Top 10 lists are notoriously blunt instruments to sift through musical history, so Rocks Off crowdsourced this piece to provide a sense of Houston's indie and punk heritage from the ground up. The input below is not meant as a declarative end-all but as a conversation in action.
Sure, exemplary singles from the likes of the Hates, Spunk and Truth Decay are AWOL, but the list does shed light on more obscure vintage and contemporary bands that usually fall through the cracks. Plus, some may argue the semantics of what constitutes a 'single,' but sometimes a little leeway helps stir discussions and memories.
GARY YOKIE, THE RUSE
MyDolls, "Nova Grows Up/The Rapist/In Technicolor" (C.I.A. Records, 1981) Really Red, "New Strings For Old Puppets" 7" EP (C.I.A. Records, 1982)
MyDolls, just because I've been listening to it recently. Also, Really Red because they crammed so much onto that vinyl surface. Of course, I'm partial to the C.I.A. label. Both bands managed to create a unique sound without resorting to cliches of the day, recorded or live.MyDolls always hit me right between the eyes with their music and lyrics. With Really Red, nobody had to demand "louder, harder, faster," since they always delivered.
WES DODSON, RATBASTARD/RIVETHEAD MAGAZINE
Turmoil In the Toybox, "Messiah" b/w "Inevitably Sex" (Anomie Records, 1991)
"Messiah" is a creepy, ambient soundscape that metaphorically hones in on something that makes my neck hair stand up. It's a dark and uncertain wall of sullen gloom that can only have been a product of Anomie Studios and mastered by Scott Ayers of Pain Teens!"Inevitably Sex" exudes Negativland/Over the Edge-like tape splicing, samples and off-the-wall psychotic mixing, illustrating a robust, pre-Internet era in which samples had yet to become a negotiable legal tool of copyright trolls.
STEW CANNON, AK-47
AK-47, "The Badge Means You Suck" b/w "Miss My Machine" (Pineapple Records, 1980) Really Red, "Modern Needs" b/w "White Lies" (C.I.A. Records, 1980) Legionaire's Disease, "Rather See You Dead (Than With Wool on Your Head)" b/w "Downtown" (Disease Unlimited/Lunar Lab, 1979)
Of course, I would say "The Badge Means You Suck" by AK-47. The Ferguson, Mo. mess just proves it is still relevant today. "Modern Needs" just always struck me as the perfect punk song -- great vocal, driving guitar, and tight rhythm section...a good solid hard-rock tune with a catchy refrain."Rather See You Dead," on the other hand, is raw and primitive, like all Legionaire's Disease songs, but the "BAAAAHHH" scream is classic Jerry, and it has some pretty good guitar work on it as well.
HAROLD "SPIKE" JONES, EARTH ARMY/RED NAKED
Really Red, "Crowd Control" b/w "Corporate Settings" (C.I.A. Records, 1979) Red Naked, "Taco Cabana" (Redneck Records, 1997)
My favorite Houston single is/was the Really Red "Corporate Settings/Crowd Control" that almost wasn't released because it wasn't hardcore. What do I like about it? Probably that it was pre-hardcore. It's just good music, by its own rules, and no bullshit "punker than you" posturing.Our Red Naked 7" was pretty good too, at least "Taco Cabana," which is a punk late-night grub anthem with mariachi trumpet.
DAN WORKMAN, CULTURCIDE/SUGARHILL STUDIOS
Plastic Idols, "I.U.D." b/w "Sophistication" (Vision Records, 1979) Stinkerbell, "Who Blew Smoke" b/w "Kill Boy Thrill" and "Misfits" (Angry Neighbor, 1992)
My entry into the Houston punk scene was Legionaire's Disease, but I didn't bond with them at all. I heard the Plastic Idols' single "I.U.D." on the "Fun House" radio show and fell in love! THAT was the sound of Houston punk. They were the gateway drug that led to the Judy's, while I happily toiled away in Culturcide playing darker tunes.My next '45 single crush' was "Who Blew Smoke" by Stinkerbell. Little did I know that I'd end up marrying the lead singer!
TRISH HERRERA, MYDOLLS/NO LOVE LESS
Legionaire's Disease, "Rather See You Dead"
The reason I love that single is because Jerry Anomie took a photo of his grandfather in his casket and used it for the cover, and created lyrics from a line his grandfather used to say to him. His grandfather said, "Never be a sheep," and he'd "rather see him dead than with wool on his head." "BAAAAHHH."
Story continues on the next page.