Iron Maiden

  A couple years before the band got classic annoying as f*ck screecher Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden had a Punk clad frontman Paul Di'Anno, this is when the group had more in common with Motorhead than cheeseball Brit Metal.

D.R.I. -- Dealing With It!

  Not exactly at par with with the likes of Black Flag, Minor Threat and the Bad Brains, but still an important element of the progression or better yet the demise of the Hardcore movement.  Dealing With It is a wham bam thank you mam mix of slap stick humor and Reagan era anger -- what's new right, not much!

Let Them Eat Jellybeans!

  This early compilation from Alternative Tentacles showcases No Wave-esque Experimental Punk Rock and a small pocket of Hardcore luminaries.  Honestly would I pay top dollar for this album, no, but would I fork over the flea market buck again, yes -- any day of the week!  

Ani DiFranco -- Revelling/ Reckoning

  Lesbian spokesperson/ provocateuse used to be mainly blown off in my mind because of her choppy guitar riffs and her million annoying chameleon looks.  Revelling/ Reckoning changed my mind, DiFranco on this album sounds like the female Lou Barlow meets Sufjan Stevens's horn section, what a damn cool mix!

M.I.A. -- Arular

  Not exactly my cup of tea but M.I.A. exudes the rebelliousness that Madonna had in the 80's, although updated by mixing mainstream Pop hooks with the Punk esthetic of Electroclash, pretty much telling the masses f*ck themselves by telling it like it is.

Red Hot Rockabilly For Ice Cool Cats

  Forget the cheesy cover and the fact that I bought this at Sears for fifty off the fifty percent off which ended up being about three bux, this compilation features 26 tracks of essential Rockabilly from well known to lesser known artists.  All in all a must hear for any music lover, because it defined an era.

Napalm Death -- Utopia Banished

  Goddamn I used to have this tape ages ago, and at that time I thought this was Napalm Death's greatest achievement, thinking of it now what the hell is the point of this music, if it can even be classified as music, the only thing I can think of is that they wanted to sound as crazy as possible, and if that was their goal, mission accomplished!