Top Ten Early Punk Bands that Casual Punk Fans May Overlook

L.A.'s first punk band. First performed in 1977. Named by most punk bands, especially in California, as a major or primary influence. Circle Jerks, The Descendents, Black Flag, D.I., Adolescents, Social Distortion, and The Dils are just a small few who name The Weirdos as an influence. Many critics agree that John Denney is one of the greatest frontmen in punk history.

It's kind of weird that so many bands give The Weirdos their "props" but they are overlooked by so many punk fans. I think maybe it was because of timing. They didn't release a full-length album until 1990 - just a lot of singles and a few EPs. The "Neutron Bomb" single with "Solidarity Confinement" on the B-side released in 1978 is considered one of the greatest "one-two punch" singles in punk history by punk and music critics.

Not a hardcore band but more of a The Clash-like tempo. Great music, great lyrics, just a great band that's fun yet dark with great live shows even to this day. I'm super stoked that John Denney announced The Weirdos will be releasing new material very soon. If you like classic punk and The Weirdos come through your town, go see them live. You won't regret it.

"I would have put The Weirdos in here" - Bill Stevenson (The Descendents, Black Flag, All), referring to The Rolling Stones Magazine's "Greatest Punk Records" list.

"The Dils have been chasing The Weirdos our whole careers" - Chip Kinman (The Dils)

"I think The Weirdos are the greatest band in the universe, which exceeds the world and more. My icons. Johnny's the man. I love these guys" - Casey Royer (D.I., Social Distortion)

"The Weirdos: The band that infected us all" - Symbol Six

"Of course, The Weirdos, for any of you that know or have any kind of knowledge anywhere with all about what the **** happened with punk rock here in Los Angeles before they did it here in Orange County." Also, in the same speech, "We know who came before us and we know they played an... more

I feel that they are severely overlooked because when people discuss "the first punk bands" they are never mentioned. Everyone brings up The Ramones, The Pistols, and The Clash. No one mentions The Saints.

"I'm Stranded" LP was released and distributed internationally in February of 1977 (compared to The Sex Pistols' October release of "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols"). The single "I'm Stranded" was released prior to the album in 1976.

And anyways, when it comes to U.K. punk, Generation X, The Vibrators, and I believe The Buzzcocks all had releases before The Pistols. I also think "I'm Stranded" is a better album than "Never Mind The Bollocks." I think people overlook or forget about The Saints because they pretty much abandoned their punk sound after their first two albums.

Noticing a handful of Dead Kennedys fans on the site, I want to add this album in case they overlooked it. "The Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors" is a must-listen for Dead Kennedys/Jello Biafra fans. Punk legend and icon Jello Biafra with one of the original hardcore bands, D.O.A., is a killer combo.

When talking about U.K. hardcore, most bring up G.B.H., The Exploited, Subhumans, Crass, and Discharge (all great bands). I feel The Partisans should be mentioned in the same breath as those other bands. Their self-titled debut LP is a must-have punk classic.

I feel they are overlooked due to the popularity of the U.K.'s Subhumans. Their "Death to the Sickoids" single, "The Subhumans" EP, and "Incorrect Thoughts" LP are all great punk rock.

None of the Above. A bit obscure, but hardcore and thrash fans should definitely check out their self-titled LP. Most of their albums are out of print, and coming from Oklahoma, I think they were overlooked due to the timing of their self-titled album's release in 1985. They only had a little bit of time to "get out there" due to that wave of hardcore dying out in 1986.

Another hardcore band that I feel is overlooked due to the popularity of more common hardcore bands. Hardcore and thrash fans should check out "The Wacky Hijinks of Adrenaline O.D." album released in 1984.

Very different and unique. Definitely not for everyone. They have a psychobilly, blues, goth, punk sound going on. Great band nonetheless.

Hardcore and thrash fans should definitely give these guys a try, especially if you like Discharge and G.B.H. This band "evolved" from Discharge. Their early stuff, in my opinion, sounds like a hybrid of Discharge and G.B.H.

Their "Dem Bones" LP and "I.O.U. Nothing" EP are great punk records. They later went full-on crossover thrash, so metalheads might want to check out both their early and later stuff.

If you like The Dead Boys, there's a good chance you'll like The Pagans. Great Cleveland, Ohio early punk rock band.

An early Los Angeles punk band that flew under the radar a bit. Fun-loving punk band with a splash of rockabilly to their sound.

Not as early as the other bands from this list, but they've been around for 25 years, so I think that qualifies. They had a different sound during a time when all Southern California punk bands were sounding the same (mid-'90s). The popular bands at the time like Lagwagon, Strung Out, Pennywise, and many more were following the blueprint laid out by Bad Religion and NOFX.

But The Stitches still had that '70s sound but modernized. Their album 8 x 12 is one of my favorite albums released in the mid-'90s. Great album from beginning to end. One of my favorite bands to see live. Frontman Mike Lohrman is awesome.