Anti-Flag’s singer/guitarist, Justin Sane, will soon be hitting the road once more in support of their latest album, American Spring – including U.S. dates from December through February. So what better way to celebrate this impending road jaunt then by picking some of his favorite punk rock albums of all time?!
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks [1977]
“I think the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks is the best punk rock record. Period. Johnny Rotten’s lyrics are amazing, his way of singing, no one had ever sung like that before – he revolutionized the position of a lead singer in a rock band. Overall, musically, it’s a great record. You can’t argue that it’s not played well or that it’s not in tune or that songs don’t rock. It’s a great record.”
The Clash – The Clash [1977]
“I love the Clash’s self-titled debut record. It’s one of my favorite records ever. It’s not polished and clean the way the Sex Pistols record is, but it’s got so much grit and piss to it. Again, there really wasn’t a record out in the mainstream like that record when that record came out. Those two bands really revolutionized music in a way that I think is really overlooked.”
Rancid – …And Out Come the Wolves [1995]
“Rancid’s …And Out Come the Wolves is right up there with me, as far as one of my favorite records of all time. The songwriting is tremendous. And the execution of the songs is flawless.”
The Ramones – The Ramones [1976]
“Of course, the self-titled Ramones record, again, was this ground-breaking record. Nobody had heard anything like that. Like, the bands I just described – the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Rancid – all those bands were influenced by the Ramones. There hadn’t been a rock record like that record before. And again, you hear so many bands that have an influence from the Ramones that they probably don’t even know that they’re influenced by the Ramones, because the Ramones had that big of an influence on rock n’ roll. To the point that when you hear a Ramones song now, like you hear ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ now, it’s just considered a mainstream rock song. But when that record came out, it was totally revolutionary.”
Anti-Flag photo by Megan Thompson.
