk album
Interesting for a couple of aongs
An overlooked timely punk album, attitude and all, often testing listeners' patience, but getting the message across surprisingly poetically.
Mid
Decent Hardcore Punk album. I gained a little more appreciation for where acts like Black Flag come from, but the music here is far less memorable or distinctive, perhaps because it was so influential? Either way, didn't have a ton of time to sit with this one, but I could see myself coming back to it.
I believe that there is a time and a place for all music.... can't say this is my preferred genre. On the upside, the songs are short so, there's that..
Hardcore punk that feels right at home in its era. Very raw, frantic, and thrashy. Quick hits that smack you upside the head. The late Darby Crash was seemingly born to be a punk rocker with that vocal delivery of his, for better or for worse. The band's history was an interesting read, and hearing that their shows were so raucous and riotous that they were banned from many LA venues very much checks out. Another interesting note was that Joan Jett produced & mixed this album too. Definitely remember "Lexicon Devil" from Tony Hawk's Underground 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5. This was pure hardcore punk just as it was taking off in the States. Not a perfect record by any means, but I've always appreciated punk rock for its "no fucks given" approach. The Germs were VERY short-lived with their original lineup, but they certainly made their presence felt here.
Tää on se Pat Smearin bändi. Lexicon Devil on varmaan jossain Tony Hawkissa. Instrumentaali ihan jees punkkia, laulu taas vähän vammaista. Vika kappale sinetöi mielipiteen. Parhaat: Lexicon Devil,
Ihan kiva. Vähän liian räkäinen mun makuun (huuto), mut soittimet vetää hyvin. Jopa yllättävän kliinisti. Vika biisi tietty yllättää, kun viekin puol levyä, herätti.
Darby Crashin ylikorostettu narina ei ole universumin nautinnollisin ääni, mutta se kietoutuu yhteen Pat Smearin kitaran kanssa - ja kitara kruunaa tämän levyn. Eikä LP:ltä puutu melodisia/rytmisiä yllätyksiä: Strange Notes (suosikki), Media Blitz, The Other Newest One... jos nyt oikein muistan.
Brash punk rock. Love it. The guitar work on this album is solid. But the singing is not so good.
Shouty US punk. Not many memorable tunes but I guess that's not the point...
The first hardcore punk album! Listened with headphones, instantly got a headache, had a great time! No songs (apart from the last one) overstay their welcome, though this music always just makes you wish you were there live instead of listening to the album (particularly because of how crazy germ gigs got). Not my favourite punk band but they've got to be recognised.
You can hear the influence they had on bands like Black Flag
A lot of cool history here: first hardcore punk album ever, came out in 1979, produced by Joan Jett??? Hardcore Punk inherently comes off a bit silly because so many rules are broken. It's a slamming, fast-paced album with great bass and vocals driving the whole things
This is an interesting album. A complete raw, middle finger to society, angry record. You're not going to find a technical masterpiece here, nor do I think the band were particularly trying to create such a project. This is 16 tracks ranging from 43 seconds in length to 9+ minutes of pure energy, with lyrics that range from topics such as communism, criticisms of America itself, and everyday suffering in society. I actually found Crash's vocals difficult to understand, as if the whole sound the band were going for was sloppiness; and from what I understand reading about Germs, this seemed to always be somewhat intentional - even for their live shows. But it's worth reading the lyrics while listening, as they are surprisingly well written. Musically is where I feel things really stumble. I know it's a punk album. But prior to '(GI)' there had already been several innovations made within the genre. With this LP, it feels like tracks are almost blending in to each other far too much. On my first listen I was sometimes surprised to see about 3 or 4 tracks had gone by thinking it was all the one song. It reminds me a lot of AFI's first two records - huge tracklists, short songs, but musically a lot of it all sounds the exact same. It's a shame the story of this band, particularly Darby Crash, is quite tragic; as I can hear the potential for better material in a near future just based on the strength of the writing alone. '(GI)' is good, and it is definitely worth listening to if you're a fan of that raw punk sound in any capacity. Despite that, I do genuinely think there is better examples of punk and what it can achieve both prior to and after the release of this album. Maybe it's a great introduction to the LA punk scene of the 70's, which I'm not overly familiar with. Or maybe I'm just wrong in my thoughts here. But it's an interesting LP, regardless, even if it doesn't completely click with me. 3/5
bello redneck
Much like The Stooges debut album (that was yesterday's listen), this is an album that can feel utterly generic by today's standards. But that's because of its reach and its influence. When this album came out in 1979, it would have blown people's socks off and changed the way they thought about music. The highlight for me was that in these raucous punk songs... There's a real intention behind the rhythm section, the vocals have got hooks, and WOW, the lyrics are always amazing and downright literary. Take these lines from "Strange Notes": He wears the lines just like Garbo And talks at a saturmine pace Listening to the strange notes marvel Only giving what it takes That could be from a Bowie song. It's just incredible. So put this in the category of music that's not quite for me, but I recognize its value and its beauty.
lexicon devil is a 5
Straight ahead, fast, hard, aggressive punk. If that’s your thing, you’ll love this. If it’s not, definitely one to pass on.
I'd give this a 3.2. Hard to listen all the way through the first time, this album grew on me after a second go round. It's hard driving throughout. My favorite songs were Communist Eyes, Media Blitz, and The Other Newest One. The driving guitar riffs are the best thing about it musically. The bass reminds me of the Minutemen.
16 2 mins wonders
3.5
Part of me wanted to give this 4 stars. It is good and I love the punk sound. Still the music isn’t very diverse from song to song. I think it’s a great vibe and musically important, but I would prefer other punk music.
Groupe inconnu. Premier album de punk vraiment énergique généré ! Des morceaux courts et assez variés, une partie rythmique au top, même si le chant est parfois difficile à supporter. Le dernier morceau (Shut Down) est par contre plutôt raté, trop long par rapport aux autres et très répétitif. Sympathique découverte donc, mais que je ne vais probablement pas écouter de nouveau. =>3/5
3 punk
another reviewer said it better, but this is definitely one of those culturally significant albums that's just not terribly fun or interesting to listen to nearly a half-century later. i probably like old-school punk more than the average person but this just wasn't any great shakes. it has the instrumental complexity of a ramones album. its lyrics swing from simple and puerile to songs with enough ten-dollar vocabulary words to make bad religion blush. song content appears to cover a lot of ground, yet seemingly says nothing of any real substance. i thought dragon lady was about actual dragons at first but now i realize it's probably just racist. most of the tracks are short, but for whatever reason they wanted their own 10-minute closer that sounds like the cacophony of nirvana's endless, nameless more than an actual song that fits with the rest of the album. and to top it all off, frontman darby crash (cool as hell name) died at 22 from a suicide pact? I'm sure it would've been all over the news at the time, except for his impeccable timing... john lennon was shot the following day. better luck next time, darbs. favorites: what we do is secret, richie dagger's crime, lexicon devil, minimal, we must bleed, media blitz
Historically speaking, this debut from the Germs is an important and influential document of the LA punk/Hardcore scene in the late 70's. It's unfortunate, this is the only studio album from the band, as it shows promise with a typical punk sound, lots of energy, raw fast songs and lots of attitude. To many this is a classic punk album, maybe so, the music is fine, but to me this doesn't have the lasting impression and impact that other bands from the era (X) had. A good starting point for hardcore fans, but there are lot of excellent bands out there worth seeking.
People are going to hate this, but those people suck
I have happily acquired the knowledge that this exists. I have no feelings whatsoever about it.
Ok. Not really my thing
It sounds like any thrash punk / skate punk band. Reading the wiki about their live acts, those must have been... interesting to be a part of. Anyway, let's get back to the actual music. Short, punky songs. I dig most of them. That last song, though... just went on and on. Longer songs like that need to have some kind of change in them. Can't just be three chords and go on for nine minutes, very tedious. Still, I would have to read the lyrics because its hard to tell what he's saying. A lot of people on this ho either became famous or are famous-adjacent. Something I may come back to, not sure. Top tracks: "We Must Bleed," "What We Do Is Secret"
Nice album
The wiki about this album says it’s the first of the hardcore punk albums out of LA and i expected a really shittily produced noise record. While it is noisy, the production is clean and you can hear every instrument and vocal clearly. Big points for that. As for the content, I really liked about half of this album or so. Communist Eyes, Lexicon Devil, Strange Notes and We Musst Bleed are all solid punk songs of the angrier and non pop variety. The back half of the album is pretty lousy and the final 10 minute track is just bad. As far as hardcore punk albums go this is a decent one but it doesn’t upstage things that came later for me. Also lol Pat Smear taking a leading role here, man gets around.
I get its importance. But I'm really not that into it. Think I need to listen like 10 more times.
One long yell