Female punk musicians Debbie Harry of Blondie, Patti Smith, and Joan Jett paved the way for the early 1990s Riot Grrrl movement lead by bands such as Bikini Kill and SleaterKinney. The subgenre brought feminist politics to the front of the hardcore scene and helped spark worldwide the thirdwave feminism movement. Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill went on to cofound the band Le Tigre, featured here.
Le Tigre. Le Tigre. Mr. Lady, 2000. Vinyl recording. Jett, Joan. Bad reputation. Boardwalk Entertainment Co., 1981. Siouxsie & the Banshees. Once upon a time the singles. PVC Records, 1981.
Hardcore
The Hardcore subgenre grew in the 1980s as a reaction to the first wave of 1970s punk music and a rejection of the more mainstream New Wave. It was harder and faster, and noticeably more violent. L.A. pioneers such as The Germs and Fear influenced bands like Descendents, Black Flag, and Minor Threat, featured here.
Black Flag. Jealous Again. Spot, 198, Vinyl recording. Minor Threat. Out of Step. Dischord Records, 1983. Vinyl recording. Descendents. Liveage. SST Records, 1987. Vinyl recording.
Ska and 2 Tone
Ska music originated in Jamaican dancehalls in the 1950s as a blend of local and international musical influences. Its characteristic horn sections and musical emphasis on “offbeats” spread to Britain in the 1970s, where it fused with punk music to form a second wave of ska known as 2 Tone. The term “2 Tone” called attention to the fusion of the black roots of Jamaican ska with a largely white punk scene during a time of racial tension in Britain. The theme of racial unity carried over into the third wave of ska in the 1980s and 1990s with bands like Operation Ivy and Rancid, featured here.
Various. The Birth of Ska. Trojan Records, 1988. Vinyl recording. Rancid. ...And out come the wolves. Epitaph Records, 1995. Vinyl recording. Operation Ivy. Energy. Lookout Records, 1990. Vinyl recording.
Books
Belsito, Peter, and Bob Davis. Hardcore California: a history of punk and new wave. Berkeley: CA, 2004. Peachey, Mal, and Clash . The clash: Strummer, jones, simonon, headon. 1st ed. New York: Grand Central Pub, 2008.
Featured LPs
Adolescents. Adolescents. Frontier, 1981. Vinyl recording.
Bad Brains. Bad Brains. ROIR, 1997. Vinyl recording.
Black Flag. Damaged. Unicorn/SST Records, 1981. Vinyl recording.
Black Flag. The first four years. SST Records, 1983. Vinyl recording.
Blondie. Blondie. Chrysalis, 1976. Vinyl recording.
Blondie. Parallel lines. Chrysalis, 1978. Vinyl recording.
Damned. Machine gun etiquette. Chiswick Records, 1979. Vinyl recording.
Damned. The Damned. Stiff Records, 1977. Vinyl recording.
Dead Boys. Twistin' on the devil's fork. Bacchus Archives/Hell Yeah!, 1997. Vinyl recording.
Dead Kennedys. Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables. Cherry Red Records, 1980. Vinyl recording.
Fear. The record. Warner Bros. Records, 1982. Vinyl recording.
Germs. (GI). Slash, 1979. Vinyl recording.
Heartbreakers, and Johnny Thunders. L.A.M.F. Track, 1977. Vinyl recording.
Hell, Richard. Blank generation. Sire, 1977. Vinyl recording.
Jett, Joan. I love rock 'n roll. Boardwalk Entertainment Co., 1981. Vinyl recording.
Pop, Iggy, and James Williamson. Raw power. Columbia, 1973. Vinyl recording.
Misfits, and Glenn Danzig. Earth A.D. Wolf's blood. Plan 9, 1983. Vinyl recording.
Misfits. Walk among us. Ruby Records, 1982. Vinyl recording.
Sex Pistols. Never mind the bollocks, here's the Sex Pistols. Warner Bros., 1977. Vinyl recording.
Siouxsie & the Banshees. Once upon a time the singles. PVC Records, 1981. Vinyl recording.
Stiff Little Fingers. Go for it. Chrysalis, 1981. Vinyl recording.
Stooges. The Stooges. Elektra, 1970. Vinyl recording.
Various. Indestructible: the indomitable face of new wave. Receiver Records, 1987. Vinyl recording.
X. Wild gift. Slash, 1981. Vinyl recording.
Xray Spex, and Poly Styrene. Germ free adolescents. Mobjack Ltd., 1978. Vinyl recording.