So I got into hardcore and skatepunk at about the same time, and about that same time punk came in as well in the broader term. So, as I spent a good portion of my youth (and still do) listening to skatepunk it seems to hold some logic I’d do this list as well.
As CDs where the media type of choice at the time, this will be a mixed one. Some on vinyl, most on CD.
And again, as with the 7″ list, this too will be written in blog form before being finalized, and I’ll add records on hopefully a bi-weekly basis or hopefully more often than that, so please come back every once in a while! (Scroll down for the latest additions.)
Lagwagon – Trashed (1994)
There are few skatepunk bands that really, really stand out for me musically. Lagwagon very much does lead the pack in that aspect. Every part of every song is super well written on this one, pretty fast, melodic, pretty technical at times, and I guess “catchy” even though that word seems kind of off to me, but it’s not like it isn’t. Anyway, The guitars goes from super nice riffs to more melodic ones, Jesse Buglione is going off on the bass on the offensive, the drums are always a perfect fit and then there’s Joey Cape being one of the best vocalists in the skatepunk genre.
I really like Duh (1992) and “Noble End” is one of my all time favorite skatepunk songs, but that being said, “Trashed” has been and will always be my favorite Lagwagon record.
Looking back, Lagwagon was the first band, after the label founder Fat Mike’s own band NOFX, to be signed to the now legendary punk label Fat Wreck Chords (releasing the aforementioned “Duh” in 1992 and while the two previous releases by NOFX (“The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This” (1990) and “The Longest Line” (1992) still holds up in the latter sense (with the “The Longest Line” introducing a new sound, while also adding El Hefe replacing Dave Cassilas)) Lagwagon released the best record on FAT at that point and would become the tip of the spear not only on the label but in the gene of skatepunk as a whole.
Propagandhi – Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes (2001)
This to me this marks a new era of Propagandhi. Their previous full-length releases “How to Clean Everything” (1993) and “Less Talk More Rock” (1996) could both be taking this spot due to the bands originality in it’s mix of lyrics and music at the time, but they cannot in my opinion mach this one.
This is where the Propagandhi that we know now where born in my opinion. Everything’s elevated here. Something clearly happened between 1996 and 2001 for sure.
John K. Samson left the band before this record, and left to pursue his other band The Weakerthans (of which “Reconstruction Site” is an incredible album). He was replaced by Todd Kowalski, joining Chris and Jord. (As I understand it he (John) didn’t feel he could keep up with the bands increasingly technical level, and I guess most of us have seen Chris in a Sacrifice t-shirt (and as I understand is a lover of Death), and he himself has stated he wasn’t too happy with his skills at first, I’m thinking at this point he’d taken some steps).
It makes some five years between “Less Talk More Rock” and this record, and I’m thinking that’s what it took for the band to find themselves in the spot where they are now. Outstanding, fast, super nice riffs (that would further develop with later albums) great lyrics most on the political side of things and unmatched musical skills in this corner of punk.
No Use For a Name – Making Friends (1997)
“What’s your name? Fuck you, that’s my name!” said by Alec Baldwin in the 1992 film “Glengarry Glen Ross“ opens up this record. Maybe not of too much of interest (good movie though), sorry. So anyhow, few bands have been as consistent as NUFAN over the years, putting out record after record blowing pretty much everyone in the genre out of the water with every release (not saying literately everyone, in that case this list would have nine NUFAN albums on it).
This record is, to me, the best melodic skatepunk record ever in the non-too-technical category, it’s pretty straight forward and not that advanced musically, but the melodies is unmatched. No one does fairly straight forward melodic punk better than NUFAN. Period.
They did however start out as a hardcore-punk band, and I’ve got the “You Bug Me” (1989) 7” with Chris Dodge (who went on playing with Spazz and Infest) on vocals and skatepunk legend (would be singer) Tony Sly on guitar. Following that first release came more melodic full lengths “Incognito” (1991), “Don’t Miss the Train” (1992) and the very strong release of “¡Leche Con Carne!” (1995). In the middle of that came an early purchase of mine with “The Daily Grind” (1993) that I still listen to every once in a while bringing me back to my childhood (“Old What’s His Name” being my favorite).
That might have been a mouthful, but yeah, NUFAN remains unmatched in the category of melodic mid-tempo skatepunk.
On a side note, Chris Shiflett joined the band on guitar replacing Ed Gregor on this one, later to join the Foo Fighters after the band’s following record (More Betterness (1999)), and I guess the release of “Making Friends” was somewhat of a transition (in terms of being more melodic punk without the diversity of the previous album) from the earlier release (“¡Leche con Carne!”), but if he had anything to do with that I couldn’t tell.
Pennywise – About Time (1995)
As for Pennywise, it’s “About Time” or “Full Circle” (1997) for me. The first Pennywise album I bought was “About Time” and it’s that record all the way personally, even though admittedly it’s a close race between the two. This is skatepunk at it’s very best, it’s melodic and fast, great muted chord progressions by guitarist Fletcher, not too technical though, which kind of makes Pennywise stand out compared with bands like Lagwagon. As far as individual skatepunk songs goes “Every Single Day” have been one of my all time favorites since the first time I listened to it.
There might have been a focus on my part on the punk 7” punk list on first releases by a band, because of the fact that quite a few bands did incredibly well early on. Here’s Pennywise, having released one full length (Pennywise (1991)), two 7”’s in “A Word From the Wise (1989) and “Wildcard” (1992) and then a second full length “Unknown Road” (1993), so obviously upon recording “About Time” they had grown quite a bit into a pretty solid band having found their sound, staying the course from their debut to this record perfecting their music.
This was drummer Jason Thirsk’s last album with the band, having committed suicide the following year, amongst other things leading to the re-recording (the original having been on the 1991 self-titled release) and slightly re-written lyrics of the now somewhat iconic skatepunk anthem “Bro Hymn” on the bands following record (with Jason’s brother Justin featured on vocals at the middle of the song).
On another note, the band released “Never Gonna Die” in 2018 and it blew me away with the super fast opening song “Never Gonna Die”, making it one of the bands in the formation years of skatepunk that still delivers in a big way with a great record almost 30 years after their first release.
As for the album cover art though, it’s not too great, witch is kind of a weird thing about Pennywise, record covers that aren’t that great.
Ten Foot Pole – Rev (1994)
So again this is a standoff between two records, “Rev” and “Unleashed” (1997), I did buy “Unleashed” first in the year of it’s release and I listened to it almost constantly that year, but still, “Rev” does win the race.
Why? It’s faster, more technical, got a better singer (with Scott Radinsky, probably better known as the singer of Pulley) and even though “Unleashed” does have some variance to it. So does this one. Ranging from “Old man” to faster stuff like “Final Hours” with it’s killer outro.
Ten Foot Pole to me is one of those bands that got drowned in 1994, they did everything right with this one, but at the same time competing with bands ranging from The Offspring to Green Day.
Starting out as Scared Straight and releasing the Swill (1993) album under both names, I think they had everything needed to compete with the big names, but yeah, they never really got there. But here we are and I’m placing them here on my list, super well deserved.
Satanic Surfers – Hero of our Time (1995)
The first Satanic Surfers record I bought was the “Keep Out!” (1994) EP. I got hooked right away (with the “Skate to Hell” (1993) EP being their debut release) but then came their first full-length and it blew me away; it’s fast on all accounts, melodic and really well played skatepunk. The tracks “Head Under Water” and “The Treaty And The Bridge” has stuck with me over all of these years.
Around that time I bought a lot of my records from the Burning Heart Records mail order, and I was kind of blown away when I saw they had released a split with Ten Foot Pole (1995).
However, getting back to this record, Rodrigo (drummer) had taken over the vocals from Ulf, and the vocals are pretty good but I wouldn’t say great (I think Rodrigo really demonstrates his skills on “Don’t Fade Away” on the following “666 Motor Inn” (1997) album), but that being said the drummer taking over the vocals did work out well for the band going forward (much like the aforementioned Ten Foot Pole (where the guitarist Dennis took over the vocal duties from Scott)).
On another note, Epitaph picked up Millencolin and they blew up in the US (amongst other countries), however they never picked up this band at the time (“Going Nowhere Fast” (1999) being the only Epitaph release by the band). So obviously, I wonder what could have happened had they been singed in 1995 like Millencolin on a label like Epitaph.
In conclusion, one of my absolute favorite records of my youth.
Bad Religion – No Control (1989)
At this point Bad Religion had released their great debut full length “How Could Hell Be Any Worse?” (1982) and their weird sort of progressive rock album “Into the Unknown” (1983), and had after that semi-dissolved the band, had gotten back together again to release the “Back to the Known” (1985) EP (a release I’d say is kind of OK, but not too much more, it’s also usually super-expensive to buy) and then splitting up again only to reunite releasing “Suffer” (1988).
This time the band would stick to it (having shifting a few members along the way (“along the way” being released on the earlier mentioned overpriced EP)), having no more split-ups, releasing this album in 1989. Almost ten years after the bands formation.
So to me, we kind of have three albums that could very well take this spot: Suffer, No Control and Against the Grain.
My vote goes in favor of No Control. I wouldn’t say the differences compared to the previous album (Suffer) are that big, but to me this is the band kind of soaking up all they had done and learned along the way (second time I’m using this phrasing, sorry) and putting everything they had into this album as a more matured band I would think.
They’re still fast, sometimes really fast (“Big Bang”, “You”) like they had been in their earlier releases, but also grows more into the more melodic costume (“I Want to Conquer the World”, “Anxiety”) that we might be used to with their later releases (“Against the Grain” being more melodic and “Generator” slowing things down a bit).
Deviates – Time is the Distance (2001)
I don’t really know how much of an overlooked record this is, I’m assuming however their first record (this being their second) have been very much so, entitled “My Life” (1998) released on Theologian Records of whom it’s first three releases was Pennywise’s early records, on witch we’ll touch back on soon.
Back on the overlooked aspect, I obviously don’t think this album should be. It opens up with “Come With Me” sounding much like the aforementioned Pennywise without much of Flechers palm muting, it’s fast and melodic skatepunk and oh so enjoyable.
I’ve seen this band being called generic, that Brian Barbara’s vocals sounds too much like Dexter Holland (of The Offspring) only not as good. That all might be true, I very much don’t agree, and this has always been considered a great skatepunk record to me, and yes, in some aspects they’re somewhat of the lesser baby-brother to Pennywise. True or not to you, I really like this as it’s fast, melodic, pretty straight forward, good vocals with some backup vocals coming in every once in a while.
88 Fingers Louie – Back on the Streets (1998)
88FL boasts a wider range than most skatepunk bands, on this one fast skatepunk boarders hardcore with songs like “State” and the super fast “Worst Man Won”. The bass on “100 proof” is exceptional (by Joe Principe who would join Rise Against one year later). Overall really melodic, diverse and really well played all over, everything about this record is impressive to me.
On top of that, they also managed to squeeze in a cover of Bad Brains – F.V.K. (Fearless Vampire Killers) from their iconic self-titled 1982 release (which I included in my punk 50 punk albums list), and I would say as covers go it’s pretty good.
Looking back, “Behind Bars” (1995) was their first full length release, the year after the fights and disagreements within the band caused them to broke up. Luckily, the band got back together (with John Carroll replacing Glenn Porter on drums) and recorded this album. The peace dint last long though, and the band broke up once again sometime in 1999 (they did however reunite and have released two albums in more recent years).
Blink 182 – Dude Ranch (1997)
Quite a few records on this list needs little introduction, and even fewer bands need one. Blink 182 as a band definitely doesn’t need either one, but I would think most when approached with the idea of this band on this list would go for the “Enema of the State” (1999) album, and of course, the guys running around naked.
Now, that’s all well and fine for me, that’s a great album (in some ways better than this one I guess). But now, being quite obvious I would think, my favorite album of the band is “Dude Ranch”.
So, before we head on, this was drummer Scott Raynor’s last recording with the band before getting kicked out and replaced by Travis Barker, who’s well more than twice the drummer and with doing stuff like “Meet the Barkers” on MTV didn’t exactly hurt the Blink 182 brand.
But here we are in 1997. The sound really did evolve with the Enema-album, but when I first heard the opening song “Pathetic” on this album with the two singers Mark (on bass) and Tom (guitars) trading vocal duties I was hooked. And it’s not like it let’s up, the album is great all the way trough.
It’s melodic, well played, and I wouldn’t say it’s as immature as it might seem as first glance. That’s not saying a lot though, but don’t judge them too fast I guess.
As for their early releases, we find a re-recording of “A New Hope” from the “Buddha” (was that in 1995? Please correct me if I’m wrong) sample cassette (later not included on the full length “Buddha” CD however) on this record (with the cassette version being played a lot faster). A not so early release was the “They Came To Conquer…Uranus” 7″ (1996) on witch we’ll find the first version of “Waggy”, now re-recorded to me one of the best songs on the record.
With that being said, their earlier stuff is pretty good, but this is for me kind of the first time the band took a big first step forward, the second obviously being when they released the “Enema” album.
Adhesive – Sideburner (1996)
If there are two vocalists that really remind me of one another in the same genre, it’s Micke in Adhesive and Rodrigo in Satanic Surfers on their Keep Out EP (1994). That really doesn’t have to do with anything, but it’ve crossed my mind too many times to not mention it, but we’ll soon get back on Satanic Surfers.
As for the vocals, it’s not like they’re bad. It’s more that they’re not great. What carries this Swedish skatepunk album is for sure it’s music, and again, and at this point I might have locked my brain onto Satanic Surfers a bit, but even if so, that’s kind of what they sound like.
It’s melodic with it’s fair share of octave chords, steady fast drumming with fast fills, some nice breaks, very few palm muted chords (that’s more of an observation, not any kind of criticism), they’re more of start-stop and mute and go type of band. If that makes any sense.
This record have been with me since it was released, and I might be and probably are biased, but here it is on my list and I still love it.
Green Day – Dookie (1994)
This was covered in my top 50 punk records list, so I wrote some stuff there on this one there as well.
But, this being the skatepunk list, I bet every single one of you have (if having been a part of that whole thing in the 90s at least, but most likely even if you weren’t) heard at least one song on this album (if only one that would most likely be “Basket Case”). And that at least in some way signifies the impact of this record, no one escaped it in that community. So, what about the rest? Well, the record is catchy as hell with it’s easy pop-punk power chord transitions, great bass parts and an awesome drummer. And of course, the vocals of Billie Joe.
I don’t think I need to write much more about this album. That being said, Green Day is obviously a band that in later years have gotten some criticism (I think fully justified on most accounts).
And maybe I’m spacing out a little bit here, but this quote comes to mind in a way (said by Detective Bernie Jacobs of NYC Transit Police Dept. when speaking of Graffiti):
“Is that an art form? I don’t know, I’m not an art critic. But I can sure as hell tell you that that’s a crime.”
Signifying in this case to me how bland Green Day have been at times, and just churning out sub-par “punk” as it it where some kind of half-assed assembly line, and being Green Day gotten everything released.
But, the follow up to this record, Insomniac (1995) is absolutely great and I do enjoy most parts of Nimrod (1997) as well, so if you like this one, give those a listen.
Millencolin – Life on a Plate (1995)
I thought about this album and weighed it against “Tiny Tunes” (1994), and as much I like the latter, it’s “Life on a Plate” in the end for me. Something, that might be kind of outdated now, was that the band at the time kind of branded themselves (half jokingly I assume) as a softcore rather than a hardcore band, but even if they where not too serious, take the opening song “Bullion” that opens with some super fast palm muted chords, fast drums, and I’d call that softcore in that meaning any day.
As previously hinted on, every band has a past and a future, obviously Millencolin has had a future after this one. Some might wonder why “Pennybridge Pioneers” (2000) didn’t take this albums place as the bands popularity blew up with that one.
Easy, “Life on a Plate” is a straight up skatepunk album, it’s melodic but fast in it’s melodies, whereas none of their later albums have really matched this album in being a fast skatepunk album.
The Offspring – Smash (1994)
This might be one of the releases that I consider better than deserved. But still, I can’t rid myself of my bias, this is a killer album for me. It does however compete with their previous album (Ignition (1992)), having said that, this one wins the race. Because… It’s Smash? No, not good enough of an explanation.
To further explain the better than deserved thing. All and all, musically this is pretty basic as in easy to play, but everything is put together in such a great package, song by song. The timing of it was a product of it’s time, but even if so, can’t really argue it’s timing coming out in 1994 leading to it’s commercial success and it’s status in skatepunk history.
On the other end, being the more well deserved one as such, there’s a reason this one’s on this list after all. I like the variation within the limited window of variation, so yeah it’s not to technical, but still it’s fast with the likes of opening parts of “Nitro” and then slows down with “Gotta Get Away”, and from there it kind of keeps the same pattern, fast and then temping down. There’s even a ska song with “What Happened to You” when than pattern is starting to get obvious.
As for the politics of Ignition, this one keeps to it, that record has the “L.A.P.D.”, this one has it’s “Come Out and Play”, both arguing the LA mess of too many guns and too many willing to use them in the non-legal way. While there are some traces of politics here and there, it’s not as evident as when the band started out though. But then again, The Offspring never was much of a political band.
So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes (1997)
So, this is both a simple and a hard one for me. Technically “Ribbed” (1991) is way better, but melodically this one is a winner. But then again, “Punk in Drublic” (1994) tends to be the obvious choice for most.
Needless to say, this one made the list. This to me is as close as perfect a melodic skatepunk album would come. NUFAN is a close contender, and more reliable in that department looking at their discography. But this album is just awesome.
A side note, I used to like skapunk back in the mid 90s, maybe not so much nowadays, but even a song like “All Outta Angst” still works for me.
It’s not groundbreaking, there’s no risk taking here, and no originality. But; it’s a super well played skatepunk album and still one of the best ones in its genre.
Also, the title is a play on “So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish”, the fourth book in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams (Fat Mike said “We tend to get hit with a lot of shoes when we play so we thought it was a good title.“).
Pulley – Matters (2004)
So far into this list, I believe the only musician who have played on more record than one, is Scott Radinsky who’s was also the vocalist of Teen Foot Pole – Rev (1994).
Pulley also had members of Strung Out, Zero Down and Face to Face, although, all of them had left to go on to other bands at the time of this release (after the bands first album, “Esteem Driven Engine” (1996), the band in the early days rehearsed in Scott’s skate shop Skatelab in Simi Valley).
First I thought “@#!“ (1999) was the given one on this list, being a little more straight up skatepunk, I changed my mind after I don’t know how many listens. “@#!” is still a kick-ass skatepunk album, and I’m the first to admit this is more Southern California melodic punk rather than straight-up skatepunk. But it’s super great played and produced and a great listen!