So what exactly is the best, most influential punk album of all time? Many will most likely answer
London Calling or
The Ramones or
Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, but none of the listed are quite as good or influential (Except The Ramones) as this.
Blank Generation is the pinnacle of the first wave of punk. Everything about it was awesome. Richard Hell remains one of punk’s most important figures. Everything from the ripped jeans and thrifty clothes to rudeness of the songs and the loud angry sound was to be the blueprint for many punk bands to come. Criminally neglected and ignored by most critics when it first came out
Blank Generation never got the public attention it deserved, but the image the album created when it came out will always be present with punk music.
The anger and rebellion on this album almost seemed destined for Richard. He grew up in a town full of homo sexual relationships and ran away from home. He never had a dad, and during one time when he felt ever angry he kept a dead turtle in jar. The anger here isn't manufactured it's genuine stuff. Hell screams and howls throughout the songs and really doesn't seem to give a fu
ck what others think of what he does. His delivery is so powerful and rebellious it makes a lot of other punk seem like mainstream pop. There is also a feeling of sadness. On the song
Walking On Water Richard's haunting groaning of "I don't want to go home" feels so painful and real. Though many songs don't give off a serious feel, but they might very subtly. The CD's opener
Love Comes In Spurts has lyrics that sound crude but they also seem as a way of Richard talking about life. During the choruses the lyrics seem to be talking about ejaculations but when he says "It Hurts" after every "Love Comes In Spurts" it seems to also mean that all relationships don't work and can be painful. A lot of the songs are secret, clever ways of Richard showing what he went through and had to deal with.
Blank Generation was one of the first albums to come out of the New York punk scene, and still sounds as fresh and original the day it came out. The crudeness may seem clichéd but this is one of the first to start it. The guitars are also not your usual three power chord progression. The playing is complex and the solos are magnificent. Richard's voice is quite like no other and his all out style can be heard clearly. The title track has to be one of the finest punk songs ever released. Hell howls and scream and the guitars rip it up. It's impossible to not cream your pants when Hell says "I Belong To The Blank Generation" and the "ohhs" and "ahhhs" are going off in the background.
Liars Beware is another standout, that has blazing guitar solos and a very enjoyable "oh oh oh oh oh" sung by Richard.
Betrayal Takes Two and
All That Way show a slower side of Hell, but it's still punky (is that even a word?) and definitely worth your time. The whole album is worth every second of your time. From
Love Comes In Spurts to
All The Way it's near flawless and 100% fun. Every song feels like a standout and is enjoyable.
Blank Generation should be a regular response for one of the greatest punk albums. It is one of the all time most important punk albums of all time. Its message is so powerful and just screams "I don't give a fu
ck.” Everything you could wish for on a punk album is on here. The loud guitars, the howling vocals, the rudeness, and the rebellion. Hell's lyrics can be humorous and light but can also be painful and sad.
Blank Generation is truly a landmark album and should be appreciated by all.
