GI

i'm sure this was formative and important for early punk. and i was very sorry to read about the tragic history behind this band's short-lived career. but i did not like it.

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

Punk, but the really annoying kind.

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

rockstar burgers ahh music

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.

Surrounded by bottles of Domestos we survived this onslaught. Grinding raucous nonsense with rare moments of almost a tune. Bizarrely the final track fractured and off the wall that it is turned out to be the most interesting.

I know punk rock isn't about the singer's voice per se, but this dude's voice was absolute horrid. I don't know how I managed even two songs. At some point, the people who made this list have to be trolling us just as much as they are providing us with good music

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

high school jimi and today jimi are at odds over this could i write poetry to this? n

Revolutionary for its time, I don’t think it holds up all that well. I can see how some of my favorite Punk bands were influenced by the Germs, but I doubt I’ll listen to it again.

Sometimes I think about the inclusion of certain albums where the impact is understandable , but this is one of those I didn't like one bit . Very loud and chaotic but in a bad way . For the reason one may like it , I couldn't bring myself to even tolerate it.

Didn’t hit. Too messy and samey.

punk, not intereseted

Eh. This sub-Pistols punk doesn’t do it for me anymore. Maybe I’m too old.

This was difficult for me to get through because of the inarticulate, incomprehensible vocals. I was constantly checking how many songs were left in the album before I could listen to something else. I don't even mind punk rock, but I found the vocals so extremely grating that it's a no from me.

This really isnt for me

Some time ago I checked my old school friend's social media page and saw a song he wrote for some art project. It sounded exactly like Communist Eyes, with the only exception being my friend singing much quieter. And he's not a musician, he's a painter

If you like this album – FUCK YOU

Never heard it before. Sounds like pretty great, raw punk. Featuring future Foo Fighters guitarist, Pat Smear, who seems cool.

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

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"

So this is the punk that horrified your parents. Abrasive, subversive, hard on the ears. True pioneers apparently but too raw for me. I prefer Sex Pistols to Black Flag; more melody. And these guys make Black Flag sound like a church choir. Darby Crash on vocals is just too much for me even if the rest of the band isn't bad at playing instruments.

Nice album

I probably would have loved this when I was 15. Now I just found it a bit annoying and monotonous after a few tracks. Not half as catchy as their name suggests.

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.

Absolutely one of the best and most important to the scene

Painful drivel.Not worth the electrons un what ever devices it's stored on

Incredible hardcore/punk album. Absolutely rips.

High enegery and great start with what we do is secret. Hearing that set the scene for an hour of punk. After a while it all got very same! I couldnt understand a lot of the lyrics as they got taken over by screaming. That said the sound is great. Favourite song: every song was the same and average Least favourite: same again Album artwork: I love the cover art

Might have just not been in the mood but not my thing. I fully expect domino-reviews-albums to say this is a cornerstone of his highschool experience. Not for me.

Not for me.

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 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.

Every single one of these songs sounded exactly the same and I am not here for it

I guess my punk days are behind me cause I didn't like this at all.

The instrumentation is actually pretty decent. Its the "vocals" that are the problem So in my own head canon im gonna belive that a drunk man broke into the studio and held them at gun point and rambled over the whole recording. I personally don't like hardcore punk...

Horrible

Not a fan of this one.

I get its importance. But I'm really not that into it. Think I need to listen like 10 more times.

One long yell

Interesting - raw unpolished punk. Nothing I'd listen to again, but I've heard worse stuff.

Not much to say about this album other than it’s a succinct hardcore punk album that’s solid but doesn’t really stand out. Pretty cool that it was produced by Joan Jett though.

I really enjoyed this. A fast and loud.

Awful

Metal j'aime pas

I don’t know it’s angry and fine punk

Yep, not my cup of tea.

This album sounds like what you would expect from a stereotype of punk. Like if someone was making a movie and one scene needed some late 70s punk music for some kind of montage but the production didn't have money to buy rights to anything commercially released so they just decided to find someone on the crew to 'record something that sounds like punk music'. This album would be that recording. It's great if you like it. But I guess that can be said about anything. 2.5/5 rounding up to 3 because I had no idea that Pat Smear was in this band or even old enough to be in this band.

My for me

Deec punk. Wasn't feelin it yesterday.

Punk vocalists don’t need to be good singers, but I prefer when they don’t go out of their way to sound as repulsive as possible. It brings down what is otherwise good rockin’ stuff. The last track was the one that sounded different and interesting but why did it need to be 10 minutes long?

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

I only rated this because the site made me, otherwise I won't conform to your authority. 2.6775437 / 5

Unlistenable. This is my worst album so far.

At least it’s proper punk - 3/5 for authenticity, including a bonus point for having a song with my kids name in it.

Err (and desperately tries to find something positive to say), it’s slightly heavier/riffier than your average punk? Nah it’s really crap. It’s the sort of album that only a teenager could love and only if they were there at the time. Not surprised I’ve never heard of them.

Good grief, this may be influential but only in a bad way. Belinda Carlisle was almost in the band which might have saved them. I think they described their music as ear cancer which is not something I think bands should aspire to. Total shit.

A very monochromatic album. I appreciate the sound, but nothing makes it stand out to me compared to other artists of that time, and the songs themselves have a hard time standing out from each other.

high school classic

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+

A rough album, but can definitely see why it’s on the list. Can’t see myself listening again but not bad, and I really liked the last song.

Loud and grating but also pretty fun. Great example of what punk was meant to be.

This is just not for me. There were honestly better melodies than I expected, but ultimately not something I’d ever want to listen to again.

Album 443 of 1001 Germs - GI Rating : 2 / 5 There are many punk albums I enjoy. This isn't really one of them.

Late 70s grime punk

Ok za to vrime

I never really got the shouty pink scene, and this album is no exception.

好吵的朋克

This one felt like a whole lot of senseless noise. The mixing was terrible, all I could hear were the cymbals and the guys voice. Guitars barely stood out. I didn't find any kind of overarching theme that stood out and nothing felt like it needed to be here. This feels like the butt of a punk rock joke

Blistering energy from beginning to end. I should have been destroying stuff. Was like the vocalist was running to catch up with his band. The final song was a little too long. Favorite songs were Richie Dagger’s Crime, Lexicon Devil, We Must Bleed, Media Blitz, and The Other Newest One.

Favourite song - our way

Yikes, tough listen. Not being a fan of punk certainly doesn't help but oof, those vocals. One song would end and I would sigh in relief only for the next song to start right back up where the last left off- screetching and yelling. 3/10 (1.5/5)

Not my thing but I get it.

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

No ha estado mal escuchar la banda Punk en la que estuvo Pat Smear. Interesante referencia a escuchar.

Yuk

Felt like I was listening to someone have a panic attack and a breakdown whilst singing. I have a headache. The instrumentals are alright though, pretty average punk sound for the time period.

solid, should probably like this more than I do. leans a little more toward hard rock/heavy metal songwriting than I enjoy in hardcore punk. there's moments where it sounds like the Minutemen, moments where it sounds like the Stooges, doesn't seem to have whatever vital quality makes those others great. music: acknowledged. (⌐☣_☣)

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.

Not for me 1/5

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.

very bland

im bored

Great

Highlights: What We Do Is Secret, Lexicon Devil. In a nutshell: *this* is hardcore. Punk is reliable. High energy. Solid rhythm. Many songs are under 3 minutes. Thrashy. Depending on the artist, these elements are overused. The music becomes predictable and boring. Germs *just* manages to avoid this. It’s good, but not perfect. Overall: 6/10

I liked this more than I expected to. I can’t see myself returning to this album but had I been a teenager when this was popular, I bet I would have been really into it. Felt a little like Blink 182 to me. 2.5 rounding up to 3.

Most of this was pretty awful, but a few tracks and the guitar work (Pat Smear from the Foo Fighters) save this from being a 1. A group that was probably fun to see live in the early grunge era.

I must have listened to this before because “Lexicon Devil” is marked as liked on Spotify—three times, actually, from different releases. Still love that one. The rest are ok.

It must have been very exciting to be there. I know Flea says one of the major influences on him musically was seeing The Germs. Also, I had no idea Pat Smear was in the Germs before Nirvana or the Foo Fighters! I feel I understand his presence in that scene a bit better now. Anyway, I'm not sure it makes much of a listening experience all these years later. It's okay but the punkishness is very samey and it just makes the album sound like a bit of a mush, I feel like there are other punk bands with more melody / riffs / tunes. Though I don't think these are the worst I've ever heard. I dunno. I could maybe pick out some songs with interesting bits that I might like if I gave it repeated listening. By the end of the long guitar strangling song at the end of the album I feel like I sort of liked it!

Rough and ready which I think was absolutely their intention….

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. ◯

I love punk and can appreciate this as real punk, but every song is the same. I’d go with Bad Brains over Germs every time.

Better than I expected

Not feeling this one, instrumentals are good for the most part but the vocals are annoying and repetitive as f***...

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

I can hear some influence on other stuff to come, but it's a very messy album itself.

punky goodness. 4 stars.

Not my thing

Low quality punk

Pretty shitty punky.

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.

Right up my alley! Good stuff. New to me, but i like it. 3.5

Urgh.

Not the greatest release from my birth year. Punk has been done much better.

Shouty, not enjoyable

3.7 pleasant suprise. Punk

Annoying

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.

Okay. Not great.

Short, punchy, raw punk. Loved it

I could see this album influencing the punk genre and paving the way for those that came after. But this could be the most influential album ever, I still did not enjoy it one bit.

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

This was very similar to yesterday’s, which I did not like. However, for some reason I liked this one a bit more. 5.5/10

3/10 - I do not think I understood a single word he has said in this album. Lexicon Devil went kinda hard. In the background of Shut Down someone just randomly smacked a piano a few times. Overall pretty bad.

Fuck off album generator 3/10

Old punk albums like this are hilarious to me. Like okay if you're hearing this in 1979 I can imagine it's a trip. But today? I've heard fast sloppy music like this played in every dive bar across the world. Never once have I thought this is the peak of musical experience. It's just fast one-note shouting. As a fan of metal, this type of music turns me into the people I don't like that say "You can't even understand what they are singing about", but in this case I can't even understand what they are even playing for.

I like punk.

Really chaotic and noisy, as expected. I'm sure punks would enjoy it way more, but it's not for me.

Yes listenable classic punk. Not a lot else to say, didn't outstay its welcome but not one I'm likely to revisit.

I generally like punk and that's exactly what this is. Thing is, there are lots of other bands that did it better.

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

I couldn’t do the whole thing

mange punk album man skal høre før man dør tydeligvis... Kunne godt død før jeg hørte dette egentlig.

Too hard core for my tastes, but a blessedly short album with short songs, except for the last one.

Really dig this, punk rock history, essential album

According to Wikipedia, this is "considered the first full-length hardcore punk album", so I guess I'll add a point for historical relevance. It's terrible though. No need to listen to this.

Never heard of these guys before, but three songs in and this is awesome. The mixing is shit, but the raw energy and bass shine through. Land of Treason is a real standout on the bassline alone. Gonna have to listen to this again tomorrow. A number of songs run together in their similarity (as is typical with punk) but there is enough variation to keep my ear interested. The Other Newest One in particular stands out so far. There is an almost Police-like vibe to the bassline and overall composition. Although I wasn't completely engaged due to work, I really enjoyed this album and will definitely be back again. Lot of energy and quality musicianship on display. I understand production quality is historically not great for punk (especially hardcore). Wish it were a bit clearer in a number of cases, but I don't think it takes away too significantly -- they put the bass forward as it should be. This is a soft 4 for me.

Old school punk. Anarchy! Not my jam at all. 1.5 stars

Thought this was gonna be a long one being 16 songs, but like some other punk songs we have listened to, it is only about 2 mins per song. Pretty terrible way to start the morning. Basslines are pretty sweet though. Singer sucks and is constantly off beat. Take him out and we maybe have a 3 star album? Strange Notes actually goes hard and then he just spews some incoherent noise all over the track. The mixing in Our Way sounds like the band is underwater. idk what's up with that. low 2. the voice was irredeemably bad.

Oh god I didn't look at the wikipedia or anything going into this and thought it was going to be an electronic album based on the album art. Man was I wrong. When the first note hit and I realized this was a punk album my heart sank. And not only is this a punk album, it is a pretty darn terrible one through 3 songs. Still just as terrible through 7 songs, luckily it only took at 12 minutes to get through that many songs because this singer is the worst punk singer I have ever heard. I started skipping through random parts of each song and they literally all sound the same so I think I am finished with this one, especially since I have 8 more albums to catch up on. Waste of my time.

Already trending towards a 2 based on the first few songs. Not my favorite type of punk especially at 9 am. I need to mainline coffee for this. Not my jam.

I'm pretty torn, really. Absolutely influential, but this seems to be a case of the history being more memorable than the music itself.

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

American Sex Pistols. While the production of Joan Jett makes it feel like a live album, it doesn't hold up to todays standard. And that voice is atrocious. 2 stars

Really, really don’t get what people see in this… willing to chalk some of it up to Spotify audio quality reproducing a poor mix, but this is just muddy as hell. Feels like one of those cases of self-martyrdom and influence giving something a much higher stature than its quality demands. The basslines are sick as hell I will say, and it’s good they all sobered up just long enough to put out an album length statement but I just can’t stand this much of Darby Crash’s constipated wailings. There’s nothing here that wasn’t done better by either the bands whose sound they were deconstructing or the bands they inspired who went on to refine this sound and make it palatable. I’ll keep trying, I just don’t believe this still carries the weight this website gives it.

3 stars.

What some may call the unstoppable momentum of the band, I see as sloppiness—it reminds me of the way my middle school band performed. Constantly moving at a faster pace, failing to rhythmically lock in as a unit. It’s too bad—there are things that I like here: there are some fun, melodic basslines, underlined by the bassist’s inconsistency; the guitarist has some memorable riffs, but their guitar tone grows uninteresting with each subsequent song; there are a few great vocal moments, but they are fleeting. The last track is torturously long. Interesting tidbit from Darby Crash’s Wikipedia page: “When the Germs initially formed, the only member who was proficient with an instrument was . . . Pat Smear.” That is what it sounded like. Also, didn’t realize the guitarist was Pat Smear from Nirvana/Foo Fighters! Cool that the drummer and bassist were women. Does it deserve to be on the list? Probably, if it is considered the first “hardcore punk” album. But I think its quality might have been overrated by the people who had seen their chaotic, cacophonous performances.

germs are certainly legendary and influential as an early hardcore punk band. Darby Crash is a wild front man. There’s no melody - just growling punky poetic lyrics. His voice and timing kinda sucks, but that’s why it’s so punk. Lorna Doom (couple of cool basslines) and Pat Smear do what they can to hold the band together - sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t (again, very punk), though the drummer is pretty competent and quick. These songs spill energy, chaos, and aggression. Some top notch, some okay. It’s a huge album in punk that I appreciate and enjoy, but not a 5 star level for me.

Fine but did not really grab me. Not fun to listen to as album when everything sounds the same. Sorry. well

I’m sure this is a revolutionary album for punk. It’s definitely a firecracker of an album. But it got old for me fast, especially the lead vocalist. Not bad though

Beetje schreeuwerig, maar als je dat leuk vind dan is dit volgens mij wel een aardig album. Ik heb echter betere punkrock albums gehoord. Voor mij zou dat iets meer melodie zijn. Dit is net iets duisterder.

Punk at its most confrontational and rawness. Not always easy to listen to, but thrilling.

The birth of Punk rock! Woo punk rock. This album was poor though

Dirty, loud and uncouth. If it were a tinder bio rob would use a super like

Turboguff

Typical punk album.

Punkrock, men ikke rigtig på den fede måde

When a movie wants to play generic punk music, this is what it sounds like.

Not a huge fan of punk. This did not change that. One-dimensional in the extreme. I think anyone with a basic knowledge of power chords could knock this out. No stand out tracks or low points. It was all the same bland wall of noise, similar to the Slayer album we did.

It was very hard to get past the vocals on this album. After I turned the mid-range down all the way it was more bearable. The music could have been fun to listen to with a better lead. If you know me, you know I have a germ phobia.

So much rage. The production is brilliant and the band is surprisingly tight. I hated every second though.

this is, well, not good.

I’m sure this would have been fun to listen to live back when this was released. The instrumentals are good but the vocals leave much to be desired…

I like it. It was nice and punky.

just don’t like this kind of music

Fast and furious

I can see how this was groundbreaking at the time, but I don't feel like I gained much from this. Found myself checking how much was left multiple times. Even as a fan of punk music this just didn't vibe.

It sorta grew on me but not enough. Gives that skater punk kinda style. Might've been the first to do it, but not necessarily the best

I expected to hate this, but it's fine. So many bands emulated this style. You can definitely hear Joan Jett's production influence on the opening to Richie Dagger's Crime. She made real music out of rage and noise. There is an order to that song. The organization and balance comes through again in Strange Notes. For a hardcore album, this is pretty clean sounding. The sounds make sense and things are where they are supposed to be. You can actually listen to this and enjoy it. Typically these records are so poorly produced that they are painful. This is real punk. This is actual music. Growling, yelling, grinding, ranting, guttural groaning, head banging and, yet, a bit of a toe-tapper. This is what a good producer can do for a band like this. In the hands of a lesser talent, this would be a disaster. But Joan wrangled them into a real sound.

Has I’ve said before, a key element of music is having some semblance of melody. GI doesn’t have that for 97% of it. 5.0/10

Het begin denk je "leuk, lekker punk luisteren". Aan het einde echter zit je te wachten tot dit album voorbij is... pfff..

Punk rock from a time when Punk albums came a dime a dozen. It sound like it, too. 1.5/5

Fast and frantic punk, with song lengths in the 1-2 minute range except for the closer. Strange Notes has a great bassline, and it's prominent in the mix. Lexicon Devil has the same driving bass. The last track is nearly 10 minutes of mid-paced groove with dissonant, distorted guitars. This really isn't my thing, but I'm glad it exists.

Nope

Toi harsh for me

Such a boring album

guess I’m a germaphobe

Very disapointing. I'd only ever heard 'If I can't change your mind' before and it's been in my top 10 favourites for decades - but this album never got anywhere near that standard again.

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

Cracking record this. Another of those bands this list flips up where I knew of them but never listened to them. I think it’s either their influence on so many bands or the fact Pat Smear was in them that put them on my radar. Apparently this is the first hardcore punk album, which is a canny mint acolade to have. Way better than the obvious more famous punk rock names. The drums are ridiculous, like a loud angry machine, and the lyrics - when deciphered - are surprisingly great for this genre. It’s loud, frantic, livid. Quite a winning formula. If Germs didnt exist, I dont think Black Flag would, and if they didnt exist music today would be very boring. 4.5

When I first started listening I thought it was fairly straightforward hardcore punk, decent enough but didn't really grab me. After reading the wiki blurb it's the first hardcore punk album which is pretty impressive, it's very typical of the genre even today. To still sound pretty relevant after 45 years is a good sign. The album does fall into the 'influential but not necessarily the best' category, there's better punk out there, but still a worthy inclusion on the list.

Well, this is certainly punk. Ahead of its time.

Hard to believe that this is from the 70s, I could easily believe it was early 90s. Really energetic hardcore punk, short songs. Very raw though, which I suppose adds to it I say this a lot when punk I haven't heard comes up, but must've inspired bands I grew up listening to. Listened twice now, really good, but not quite grabbing me enough for a 5. But for this to have been released in the 70s and still sound good is amazing. Highlights: What we do is secret Lexicon devil We must bleed Media blitz Strong 4. I'll be back

Best Song: Strange Notes. I liked the bassline. Worst Song: We Must Bleed. Just nasal whining. I prefer my punk more political and less despondent than this. Overall: Nobody expects good vocals out of a punk band, but I at least want something that's excitedly or passionately bad. This is mostly just mediocre, which brings down the whole production. And that bloated mess of a last track shows that very little editing went into this whole album.

Great early hardcore. highly recommend.

Pretty good punk.

I like punk, but this got pretty weak towards the end. Maybe I Just wasn't in the mood. Still pretty good though.

Trying hard but cliched

Not a huge fan of short songs, which most of these are, but I could see a lot of these songs growing on me with repeat listens.

Don't really love punk.

Sounds like the Sex Pistols. Exhausting.

I know this is a very important punk album, but I feel there are plenty more that are way better than this. Still a big what could have been for this band. Lexicon Devil and some other songs on here are amazing. Some songs I don't really care for though

Never heard this before. Thought it was great. Real hardcore.

Love the pace on this one, and the lyrical content seems surprisingly dense. It hits that part of my brain that loves anything played fast and aggressive really well.

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.

I've heard of Germs before, mostly because of Pat Smear, who I know about from Foo Fighters, but I've never listened to any of their music before. As far as hardcore albums go, I thought this was pretty meh. The guitar tones and playing didn't really change much from song to song, and the vocals were nearly impossible to decipher. If you're going to make an album that's politically charged, for the love of God, please make it to where the average listener can understand what's being said. I love some good hardcore punk lyrics, but it sucks if I have to go and look them up for every song. This just wasn't a very enjoyable album for me.

You don't judge a goldfish by it's ability to climb a tree. That said, while I understand the significance of this band and album I don't think they swim around the fishbowl or climb a tree as effectively as a few of the other groups and albums on this list. I don't think it's a 1 star but not certain it's a full 2 either.

Punk. Fun, but nothing special.

I think the genre is mislabeled --- should be junk rock, not punk rock. I'd give it 0/5 if I could. Quit after tracks 1 - 3.

A blast of L.A. hardcore from the band whose existance may have bee shorter than their songs. It's an absolute car crash of music and growling being recorded through tine cans - and that's just how we like it. Best Tracks: Land of Treason; Lexicon Devil; We Must Bleed

Quite an influential record for its time. This is not the first time I’ve listened to it, but you enjoy it every time! And considering that the band released only one album, getting into “1001” means something, don't you think?.

A decent hardcore punk album. Hard to get on with parts of it but overall it's a decent racket. Special mention has to go to the incredible album cover, that's beautiful.

How this sloppy noise is influential to anyone is beyond me.

Not my jam

It's punk, but it isn't good punk.

>:(

If you asked a punk enthusiast which albums are essential listens to understand the evolution of the punk scene, I guess this is what they come up with? It's another case of those who do it first not doing it the best. I don't actually care about punk and I don't care about this album. This is an album and review that I will not remember in a week's time.

Wow! Songs are all so... non-different! American Sex Pistols? I doubt it

Album Nr. 41 No Punks. Wobei - es gibt schon den einen und den anderen Punk-Song, den ich mag. Aber definitiv nicht hier.

1.5 - I don't like punk, so I knew I wasn't gonna like this. His voice is really not the type that I prefer and I don't find it very pleasurable to listen to. It's not even short, like most punk albums. I'll definitely forget about this album.

Wer hört sowas? Lärm!

Yuck - not at all a fan of this music genre!

Solid early west coast punk. Bummer they didn’t get to do more.

Absolute shit. I liked it.

This is really not my style but I listened to the whole thing and didn't hate it. I actually enjoyed parts of it

Bad

Never again.

1. zecret - 0 2. communizt eyez - 0 3. treazon - 0 4. richie - 0 5. ztrange notez - 0 6. leather - 0 7. lezicon - 0 8. manimal - 0 9. our uuay - 0 10. uue muzt bleed - 0 11. media blitz - 0 12. the other - 0 13. pretend - 0 14. dragon lady - 0 15. zlave - 0 16. zhut douun - 1

Did not enjoy

Я никогда сознательно не слышал эту группу, а почему бы и нет?! Это фантастика. Фантастическая ясность микса, хорошее разнообразие, отличная плавность воспроизведения песен. Возможно, для кого-то это недостаточно злобно, но мне это нравится.

This album was amazing, especially since I had (unfortunately) never heard of Germs before today. The sound is raw and violent, but the songs are varied. The vocals are a little too scream-y for me, but they're just melodic enough that I still enjoy the songs. After reading the history of this band and this album, I only appreciate it more. Excellent album that makes you want to drop-kick a Nazi.

Media blitz and minimal stood out for me, good classic punk sound

7.5/10. Not exactly my type of punk but I also really enjoyed listening to it. I was listening to it when I was on my way home from work stuck in traffic so it was good get me thru music

Meh, I like the energy and verocity and all. But it gets repetitive and old quickly, even with a shorter run time for an album. Neat lyricism here and there, but it doesn’t carry the album on its shoulders. This one was ok.

album punk molto bello. aggressivo e orecchiabbile, un classico hardcore

A whole album listening to a man shout MWAOOWW LISSSSMAAA NOWWWDOH WAAAAA. Not so good, Al.

Normally I like punk music - but this was really bad. Sorry Germs, only one star

L'impression de me faire cracher a la gueule par un punk à chien à la sortie du prisunic. Pour un album de 1979, ça sonne moderne. Je vois la rage, l'énergie, le nihilisme… Il faut avouer qu'il se passe quelque chose. Mais j'espère ne jamais me retrouver dans un état d'esprit où j'apprécierai d'écouter ça. Et tout semble plus harmonieux une fois qu'on s'est tapé les 9 minutes de Shut down (annihilation man)”. Donc trois pour l'effort et encourager la jeunesse. Mais laissez moi tranquille.

this is one of those albums that seems like it would be revolutionary for the time but time hasn't been too kind to it. I think looking at the date of release and knowing that this was at the forefront of this type of punk elevates it, but probably not something i would return to.

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.

Nada

Hardcore punk. Not for me.... Probably influential in it's time,but I hope to never have to hear it again

Sämst

Well - very loud and angry. But just not very good.

This album may have turned me into a hypochondriac, because now I'm a germaphobe. For fans of this album, it might be one of those cases that you get your enjoyment not so much from the musicality, but rather you enjoy that the album makes you feel something. I say that because I felt angry that I was listening to the album, and I didn't enjoy it. Punk music? Yeah, I certainly do feel punked. It was cool hearing the first studio album with a Looney Toon as the lead vocalist. Taz really knocked it out of the park on this one. They really had something they wanted to say, but I truly have no idea what it was. All joking aside, I didn't actually hate the vocals, but my main criticism is that most of the album just felt repetitive, adynamic, and boring in an obnoxious way. That could be baked into the punk genre, or it could be more related to this band. I'll only know by listening to more punk, I guess. "Dragon Lady" and "Shutdown Man" were good and interesting to me, but the rest felt like noise when taken as a whole. A song here or there? Maybe I could rock with, but not for 38 minutes straight.

Alright, so if I had sat down and listened to this album a few years ago, it would have been an instant one star. However, over the past year or so, I've come to appreciate genuine punk rock more. While it definitely isn't my favorite genre of music, I can see why people enjoy it and I indulge in the headbanging myself from time to time. I think as a punk rock album, GI checks all the boxes to be really good. Would I add it to my regular listening rotation though? Probably not.

So nice of them to let that autistic deaf guy do the singing

Treibend und düster

Naparzanka 1

land of treason, lexicon devil - almost ok shut down - maybe good if i was stoned instrumental sometimes have fun ideas but its all marred by vocals

2/5 naaaaah

Loved it, exactly my kind of thing

Not typically my genre but I like it. Would listen more if it was on Spotify. Cool to hear young Pat smear, 3 for respect. Actually 4 it’s fire

I said not too long ago in a previous review that talking about really bad, or really good, albums is way easier. I’m not sure what it is, maybe I’m just naturally a negative person, but I can see the things I want to talk about forming in my head while I’m listening to an album I don’t like. Such is the case with this record. My issue with “hardcore punk” as a genre is that it often feels like it prioritizes moving as fast and as hard as it can without any sensibility. I understand why people like that. And I have a feeling this would work better in a live setting, when you can feel and see that energy first hand. But I’m simply not a fan of this lo-fi, poorly mixed sound. This is basically just a collection of mostly unrelated punk songs that are so short, I don’t even have time to figure out whether I like them or not before they are over. If I had the choice between an album filled with short songs or long songs, I’m picking longs songs nine times out of ten. I want to devote an entire section to that last song. Because when I saw a length of 9+ minutes, I got slightly hopeful. It’s almost ten times as long as most of the songs on this, so maybe it will be more interesting. Funnily enough, the longest song was the one I decided I didn’t like the quickest. The instrumentals are at least slightly more engaging. But the real issue is the vocals. I just can’t get over his vocal style. Mindlessly wailing and growling on a song doesn’t sound good to me most of the time. Especially not in this case. Rating: 4/10

I don't have time for another ultimately forgettable punk album

No doubt an inspirational sound to plenty who came after but this raw punk sound makes for quite a tough going listen. Apart from 1-2 tracks that feel a little more thought out and melodic. 2/5

A challenging 40 mins. Long live THUG 2 🤟

Per ora album che mi è piaciuto di meno. Non sono di questo genere punk, mi sembra tanto rumoroso e urlato, quando è una canzone okay però qui è più di una... Poi capisco che questo urlato/sputato è di queato genere, quindi non critico quello che hanno fatto loro ma in generale. Il problema è che non riesco neanche a vedere una struttura dell'album. È stata dura per finire l'album. La parte positiva è che in certe canzoni mi piacciono gli strumenti, chitarra e batteria, sono bravi e vedo tipo un ordine in tutto questo caos.

Passed this one up. Tried to listen.

i thought i liked punk before this but maybe i’m just not built for it

16 year old me loved this album. Wish I still had that copy. Not available on Apple Music currently.

My first thought was, "Oh my, this is punk AF." Then, I googled. "First American Studio-length punk rock album". Definitely the vibe of this one. I just want to shave my head, burn my bra, and f*ck up the system.

Nope

I get the importance of this album, sounds way ahead of its time but don't like it all that much! reminds of me of a band I used to like called Mihai Edrisch, who I like more :)

This shouty, angry, stick two fingers up at everyone type of music is a full 180 on what I would normally enjoy.

Tried to give it a shot. Felt like a poor man's The Ramones. TBH, their song composition and musical abilities may be a little better than the Ramones, but it just isn't The Ramones. Sorry, guys.

Реальные панки!Punck not dead!!!

The best praise I can give it was that occasionally it was tolerable.

Hate this. No clue what garbage this album is but every song sounds like the vocalist is having a seizure. Couldn't make out a single word and the music was just jumbled noise that sounded like someone learning how to play. Maybe I don't understand hardcore punk rock but this was trash no matter what way I looked at it.

i can appreciate the origins of this album especially as one of the first punk rock bands to have emerged on the west coast but it just lacked cohesion and wasn’t super engaging to listen to.

Not my style at all

Okay I know I said I've been liking punk lately, but not this. It's a little too scream-y for me.

Always ignored this American punk album a little and today heard it for the first time - the songwriting is a bit on the weak side and I would not listen again.

Adequate punk album, I'm not too fond of the vocals.

Much punk

3,5. hrátt og á köflum einhæft. þó eru sprettir þar sem ryttmi og melódía ná að mætast. prófa aftur.

Too rowdy for me

Full of punky spirit but ultimately a bit drab

I had a bootleg of this from Limewire or something similar back in high school. In appropriately punk fashion - this is not available on any streaming services so I found a youtube rip with no ads and let it rock. Still satisfies the punk itch gloriously. Germs are a seminal source of punk rock's influence - Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Gos and Pat Smear of Nirvana and Foo Fighters were both members, although the former only briefly. This album was produced by Joan Jett! It's raw and chaotic AF, nihilistic, brutal, funny - distilled punk from the OGs. Add this one to the list of "Don't do heroin" kids - RIP Darby Crash

9 minutes over the allowed limit for a punk album. The singers voice overstayed its welcome.

Ég veit ekkert af hverju ég elska hrátt pönk. Ég bara elska það. Geggjuð plata!

At first judging by the cover I thought it would be some experimental electronic music album. But punk it is. Not really anything exceptional. 2.5/5.

Là je retrouve le générateur que je connais

: /

This is not my favorite.

On the plus side, I can recognize many of the vocals here as actual words. The songs sound like songs to me. On the minus side, this album didn't pass the headache test for me (meaning "do I have a headache after listening to this?"). My brain is just not wired for punk.

Not a big fan of this. It’s a bit too rebellious I’m afraid. They don’t care about anyone or anything and it seems like that includes their quality of music. If they had focused their efforts a little more, they could have really done something great. 2/5

Un excelente album de hardcore punk. La influencia que tuvo en el sonido estadounidense es evidente, y un gran registro histórico de los inicios de Pat Smith.

I think I would be down with this and I know Lexicon Devil but the album isn’t easily streamable so bye

File under B for "Bitchin"

Not for me.

8/10

I'm not usually a big fan of the early California hardcore scene. A lot of it sounds the same to me. I'd heard of the Germs before but never listened to them. I enjoyed it more than I expected, possibly aided by Joan Jett's production work. Some tracks were tiresome though, particularly the tedious 9 minute finale, which is infinitely long on the vinyl due to the locked groove.

Their brevity was their greatest strength as a band, both musically and lyrically.

I appreciated the tracks that felt more proto-hardcore and was more indifferent towards the rest. Music that was once groundbreaking but no longer feels so is always hard to rate. Hmm. 2.5 rounded up to 3?

Not my favorite. I couldn’t understand anything that the vocalist was singing, and not in a good way. It did begin to grow on me though, the further into the album I got. 1.5 stars

I wish I could understand a single lyric that was said at any point in any song, but yeah otherwise I liked it. The guitar and bass had some good stuff goin on.

I couldn't get access to this album on my streaming service. Bummer, sounded interesting.

Seminal west coast offering.

this was alright. not so much my cup of tea, but not unlistenable either. you can definitely hear the influence of this album on many punk/hardcore artists that would follow it.

Favorite Tracks: Lexicon Devil

Only a few songs on Spotify

Dne

Just No.

My hardcore punk limit is about 3 tracks, then I've had enough

What I needed to hear today!

Groundbreaking for its time, sure, but comes off sloppy and purposeless as a full album.

Isn’t it great when you hear a band name that completely suits the genre? For example, if a power metal band was called something like WyrmStar, or an opera singer called Wimsy Poppington-Vajazzle III. Today we have a similar situation with a punk band called Germs. Let’s listen and find out if they’re any good! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: We Must Bleed, Richie Dagger’s Crime This specific genre of punk can be hit and miss with me. Admittedly, my palette has become broadened when listening to lots of Against Me! as they’re later music is something I’d typically love, whereas their first album was much more raw. Germs sound a lot like that raw punk energy, with shouting vocals, fast power chords, and a criminally underrated drummer. I personally stiller prefer punk when it is more melodic, but I did still enjoy this quite a lot.

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.

Well, c'est du punk et ça fait pas semblant de pas l'être.