One thing I want to emphasize is that in 1996, I was listening to punk rock and very little else. I was buying LPs, CDs, and 7-inches like crazy and going to punk shows whenever I could. If I listened to the radio at all, it was the oldies station. I more or less completely disconnected myself from anything that was new on the radio or MTV. Certainly I've become aware over the years of other music that came out in '96. But for this list, I'm keeping it almost entirely to punk rock. That isn't to say that I bought all these records in '96, but I did buy most of them. So I listened back to all this stuff and decided to rank these albums and 7" records based on how much I like them now. There are items on this list that I didn't properly appreciate until years later, and there are a few things I loved in '96 that I'm pretty "Meh!" about today. But I've found that most of what I liked thirty years ago is stuff I still really, really like. Perhaps that means that I've had zero growth in my musical tastes over the last three decades (not surprising, ha ha!).
1996 was a pivotal year for me. I had been a big pop-punk guy in the years prior to that, but in '96, I moved into a lot of the bands that had influenced '90s pop-punk, which ultimately led me to the newer '77-style punk bands and then garage punk. This was really the year that I fully settled on what my favorite kind of music was, and I've been in that lane ever since. Every title on this list still holds up for me. Perhaps you'll discover something here that's new to you or re-discover something you haven't thought about it in years. On to it!
My Ten Favorite Albums of 1996
10. The Lillingtons - Shit out of Luck (Clearview Records)
While The Lillingtons at this point had not yet cultivated the sci-fi/horror/conspiracy themes that would ultimately define them, they arrived fully formed in terms of being a perfect three-chord pop-punk band with darkly funny lyrics and a unique singer. No shade to their later releases, but if I'm going to listen to The Lillingtons, I'm most likely reaching for their early stuff. To me, Shit out of Luck is a classic of '90s pop-punk.
9. The Showcase Showdown - Appetite of Kings (Elevator Music)
Back in the '90s, we just called this "pogo punk." What do you call it now? I don't know, but it's awesome. 16 tracks of hyper-fast snotty punk rock with tongue-in-cheek lyrics that kind of brings to mind Johnny Rotten fronting The Toy Dolls. A stone cold gem from Boston.
8. D Generation - No Lunch (Columbia Records)
I sometimes forget what an absolute ball of fire this record is. D Generation put out a debut album on Chrysalis Records in 1994 that was heavily hyped but probably mis-produced for a glam-punk record. After getting dropped by Chrysalis, the band found itself on Columbia Records and working with producer Ric Ocasek, who totally "got" what this band was all about. No Lunch is a perfect blend of grimy '70s punk and glam/hard rock with pop hooks a plenty. Shoulda been huge!
7. Swingin' Utters - A Juvenile Product of the Working Class (Fat Wreck Chords)
I remember being so surprised that the Utters moved to Fat Wreck Chords for their second album. That's kind of funny now considering they've remained on the label ever since! In my mind, I always remembered there being a slight drop-off from Streets of San Francisco to A Juvenile Product of the Working Class. Listening back today, I have to say I was wrong. The level of songwriting here is beyond impressive. The Utters were never done any favors by people pigeonholing them in the "street punk" scene. This is just a great melodic old school punk rock record with the heart and soul of folk music.
6. The Automatics (U.S.A.) - self-titled (Mutant Pop Records)
I played the hell out of this CD all through '96, and I am pleased to discover that I still love it. To me, The Automatics were far and away the most underrated pop-punk band of the '90s. Their sound was unique too: mixing hilariously snotty punk rock with bubblegum melodies and harmonies, lo-fi garage punk production, and a frantic speed & energy that just about left you breathless. If the two-minute punk song is the model of efficiency, one-and-a-half minutes is even better!
5. The Queers - Don't Back Down (Lookout! Records)
I can't think of a whole lot of bands that have had a run of albums as good as what The Queers put out between 1993 and '96. If Love Songs for the Retarded was the band's masterpiece, Don't Back Down rates a solid #2. I love the way this album alternates between vintage Queers punk snot-rockets and pure pop songs with bubblegum and surf influences. This was The Queers' peak moment, and it still holds up three decades later.
4. Registrators - Terminal Boredom (Rip Off Records)
At a time when Teengenerate defined why trashy, stripped-to-its-core, budget garage punk was awesome, The Registrators were like their little brothers who somehow sounded catchier and even more recklessly enthusiastic. This album was a game-changer for garage punk in the '90s, and it's still the only Registrators record I need to listen to.
3. Mr. T. Experience - Love Is Dead (Lookout! Records)
This is the pop-punk band that even a lot of people who don't like pop-punk will admit to liking. Basically anything that MTX released in the '90s was top-notch, but this album was Dr. Frank's magnum opus. In retrospect, I now realize that MTX's charm was that they were a pop-punk for people who liked power pop (or was it the other way around?). With its smart & funny lyrics, undeniable hooks, and simple punchy guitar sound, Love Is Dead stands as one of the greatest pop-punk records of the '90s or any other decade.
2. Beat Angels - Unhappy Hour (Epiphany)
I was a latecomer to this band, having been swayed by Charles Matthews' steadfast evangelism. I found their first two albums in the bargain bin and played both constantly throughout the late '90s and early 2000s. There was no other band like the Beat Angels, and perhaps that was the problem. No one knew what to make of them. Were they punks, glam rockers, barroom poets, or pop stars for misfits? Perhaps it was all of the above. Unhappy Hour is truly a flawless album full of perfect pop made for people who love the Ramones, Clash, and New York Dolls.
1. The Humpers - Live Forever or Die Trying (Epitaph Records)
I was not yet hip to this album in '96, but today I would call it one of the greatest punk rock albums ever released. Anyone who thought that signing to Epitaph Records would lead to the neutering of The Humpers was dead wrong. The power and ferocity of Live Forever or Die Trying still knock me on my ass. This album and its predecessor Positively Sick on 4th Street practically invented that sub-genre of music that mixed snotty 1977 punk rock with Chuck Berry and Little Richard and then doused the whole thing in rocket fuel. Add in a pinch of SoCal punk swagger, and you've got an untouchable band. Songs like "Wake Up and Lose," "Fast, Fucked & Furious," "Beyond Belief," "Loser's Club," and "Anarchy Juice" smash just as hard today as they did thirty years ago. Imitators abounded in subsequent years, but the genuine article could never be topped.
Honorable Mentions
The Strike - A Conscience Left to Struggle with Pockets Full of Rust
The No-Talents - self titled
U.S. Bombs - Garibaldi Guard
Chixdiggit - self titled
The Slobs - Down the Tubes
My Ten Favorite 7" Records of 1996
10. The Wongs - "Get Away!" (Rerun Records)
An often overlooked gem of later '90s lo-fi garage punk trash. When I sometimes feel like the angry old man running kids off my lawn, I'll ask why bands don't write good, old-fashioned songs like "Jerkin' It To The Trashwomen" anymore.
9. The Queers - Bubblegum Dreams (Lookout! Records)
Even though the first song was an album cut, the exclusive tracks are essential in their own right. "Never Ever" is one of the band's finest pop songs, and that Muffs cover is pure gold.
8. Parasites - "(Our Love Is) Top Secret" (Rocco Records)
This was right around the time when the Parasites were my favorite band on the planet, and I certainly was not disappointed in this single.
7. Moral Crux - "Victim of Hype" (Mutant Pop Records)
We can argue all day if it's really accurate to call Moral Crux a "pop-punk" band. I might call them a '77-style pop-punk band, a pop-punk band for revolutionaries, or just a punk band. You can just call them one of the best bands of the '90s, period.
6. The Spastics - "Cherry Pop" (Rip Off Records)
I know you can get in trouble when you start talking about the best records that ever came out on Rip Off Records. But this is definitely one of the best records that ever came out on Rip Off Records. If they had stuck around longer, they would have been one of the biggest bands in punk rock.
5. The Prostitutes - "Get Me Sick!" (Pelado Records)
On their classic debut single, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's finest sounded wildly ferocious and genuinely dangerous. This was my introduction to both The Prostitutes and Pelado Records — two names that always come to mind when I reflect on why later '90s punk rock ruled.
4. Loli and the Chones - "Makeout Party" (Rip Off Records)
The next year, this band would release perhaps the greatest punk rock album of the decade. This precursor wasn't too shabby either.
3. Dimestore Haloes - "Hate My Generation" (Junk Records)
The debut single from the band that would quickly become my favorite of the '90s. The A-side is an anthem of its time.
2. The Beltones - "My Old Man" (Just Add Water)
The Beltones were one of the best punk bands of the later '90s and never really got proper credit for it. This single was the band's greatest moment: two stone-cold punk rock bangers featuring the raspy pipes and raw, honest lyrical brilliance of Mr. Bill McFadden.
1. The Bobbyteens - "Firecracker" (Super*Teem!)
I've often called this my favorite single of all-time, and I'll still stand by that. The epitome of low budget garage punk rock 'n' roll greatness. Can somebody please get this band's entire discography up on digital platforms?
Honorable Mentions
The Decibels - "Radio"
Apocalypse Babys - "I Don't Wanna Be A Nazi"
Webster - "1000 Letters" and "Static"
Jakkpot - "You Ain't Shit"
Automatics - Ten Golden Greats and "Makin' Out"
The Muffs - "I'm a Dick"
The Lillingtons - "I Lost My Marbles"
Man! What a year!
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