Skating and punk rock have gone hand in hand since the late '80s, but some albums are better to skate to than others. You may not agree with all of these but we think Josh Ceshler has nailed it.
10. How It Goes - Big D and the Kids Table
So it's more ska than punk, but Big D is as good as anything for skating the streets or a park. Skate-punk is often centered around brash rebellion, and How It Goes displays just as much humorous disregard for authority as any punk record. One of Boston's premier ska-punk groups of the 2000s showed up in the CD players of skaters everywhere with tracks like "Little Bitch" and "My Girlfriend's on Drugs."
9. Numbers - The Briggs
Skate punk was born out of SoCal, and while the Briggs weren't around for the first wave of it, the LA-based band's brand of "street punk" was more skate-worthy than most things labeled as "skate punk" in the 2000s. "Bored Teenager" is an all-time classic skating tune, and just about every other track on the album is worth a spin the next time you're looking for your new favorite ledge to grind.
8. Smash - The Offspring
It's the best Offspring album, and one of the most radio-friendly skating records of all time. You know the album, you know its lasting impact. "Nitro (Youth Energy)" is proof that a song doesn't have to sound super angry or aggressive to be amazing for skating. It's either the best pop-punk record to skate to or the poppiest skate-punk record possibly ever.
7. Trashed - Lagwagon
Historically speaking, 1994 was a banner year for skate punk. Smash came out, Green Day's Dookie released (although it never really seemed very "skate punk"), and another album from later in this list pretty much changed the game for the subgenre. Lost in those famous releases, Lagwagon's sophomore effort set the standard for skaters 21 years ago. They might not have the commercial success of some of their contemporaries, but that actually makes them more appropriate for skating than anything.
6. Hang-Ups - Goldfinger
There's no way you can hear "Superman" without thinking of the Tony Hawk video game on N64, which is the real reason that this album is on the list. Goldfinger was always one of those ska bands that crossed over into the punk world, and thus made them perfectly acceptable skate tunes.
5. Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal Tendencies
Among the first batch of skate punk albums, Suicidal Tendencies' self-titled disc obviously stands out from the rest. "Institutionalized" is one of the most iconic skate punk songs in history, and the album as a whole helped to create the skate punk culture and sound as we know it today.
4. Teenage Politics - MxPx
Over the course of MxPx's career, the band's fallen into every subgenre of punk from Christian to skate to pop. Regardless of their chosen style at that exact moment, Mike Herreira and crew always put together solid punk rock tunes. Back in '95, they were still in their young and rebellious stage, making one awesome skate punk song after another. Sure, Life in General and Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo are awfully good as well, but "Punk Rawk Show" is a personal favorite for skating, so Teenage Politics took the spot on the list.
3. Full Circle - Pennywise
Although it would be quite the experience to see Fletcher Dragge hit a heelflip, Pennywise has always been a major part of the skate scene. Their 1997 album is everything you could ask for in a skate punk record, and the version of "Bro Hymn" on Full Circle;might be the most anthemic entry-level skating song ever. They've been labeled as drunks, anarchists, and whatever else, but the guys in Pennywise will forever be major players in '90s skate culture
2. How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Bouncing Souls
Anchors Aweigh is probably the best Bouncing Souls album out of their catalog, but How I Spent My Summer Vacation is a close second. One of the things that makes Anchors Aweigh so good is its variety in tempo and intensity, but that's not what makes a great skate punk record. "True Believers" is a timeless skate anthem, while even the album's more romantic songs ("Late Bloomer") are perfect for a skateboard romance.
1. Punk in Drublic - NoFX
"Separation of Church and Skate" is among the most legendary skate songs of all time, but Punk in Drublic is where it's at as far as full albums go. Fat Mike has always understood skate punk better than almost any other songwriter, and if you're not totally amped to get on your board by the end of "Linoleum" and "Leave It Alone," then you probably shouldn't be skating (at least not while listening to punk rock). 1994 was a good year, man.
Ease into the weekend with Manu Crooks 'Different League.' Labelled as a rapper with enormous crossover potential, Australian artist and producer hailing from Sydney, Manu Crooks, does not confine himself to the set sounds of Australian hip-hop, instead expresses his art in his own way.
Driving us home this Friday is Eagles of Death Metals cover of Duran Duran's, 'Save a Prayer'. Considered by some as better than the original, it oozes a classic rock sound that can't date.
Taking you on the journey into the weekend is the classic hit, 'Paranoid Android' from Radiohead's 1997 album, 'OK Computer'. The film clip is a must see while listening to the track.
