1 – Bad Brains – “Pay to Cum”
I don’t know if this is my favorite song from BB, but it’s the first single and it rips and is as good a place as any to jump in.
2 – S.O.A. – “I Hate the Kids”
3 – Dicks – “Dicks Hate the Police”
4 – Minor Threat – “Seeing Red”
Despite being essential and one of the best, Anton Yelchin also wears an MT shirt in the film, so you know.
5 – Antidote – “Nazi Youth”
The Ain’t Rights make the questionable decision to start their set with a cover of Dead Kennedy’s “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”, so this tune fell in line.
6 – Void – “My Rules”
7 – Reagan Youth – “U.S.A.”
RY are one of my absolute favorites. I haven’t seen Stranger Things yet but I understand they use one of their songs somewhere in it.
8 – Articles of Faith – “What We Want Is Free”
9 – Kraut – “Doomed Youth”
10 – Beastie Boys – “Riot Fight”
Kinda obvious, but this song rips. Though I love their hip hop stuff, I do wish they had cranked out a little more of their early straightforward hardcore, at least an LP.
BONUS TRACK! – The Stains – “Violent Children”
The sole LP by this underrated SST Records band is out-of-print as fuck. Never a CD or cassette and still nothing digitally, just a lone, expensive LP. These dudes ruled!
From New York to L.A., Boston to DC, and every small Midwestern town in between, 1979 through 1984 were pinnacle years for hardcore and punk rock. It’s impossible to touch on every scene in 10 songs and soooo many bands were left off. Expect to see future installments.