The Formative Years – The Pushead 100
Having just entered my teenage years and developed an insatiable appetite for hardcore punk, spurned by my discovery of The Exploited, which lured me in with their picture book looks, parole driven songs and artwork, I needed more.
Not having been inducted into the underground scene at large yet and with penpaling and the odd show in my neck of the woods being the only way to obtain more information, I was delighted to discover that as the clocks ticked over to seal the decade of cold war, a list emerged in Thrasher’s Puszone that was comprised of the must-have records punk and hardcore records that were released in the 1980s.
The fact that the man who penned it, i.e. Brian Schroeder, / Pushead, has actively coined and shaped the scene at large with his manifold contributions ranging from music, columns and most prominently his artwork, gave it enough credibility for me to perceive it as “definitive” (despite being touted as “unofficial”) and started my mission of investing my meagre allowance in a bid to track down and mail-order each of the records listed (or at least get a decent sounding recording through tape trading).
The more “slabs of raging mayhem” I tracked down, the more my efforts identified to get a hold of the exotic listings, which led to new contact and resulted in visits to new countries and other adventures.
Later on, the my personal must-have list grew as I started to incorporate all records that Burkhard Jaerisch rated with a 10 (given the highly subjective of the rating, there were quite a few misses in there, or shall we say, releases that I struggled to find significance in) in his punk / hardcore U.S. discography books FLEX, however, to this day, Pushead’s list is very much the core of my collection and one of the most reliable guides to what formed the essence of hardcore punk and helped to broaden my horizons.
While some of the listed records are and should be staples of any decent record collection, there are less known gems hidden in there and there is no excuse in the current day and age with every tone ever recorded at your fingertips, to not check out more obscure releases.
Here we go – below is Pushead’s Top 100 list of the 1980s, which was originally published in the March 1990 issue of Thrasher Magazine:
PUSZONE UNOFFICIAL TOP 100 OF THE 80s
1. Discharge-Fight Back 7" EP, England 1980
2. S.S.Decontrol-Get It Away 12" EP, USA 1983
3. The Subhumans-Demolition War 7" EP, England 1981
4. Minor Threat-Filler 7" EP, USA 1981
5. Bad Brains-Roir Cassette, USA 1982
6. TSOL-Superficial Love 12" EP, USA 1981
7. Disorder-Complete Disorder 7" EP, England 1981
8. Rudimentary Peni-Rudimentay Peni 7" EP, England 1981
9. Jerry's Kids-Is This My World LP, USA 1983
10. Anti-Sect-In Darkness There Is No Choice LP, England 1983
11. Gism-Detestation 12" EP, Japan 1983
12. Faith/Void-Split LP, USA 1983
13. DYS-Brotherhood LP, USA 1983
14. Cockney Rejects-Greatest Hits Vol. 1 LP, England 1981
15. Flex Your Head-Sampler LP, USA 1982
16. Sick of it All-Blood, Sweat, and No Tears LP, USA 1989
17. Necros-IQ32 7" EP, USA 1982
18. Adolescents-Adolescents LP, USA 1981
19. F.U.'s-Kill for Christ 12" EP, USA 1982
20. Antidote-Thou Shalt Not Kill 7" EP, USA 1983
21. GBH-Leather Bristles, Studs, & Acne 12" EP, England 1981
22. Channel 3-Manzanar 12" EP, USA 1981
23. Four Old 7" On a 12"-Compilation LP, USA 1984
24. This is Boston, Not LA-Sampler LP, USA 1981
25. Negative Approach-Negative Approach 7" EP, USA 1982
26. Poison Idea-Kings of Punk LP, USA 1986
27. Chaotic Dischord-Fuck the World 7" EP, England 1982
28. Scream-Still Screaming LP, USA 1982
29. SNFU-And No one Else Wanted to Play LP, Canada 1984
30. Fartz-Because This World Fucking Stinks 7" EP, USA 1981
31. Impact Unit-Impact Unit 7" EP, USA 1989
32. Process of Elimination-Sampler 7" EP, USA 1981
33. Anti-Cimex-Raped Ass 7" EP, Sweden 1983
34. CIA-God, Guts 7" EP, USA 1983
35. Youth Brigade-Sound and Fury LP, USA 1983
36. Chaos UK-Burning Britain 7" EP, England 1982
37. Cause for Alarm-Cause for Alarm 7" EP, USA 1983
38. Cro-Mags-Age of Quarrel LP, USA 1987
39. The Stalin-Political LP, Japan 1983
40. Circle Jerks-Group Sex LP, USA 1980
41. English Digs-To the Ends of the Earth 12" EP, England 1984
42. Crucifix-Dehumanized LP, USA 1983
43. China White-Danger Zone 12" EP, USA 1981
44. Batallion of Saints-Fighting Boys 12" EP, USA 1982
45. Negative FX-Negative FX LP, USA 1982
46. Anti-System-No Laughing Matter LP, England 1984
47. Black Flag-Jealous Again 12" EP, USA 1981
48. Social Distortion-Playpen 7" EP, USA 1981
49. Instigators-No One Listens Anymore LP, England 1985
50. Neos-End All Discrimination 7" EP, Canada 1982
51. Misfits-Walk Among us LP, USA 1982
52. Shitlickers-Cracked Cop Skulls 7" EP, Sweden 1982
53. Terveet Kadet-Aareton Joulu 7" EP, Finland 1982
54. Prong-Force Fed LP, USA 1987
55. Outo-Many Question Poison Answer 7" EP, Japan 1983
56. The Fix-Jan's Room 7" EP, USA 1981
57. The Insane-Politics 7" EP, Canada 1981
58. DOA-The Prisoner 7" EP, Canada 1980
59. Bad Religion-How Could Hell Be Any Worse LP, USA 1981
60. Agnostic Front-United Blood 7" EP, USA 1983
61. Meatmen-Blud Sausage 7" EP, USA 1982
62. Gauze-Fuckheads 12" EP, Japan 1983
63. Skeptix-So the Youth LP, England 1983
64. 7 Seconds-Committed for Life 7" EP, USA 1983
65. Varukers-Varukers 7" EP, England 1981
66. Confuse-Nuclear Addicts Flexi 7" EP, Japan 1984
67. Abused-Loud and Clear 7" EP, USA 1982
68. Adrenalin O.D.-Wacky Hi Jinks of Adrenalin O.D. LP, USA 1984
69. BGK-Jonestown Aloha LP, Holland 1984
70. Straight Ahead-Breakaway 12" EP, USA 1987
71. Abrasive Wheels-Vicious Circle 7" EP, England 1981
72. Deep Wound-Deep Wound 7" EP, USA 1983
73. Sore Throat-Acid Rain 7" EP, USA 1987
74. Ignition-Sinker 7" EP, USA 1987
75. Mass Appeal-Mass Appeal 2xLP, Australia 1989
76. Sons of Ishmael-Hayseed Hardcore 7" EP, Canada 1985
77. Rattus-W.C. Rajahtaa LP, Finland 1982
78. Huvudtvatt-Extrem Punx 7" EP, Sweden 1981
79. Corrosion of Conformity-Eye For an Eye LP, USA 1984
80. Final Conflict-Ashes for Ashes LP, USA 1987
81. Underdog-Underdog 7" EP, USA 1986
82. Stupids-Violent Nun 7" EP, England 1985
83. Execute-Hardcore Temptation 7" EP, Japan 1983
84. Malinheads-Hoax 7" EP, Germany 1983
85. Die Kreuzen-Die Kreuzen-LP, USA 1984
86. 76% Uncertain-Estimated Monkey Time LP, USA 1984
87. Agent Orange-Your Mother Sucks Cock in Hell 7" EP, Holland 1983
88. Partisans-Police Story 7" EP, England 1984
89. Final Warning-Final Warning 7" EP, USA 1984
90. Anthrax-Capitalism is Cannibalism 7" EP, England 1983
91. Stains-Stains LP, USA 1983
92. Stalag 13-In Control 12" EP, USA 1984
93 .LSD-Just Last 7" EP, Japan 1986
94. Inferno-Tod & Wahnsinn LP, Germany 1984
95. Ultra Violence-Crime for Revenge 7" EP, England 1982
96. Mau Maus-Facts of War 7" EP, England 1984
97. Accused-Martha Splatterhead 12" EP< USA 1984
98. Subvert-The Madness Must End 7" EP, USA 1988
99. Dead Kennedys-In God We Trust 12" EP, USA 1981
100. Leeway-Born to Expire LP, USA 1988
