Double Nickels On The Dime

Dumb fun. A few truly great tracks "Corona" aka the theme to Jackass, was a standout. And a few really dumb tracks... but what do expect from a 43 song album? Overall, I felt there was just too much (though I understand why they did it...sort of), and would have been better with more editing of the track list.

Obviously with this many songs you’re going to have hits and misses. Enough good stuff to keep it interesting, and lol Jackass theme song.

Some songs ok, recognisable as music sometimes

This album is like an apartment you live in for a week.

I always want to like this album way more than I do cos Mike Watt seem like a very cool guy but I just don't find it all that exciting a listen.

This is my white whale, I've tried so many times to finish it but haven't been successful. A million ideas, with middling execution.

It sounds particularly ambitious for an album of its genre. While it is refreshing to hear an album with so many novel ideas, the lack of fleshed-out snippets throughout the record impairs its ability to make a bigger impact than the quality of its lyricism and its instrumentation deserve. 8/10 [KEEP]

My favorite Minutemen song is the one where they read the Communist Manifesto over the Seinfeld bassline

Very very unique punk album with quite the overwhelming amount of tracks (45 for the original vinyl release) that actually is very consistent throughout its length. One the more interesting things about this release is how it feels like a late 90's/ early 20's math rock, but it is from 1984, showing that these guys were really innovative. It might not be strictly math rock, but the very intricate playing from all three instruments (guitar, bass and drums) really makes the sound and energy of the album very close to that genre. It is also the very skillful and technical executions that makes the record so entertaining to listen to, as no two songs sound the same, regardless of how similar they are. When it comes to the voice, the singer most commonly uses spoken word with an aggressive attitude, and in some occasions he actually sings. These two styles are usually used in a way they match the tone of the songs, as in the more frantic cuts is where the vocalist shouts the most, and in the more melodic parts he sings. To describe a bit more the sound of the album, it is very playful and fun with a lot of energy and beautiful moments. I also find it somehow a bit silly and not super serious, mainly due to the combination of the groovy and funky bass, some punk riffs and the carefree performances of the vocals. While I do enjoy the album and I think it is an interesting exercise from the musicians, I can't say that I love it. Main reason would be related to the length of the album and quantity of songs. The energy I also find it entertaining, although never super stimulating, and the most melodic parts aren't that impressive or captivating, so overall, it is a very peculiar and nice "punk" experience.

Punk can be so bad sometimes, and this just goes on forever and ever. Not a single interesting thing happening.

Why is there so many songs?

From the Vault #48 (May 31, 2026) Never heard of these guys before, though they're obviously American thanks to that cover. I'm not entirely certain in my genre prediction, but I think there's a high likelihood that this is going to be some brand of punk or new wave album, if only for the fact that they're driving a vintage car in the big city like any hipster would. Also because the guy on the cover is so fucking smug and self-assured. Anyways, let's get into it. Fucking hell. I knew this was a long album since I'm assembling a pre-written review of it for that precise reason, but I wasn't expecting this album to follow the punk convention of it being jammed full of shitty songs that are less than two minutes in length. I rate individual songs on the albums I listen to as a baseline way of making sure I'm engaging with the album, so having to feverishly ascribe a score to one of these things every minute-and-a-half is really getting the cortisol pumping. I don't care for this music, though I can admit that it's somewhat competent. The subdued, almost grungy sound is quite distinctive and pleasing. That being said, it's also very limiting, with many of the songs blending together. The aforementioned short runtime of the tracks only compounds this problem. Occasionally, the songs pivot towards some jittery, new wave-influenced guitars, which are a fun change of pace. The percussion is generally quite minimal, which leads to a lot of the songs sounding empty and threadbare. The vocal performances are adept, though the scattershot, lackluster songwriting undermines this material. Overall, this album was a little bog-standard, though I didn't mind spacing out to it while I did some gardening. Book time. This album expresses "hyper-articulate leftism". Has a wide range of influences. The band's best release. Each side of the album was named after the band members that mixed them, whereas the "Chaff" side is just kind of there and notably features experimental covers of songs from Steely Dan and Van Halen. A cover of a Creedence Clearwater Revival song also appears on the first side of the album. R.E.M. are fans of the band, with the two groups touring together in 1985. Minutemen's prospects would ultimately be cut short when the frontman died in a car accident in December of the same year. Wikipedia says that this album was very warmly received by critics, has received enduring acclaim and was influential to later punk music. There was also a fan zine created for this album which featured the work of 58 artists along with a 33 1/3 book being written about its creation. The album didn't chart at all, however. Yeah, these all seem like solid qualifiers to me. I cosign this inclusion.

Not bad

01) D.'s Car Jam/Anxious Mo-Fo - 6,5 02) Theatre Is the Life of You -6,0 03) Viet Nam - 6,0 04) Cohesion - 7,0 05) It's Expected I'm Gone - 6,0 06) #1 Hit Song - 6,0 07) Two Beads at the End - 5,5 08) Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth? - 6,0 09) Don't Look Now - 6,5 10) Shit from an Old Notebook - 5,5 11) Nature Without Man - 5,5 12) One Reporter's Opinion - 5,5 13) Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing - 5,5 14) Maybe Partying Will Help - 5,5 15) Toadies - 6,0 16) Retreat - 5,5 17) The Big Foist - 5,5 18) God Bows to Math - 5,5 19) Corona - 7,5 20) The Glory of Man - 5,5 21) Take 5, D. - 5,0 22) My Heart and the Real World - 5,5 23) History Lesson – Part II - 6,5 24) You Need the Glory - 4,5 25) The Roar of the Masses Could Be Farts - 5,5 26) West Germany - 5,5 27) The Politics of Time - 5,5 28) Themselves - 5,5 29) Please Don't Be Gentle with Me - 5,0 30) Nothing Indeed - 5,0 31) No Exchange - 6,0 32) There Ain't Shit on T.V. Tonight - 5,0 33) This Ain't No Picnic - 5,5 34) Spillage - 5,5 35) Untitled Song for Latin America - 5,5 36) Jesus and Tequila - 5,5 37) June 16th - 5,0 38) Storm in My House - 5,5 39) Martin's Story - 5,5 40) Dr. Wu - 6,0 41) The World According to Nouns - 5,5 42) Love Dance - 5,5 43) Three Car Jam - / TOTAL: 5,54 (55/100) Current ranking: 920/1059

Did not expect to hear the jackass theme half way through. It could definitely be shorter but the jazz and funk elements definitely give it a rhythmic and harmonic variety that I miss in most punk albums. All the songs are short and punchy but after 43 of them it's hard to think of anything that stood out.

Fuck this

Very entertaining American post punk.

Ska pop rock, lots of good stuff, epic length album

Þetta kom svoleiðis á óvart. hátt í 50 lög. Elskaði þegar Jackass lagið birtist allt í einu. Þetta er bara algjört gull þessi plata. Geggjuð lög. Langt fyrir sinn tíma. Beittir textar og gott sound. Svona plötur gera plötuleikinn skemmtilegan.

Pönk og meira alls konar pönk. Þvílík veisla. Alls konar skrýtin lög og skrýtnir textar. Frumleiki allsráðandi. History lesson part 2 legendary. Að fara úr VietNam í Cohesion verulega steikt. 43 lög kannski dáldið mikið í einu þó þau séu öll undir 2 mínútum, en allir fengu að velja lög á eina hlið. Svo þurfti auðvitað einn að deyja og þar með var þetta búið.

No standouts

This ain't no picnic is the first I recognize. I really appreciated the other reviews on this album. like others seeing 43 tracks, then seeing the layout of 3 sides per member followed by the chaff is a neat story. I'm old school punk and appreciate the different flavours on this someone mentioned CCR Martin Medeski and Wood. I will need to give this another listen!

Honestly my first time hearing of this album, impressed by the consistent creativity and quality across double album

A hell of an achievement in punk music. A lot of this is absolutely fantastic. It's an absolutely landmark from D. Boon, Mike Watt and George Hurley. I can hear its influences in all kinds of later work. I can't decide if it's too long. There's a lot of diversity in these 45 (!) songs. And there aren't a lot of punk double-albums. I even like most of it. But I really want something shorter. Is that a problem related to my modern attention span? Is it a problem only because I often listen to these albums while working and try to find a few moments to write during my day? Is it simply that I won't remember many of these songs to write about after a single listen? I guess I'd be happy to listen to this again. But what part of it? And will I have two hours to dedicate? Will I have a particular side (they're all themed)? In the end, it's a masterpiece that I'm docking points because there's too much of it. It's indigestible. It's also brilliant, endlessly diverse, confrontational and really enjoyable. But you won't get a moment to think about it; it careens along at an 80's punk pace for an hour and twenty minutes and, by then, you'll only remember five of forty-five songs. But they'll be great! Advice for young bands: don't record double albums. Just release two albums. 4/5

Fast, political, has a beat, melodies, harmonies adventure and discord. Everything you could ever want, it's real, it's life. 5 stars, one of my all time favorites.

Why does this album have like 43 songs😭 Ok most of them are 1-2 minutes…this should be interesting In fact, the longest song is 2:58 this is the first album I’ve experienced that is like this There have been some really nice acoustic guitar moments so far and I wish they weren’t just instrumentals😭 Um yeah that was something. There were some very questionable lyrics but it was overall a fun time, not something I would return to, but something I’m glad I listened to. 3.0445/5

Still just worth a cent

If someone ever asks me to listen to this whole thing in a single sitting I’m hitting the Kubrick Stare.

This album was like doing homework. I recognize that it was pretty good, and the guitar's killed in almost every song, but it was so much work to get through this. Just so long Favorite Songs: Don't Look Now, Corona, The Glory of Man

It was cool to listen to this album in it’s entirety to give context to the one song I and most people of my generation know very well from jackass. I liked Mike Watt solo stuff so this was a full circle moment.

not at all my style. reminds me of Primus, CDs of which I was tortured by teen boyfriends in the 90s. ew.

I always welcome an invitation to once again pass through this unique, sprawling, thrilling, funky, erudite, earnest, funny, homespun masterpiece. I remember first encountering it as a teen and having my assumptions about punk rock shattered into little pieces, like the glittering jazzy riffs of D. Boon's guitar. Watt is an icon, Hurley is a legend. The ethos, the aesthetic, the politics, and the effortless genre-defying musicianship are every bit as fresh and inspiring now as they were in the 1980s. If punk is about pursuing your own visions of art and life, while keeping kindness and honesty at the forefront, and refusing to buy in to capitalist systems of thought, then this is surely the punkest album of all time.

Good album

History Lesson - Part II This Ain't No Picnic

I don’t much care for the lyrics and singing, but the music is very good. This is not a album I’m going to listen to again, but I’m pleasantly surprised at how interesting it is.

I love this for so many reasons. The departure from the punk sound while maintaining the attitude. The blending of genres. The number of tracks that never overplay their hand. They get in and get out. I can hear their influence on bands to come, the Chili Peppers, Modest Mouse. It isn’t taking itself too seriously, but it delivers.

Couldn't get more than a few tracks in.

43 songs, 74 minutes, and it's still not enough

Despite being 43 songs and an hour and twelve minutes long, the minutemen have relatively little to say. In fact, the length is an extreme detractor from how this could have been a good album if you cut about 75% of it and threw it in the trash. As it stands it’s a chore to listen to.

Really quite enjoyed it even though it's a bit longer than I usually prefer. Will come back to see whether it can win me over some more.

Its long and samey, but still doesn't feel bloated by the end of it. Liked this a lot

434/1089 43 SONGS, AN HOUR AND 14 MINS okayyyy i’m liking the vibe but funnily enough, Cohesion, an instrumental track, was the first one i saved idk it just hit you need the glory was… uncomfortable this was an interesting one, i’m glad i listened. it had a lot of songs and was kinda long but because each song was pretty short it never felt like it was outstaying its welcome faves: cohesion, nothing indeed, no exchange, history lesson part 2, dont look now 60/100

Olipas erikoinen levy. Tykkäsin soljuvasta ja lungista soitosta. Varsinkin rytmiryhmän soittoa oli mukava kuunnella, kuten myös kitara oli ilmavaa.

Great, and a complete oversight from me somehow.

43 really quick (1:00-1:30) songs. 80’s alt-punk/ska. Literally got excited when I heard the first couple notes of the ‘Jackass’ theme on ‘Corona,’ haha! 3.5/5.0

Cool weird here.

About the only reference point I have for this one is Primus, even though this one came first, and so much of that comes from the string bass that just absolutely refuses to sit back and be the rhythm section. I get a little bit of the later punk sound in some songs but unfortunately the disjointedness of it all keeps the album got really landing as hard as it could for me.

Correcto

felt like a long ass walk to a destination without maps whatsoever (2.5/5.0)

This is a take on punk I can get behind. Lots of interesting stuff in this sprawling collection.

Legendary album. A little something for everyone. Even if you aren't enjoying a track, it's only a minute or so before something new! History Lesson - Part 2 is among my favourite songs ever.

It's weird: I tend to like angular post-punk, and dislike hardcore. SST released two double albums at approximately the same time: the post-punk Double Nickels on the Dime and the hardcore Zen Arcade. I didn't particularly like either at first, but now I've come to love the latter. Minutemen, on the other hand, leave me cold. The songs are a bit too short to really stick around, and having like 40 of them means it feels even longer than it actually is. Literally every band I love is gonna yell at me for this, but I just don't get what's so good about this album.

No private session used for Spotify. I do think I have ever listened to a Minutemen album. Its loose fun rock. The singer sometimes struggles with singing, but I like how it adds to the rawness of the album.

I like this, but I don't love i, if that makes sense. These guys seem ubertalented, but did a whole double album without expounding in their style? Just a whole album of quick hits? When the Jackass theme hit I was thrilled, tho.

This was alright, but . ot really my genre. Two stars.

What an unusual album. At 42 tracks I thought it was going to be a real slog, but because they're all so short it was pretty palatable. Is this the tapas of punk albums? I wouldn't say I enjoyed it all - a lot washed over me - but there was a real sweet spot from Corona (hello, Jackass sample!) through to History Lesson Part 2 that really vibed with me. All in all, I'd listen again although I don't think I'll be rushing to.

There were times when I dug pieces of the music. A bass line here, a guitar riff there. It was overly long though. I heard enough though to hear the influence it had on later punk, so I'll give it a 3.

Are all the bass players on these punk albums from this list cut from the same cloth? They’re always so good. Also, I was not expecting Corona and had no idea what the origin of that song was. They could have cut half the songs from this record. Still, overall I enjoyed my time with it enough to give it 3 stars.

Ok

Malo

Generic punk rock? It was pleasant but no song stood out to me really 3/5

Enjoyable

Was not expecting to like this as much as I did

One I’m familiar with! It’s not a masterpiece or anything, but I have a real soft spot for this album. I like that the bass is that loud. I like that it sounds like it was recorded in someone’s basement. I like that D Boon just kind of sounds like some guy you met at a local show one time rattling off stuff he wrote stream-of-consciousness in like half an hour.

An interesting journey and revelation for me. I feel it's a bit too long though!

This is some great stuff! Despite its length, the album is varied and eclectic enough to keep my interest pretty well most of the way. I'm only giving it an 8/10 for now instead of a 9/10 because its length is keeping me from getting some much-needed sleep, but I'll probably bump it up on a relisten.

Honestly I enjoyed parts of this, I don’t really understand why they felt the need to extend the album to well over an hour. I felt like I was watching a movie with ridiculously frenetic pacing and I couldn’t really absorb a song before the next one came on. And at the same time, I was wondering how many more 2 minute songs I would have to endure before the experience was over, despite liking some parts.

I like this album, but I can't help but think it could've been done....better? I'm not sure if the hour long plus album is the best way to get their message done. There are stretches of this album that are inventive, and then stretches where it feels like we're doing the same thing over and over. I like it a lot, but I think it could be improved.

Cerramos semana corta con estos capos que escuché a principios de año y su álbum más largo pero a la vez, llevadero por tratarse de punk y de canciones cortísimas. Súper variado, como era esta banda. Gracias y hasta el lunes.

Very very good

Always down to jam econo.

Taking a star off because this didn't need to be this long of an album

this was too long

Discovered this this winter after (finally) reading this band you be your life. It’s fucking great!

This was really long and would've benefited from a trim

I appreciate it for what it is, Black Flag crossed with CCR. But it is a lot to process. Thank you for Corona.

Yea no way i’m getting through this whole album Vocals are not great to start This isn’t bad but also isn’t good; songs are short & album is moving fast tho

Amazing

Corona is their biggest song and I know it. It's kinda like more band rock, upbeat. Don't mind it.

Fun punks

So much to love about this album. It’s constantly changing from one idea to the idea so quickly. It sounds like the velvet underground, talking heads, punks, post/punk. But also nothing else sounds like it at all. The music is so energetic and driving. Also “Corona” may be one of the greatest songs of all time. Mike Watt is just an all timer. I saw him live last year and he’s still going - making new music and playing live. Honestly just continuing the very energy and vibes from this album.

Sounds like people who know how to play instruments pretending they don't know. I guess the whole thing is okayish and I got through it, but I do not think I would listen to it again. Maybe for the ridiculousness factor of it being 43 songs. What I like is that they did not take themselves too seriously and still had some songs which are actually good. The drumming I found was the highlight of the album which I believe is the correct way to make punk music. What I want to say is that you can do more than just "tupatupa" in punk songs.

So amused that 43 2 minutes or less song would make this list.

Make certain that your head is connected to your body and give it 5 stars

Wow. In a time of big hair, pageantry, and pop, Minutemen said no thank you and ground out a pedal-to-the-floor double album of 80's punk. With no song clocking in longer than 3 minutes (2 minutes, 57 seconds, to be exact), DNOTD hits you in the face from track 1 and doesn't stop until the album does.

There's something here, but it starts to get lost in the brief songs and the genre mish-mash. A variety of styles are tossed together into a big old salad of an album, resulting in something that is consistently interesting even if it feels like I am scrolling through a disconnected jumble of Instagram stories. There are some pretty decent songs here, but they tend to end right as I start really getting into them. The more spoken-word segments are kind of a fun change of pace, but that is one aspect that gets a little old by the end of this album's impressive runtime. I think this album is an interesting curiosity, but I can't say it's one of my favorites from the project. I don't take any issues with its presence on the list, so that's something. Also, I feel like if you have some songs that you have classified as "chaff," you can just leave them off of the album instead of shoehorning everything you record onto the final side. Favorite track: "The Glory of Man"

too many songs

Maybe a more enjoyable version of Fugazi

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

i really want to love this more than i do - and i really like it - it's so different than anything else - so revolutionary and so tight. Yet, the length is just so much!

I only know one song by Minutemen, and have never checked them out otherwise. I'm looking forward to sitting down with this album today. I quite enjoyed this, and am disappointed in myself that I never checked this out before. I'll be adding this to my list of albums to listen to again.

#455/1001. The greatest moments in this project are when you get to fill in musical gaps in genres you love or have loved. And yes, while I have listened to black flag and quite a lot of old 80s-90s) California punk, I don’t think I ever really listened to Minutemen. I know the name, as well as tons of other punk bands, but at that time and place you were limited what you could buy (not much), what your friends owned (not much what you didn’t), what the library had (nothing really) and what you saw live (a lot of small local / Finnish acts). Later on as musical accessibility has exploded, similarly has musical taste evolved and there is no need to dig out all the Melvins and Circle Jerks out there. So thank you this project for introducing a band and an album which is a missing link in so many ways (nomeansno or fugazi vibes anyone?), a band who creates their own way to craft songs, ignoring the traditional song structures, there are hundreds of artists in this list who just repeat what others have done a little better- or often worse. I never knew the Minutemen sounded like this, but now I do and I’m happy I discovered it through these 40+ songs.

I don't know how to explain what a miracle this band is, or this album. By rights they should have never existed - D. Boon should have ended up teaching history at a community college and Mike Watt should have taken a job at Northrop Grumman in Redondo and George Hurley should have just stayed in Hawaii and surfed his life away. And their music seemingly makes no sense - punky little jazzy little twangy little sketches about left-wing politics and the quotidian experience of being from San Pedro. And yet it's here. "Take 5, D" turns a plumbing work order into something strikingly beautiful. "My Heart and the Real World" swipes the Romantics' "What I Like About You" and inverts it into forlorn musings about lacking the words to express your love. "Cohesion" may be one of my favorite instrumentals on any rock album, anywhere. The Henry Rollins-penned "Storm in My House" whips up a quiet hurricane of feeling. And "History Lesson - Part II" has become myth at this point, the tale of a band that mattered. And if you don't like those, there are thirty-eight more to choose from (more if you can find the vinyls). I could get lost in this album, and have, and will enjoy doing so again, over and over.

Super fun record. I like these guys.

Iconic band that largely goes in one ear and out the other. My b!

I respect it and I’m sure it was influential but not quite for me - did not expect to hear the jackass theme though

mid

Groupe inconnu. L’album ne me parait pas trop punk en fait, je trouve qu’il manque d’énergie. L’accompagnement est intéressant, j’aime assez le son et les lignes de basse. Mais le problème est plutôt la longueur (plus de 40 morceaux) qui fini par le rendre ennuyeux. À réécouter, sans plus. =>3/5

This was wild. Too long for sure, but it's a lot of fun and I appreciate the melting pot of styles.

I got "MINUTEMEN" as a word on the NYT Spelling Bee yesterday, life is truly miraculous (also, this album was varied and cool with lots of great guitar and bass interplay)