This can get wishy washy with genre definitions, (debate them if you must) but what are your top 5, ranked, 80's hardcore bands?
1. Bad Brains
2. Minor Threat
3. Black Flag
4. Scream
5. Dag Nasty
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
3A tricky one - hardcore gets this de facto American badge , which ignores all the hardcore happing in Europe, Japan etc etc… ie - it ain’t just a suburban white boy thang…
Anyhow - my top 5 based more on typifying hardcore rather than out put or “career” anything else:
Black flag - crucial up to Damaged - but I weirdly never think of them as a hardcore band
Minor threat - nuff said
Dead Kennedy’s - untouchable up to Plastic surgery disasters
Void - just because- minimal output but genre defining - see the void/faith thread
Die kruezen- for cows and first LP - unfuckwithable
Second tier
Code of honour - just for the split w sick pleasure- righteous lyrics trumped by high quality pick slides
Poison idea- for kings LP and pick yr king ep
Discharge- up to hear nothing…
Gang green - minimal output, but songs on Boston are just crazy
Reagan Youth - new aryans - scrappy and messy and fun!
Bad religion - first LP - before the rot set in, a great set of tunes
rudimentary peni - first eps and death church - not hardcore in the usual sense - elevated far beyond
A lot of the crazy Italian and Japanese stuff is fun but gets old pretty fast
A lot of the “classic” US stuff does not age well - MDC for example
All the DC stuff is pretty good imo, but not crucial…
My $0.02…
Anyhow - my top 5 based more on typifying hardcore rather than out put or “career” anything else:
Black flag - crucial up to Damaged - but I weirdly never think of them as a hardcore band
Minor threat - nuff said
Dead Kennedy’s - untouchable up to Plastic surgery disasters
Void - just because- minimal output but genre defining - see the void/faith thread
Die kruezen- for cows and first LP - unfuckwithable
Second tier
Code of honour - just for the split w sick pleasure- righteous lyrics trumped by high quality pick slides
Poison idea- for kings LP and pick yr king ep
Discharge- up to hear nothing…
Gang green - minimal output, but songs on Boston are just crazy
Reagan Youth - new aryans - scrappy and messy and fun!
Bad religion - first LP - before the rot set in, a great set of tunes
rudimentary peni - first eps and death church - not hardcore in the usual sense - elevated far beyond
A lot of the crazy Italian and Japanese stuff is fun but gets old pretty fast
A lot of the “classic” US stuff does not age well - MDC for example
All the DC stuff is pretty good imo, but not crucial…
My $0.02…
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
4Bad Brains: the gold standard. The lightning rod LP of course but also many of the Black Dots versions.
Minor Threat: first 2 eps only
Void: the split and demos, insane and hilarious. Lost interest when they became a 'proper' hard rock/metal band.
and while these bands didn't stay 'hardcore' for long..
Meat Puppets: "In a Car", "Teenagers", some of first LP. Possibly the most unhinged of the bunch.
Husker Du: Land Speed Record. I mean.. the later stuff is better music but they mastered the hard and fast formula pretty early on.
Minor Threat: first 2 eps only
Void: the split and demos, insane and hilarious. Lost interest when they became a 'proper' hard rock/metal band.
and while these bands didn't stay 'hardcore' for long..
Meat Puppets: "In a Car", "Teenagers", some of first LP. Possibly the most unhinged of the bunch.
Husker Du: Land Speed Record. I mean.. the later stuff is better music but they mastered the hard and fast formula pretty early on.
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
5Most of the above, at various points, although I'm a little more interested in the second-tier stuff these days, to which I'd add
Jerry's Kids
Offenders
Articles of Faith
N.O.T.A.
Always up for the "hardcore-adjacent" stuff too. I think someone mentioned Big Boys and before that punk funk stuff got really bad you also had decent stuff like Beefeater and Rhythm Pigs.
Jerry's Kids
Offenders
Articles of Faith
N.O.T.A.
Always up for the "hardcore-adjacent" stuff too. I think someone mentioned Big Boys and before that punk funk stuff got really bad you also had decent stuff like Beefeater and Rhythm Pigs.
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
6Negative Approach! How could I forget them. Sorry my brain isn't working today, but this thread is going to get me through the day. Thank you, everyone.
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
7I generally have a preference for the poppier and stupider side of early punk rock and don't listen to a lot of hardcore outside of the bands on SST. So Bad Brains, early Huskers, and early Black Flag are my choices.
jason (he/him/his) from volo (illinois)
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
8I'm going to pretend you didn't list Bad Brains by mistake and not by choice.Iancee wrote: Fri Apr 12, 2024 4:27 am A tricky one - hardcore gets this de facto American badge , which ignores all the hardcore happing in Europe, Japan etc etc… ie - it ain’t just a suburban white boy thang…
Anyhow - my top 5 based more on typifying hardcore rather than out put or “career” anything else:
Black flag - crucial up to Damaged - but I weirdly never think of them as a hardcore band
Minor threat - nuff said
Dead Kennedy’s - untouchable up to Plastic surgery disasters
Void - just because- minimal output but genre defining - see the void/faith thread
Die kruezen- for cows and first LP - unfuckwithable
Second tier
Code of honour - just for the split w sick pleasure- righteous lyrics trumped by high quality pick slides
Poison idea- for kings LP and pick yr king ep
Discharge- up to hear nothing…
Gang green - minimal output, but songs on Boston are just crazy
Reagan Youth - new aryans - scrappy and messy and fun!
Bad religion - first LP - before the rot set in, a great set of tunes
rudimentary peni - first eps and death church - not hardcore in the usual sense - elevated far beyond
A lot of the crazy Italian and Japanese stuff is fun but gets old pretty fast
A lot of the “classic” US stuff does not age well - MDC for example
All the DC stuff is pretty good imo, but not crucial…
My $0.02…
Sorry for my shitty English
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
9Wholly predictable four of:
Black Flag
Dead Kennedys
Bad Brains
Discharge
with Rudimentary Peni my leftfield fifth.
Black Flag
Dead Kennedys
Bad Brains
Discharge
with Rudimentary Peni my leftfield fifth.
at war with bellends
Re: Top 5 80's Hardcore Bands
10Early Bad Brains (partial to the Black Dots versions, but some essential tracks are not there)
and then, no order:
Die Kreuzen
Negative Approach (they were no Laughing Hyenas, but...)
Minor Threat (they were no Fugazi, but...)
My favorite Black Flag music is no longer hardcore (In My Head, the instrumentals), otherwise I'd vote for them.
I feel like I'd really enjoy the Dead Kennedys if I ever really spent time with their records, but I never did.
and then, no order:
Die Kreuzen
Negative Approach (they were no Laughing Hyenas, but...)
Minor Threat (they were no Fugazi, but...)
My favorite Black Flag music is no longer hardcore (In My Head, the instrumentals), otherwise I'd vote for them.
I feel like I'd really enjoy the Dead Kennedys if I ever really spent time with their records, but I never did.