10 all-time favorite albums (as if I could limit it to ten), in no particular order. Albums that really made an impact and are still on your rotation list, even if only now and then.
A co-worker at the music store recommended this album to me…well, ok, that’s not strictly true. He recommended an album by Christian Death and I mis-remembered what he’d said and picked up Bad Religion instead. I’m glad I did, too. I’d never really taken punk seriously prior to hearing Suffer. I liked punk music, but I wasn’t cool enough to really “get” it.
This, though, I was something I could dig my teeth into. I’ll freely admit to having to whip out a dictionary, but c’mon, who uses “obsequious” in a song? BR get a lot of criticism for having clear vocals and tight harmonies (“that ain’t punk!”), but those were the things that appealed to me.
Did this album influence me? You could say that. It turned me into a shameless fanboy. I’ve seen Bad Religion over a dozen times now, and I own (and have read) all of Greg Graffin’s books and solo albums. Suffer opened the door to a bunch of other bands I now love (NOFX, Dance Hall Crashers, et. al.). It’s lean, it’s mean, and it’s nerdy-smart and it’s still my favorite punk album (although Punk In Drublic) comes close.