The Germs Albums Ranked
Germs were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, the United States, originally active from 1976 to 1980. The band’s main early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and drummer Don Bolles. They released only one album, 1979’s (GI), produced by Joan Jett, and were featured the following year in Penelope Spheeris’ documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization, which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement.
Germs disbanded following Crash’s suicide on December 7, 1980. Their music was influential to many later punk rock acts. Smear went on to achieve greater fame performing with Nirvana and Foo Fighters.
In 2005, actor Shane West was cast to play Crash in the biographical film What We Do Is Secret, titled after a song by the Germs. He performed with Smear, Doom, and Bolles at a production party for the film, after which the Germs reformed with West as the singer. The new lineup of the band toured the United States several times, including performances on the 2006 and 2008 Warped Tours. Here are all of The Germs albums ranked.
Don’t miss out on the great punk Music of the Germs! Click to experience the early influence of punk music.
3. (MIA): The Complete Anthology (1993)
“Every song that this seminal LA punk band recorded. Darby Crash crashed and burned brilliantly in the early 1980s. A total anarchist, he played a last gig with the band in order to afford a does of heroin to take him out. Brrrr… Crash is compared to Rimbaud, and his lyrics are highly literate, and the band that backs him up can be heard to improve a lot over the course of the recording; he also sounds a lot like Flipper lead guy Will Shatter, who also died of a heroin overdose. The liner notes are very good, and there are lots of pictures of the band in there. Pat Smear, who is now a superstar with Nirvana and Foo Fighters, got his start in the Germs. The first and last song on the release is “Forming”, and you can hear how different the band was at the start and end of their career by listening to this little punk ditty.”
2. Germicide (1981)
“The Germs aren’t particularly famous, but they have a decent underground rep. Guitar, Bass, Drums, Singer, no production, antagonistic audience, sounds like the audience is drunk and tha band has a hangover. They goof on “Sugar,Sugar” and “Grand old flag”, with 8 other originals. They sound as if they have practiced, since they are all on the same page, but the beats and tunings are lost (most often by lead singer Bobby Pin, later to be called Darby Crash), so they probably practiced for a week (the firast time any of them picked up their instruments) and then took two weeks off before this show. If “Anyone can do it!” is the punk motto, than this is the ultimate punk album, since it sounds like not only did just anyone do it, they didn’t even try. I can honestly say I’ve never heard a garage band sound any worse than this, and rarely this bad. That’s what makes this so extreme, and gets it 5 stars. It’s the real deal.”
See More: Black Flag Albums Ranked
1.(GI) (1979)
“I love the drums very speedy for the time and the atmosphere this band creates somewhere between the Sex Pistols, The Runaways and Siouxie and the Banshees or Joy Division … I just love it… Unique addition to your music
collection… The pictures are very well printed in the CD version… it also has the lyrics and the design anyway if its
simple… Its very beautiful and original!..”
