Lester Bangs's Fave Albums of 1977

Lester Bangs : Let It Blurt

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LESTER BANGS ( with the points he awarded to his entries in the Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll)

 Richard Hell and the Voidoids: Blank Generation 30;
 Peter Tosh: Equal Rights 15;
 Ramones: Rocket to Russia 10;
 Iggy and the Stooges: Metallic K.O. 10;
 Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols 5;
 Ramones Leave Home 5;
 The Persuasions: Chirpin' 5;
 Ornette Coleman: Dancing in Your Head 5;
 The Saints: I'm Stranded 5;
 Suicide 5.





 Now living in New York City as a freelance rock critic, the legendary Lester Bangs did what every critic has always dreamed of: fronting a band  with the Voidoids Robert Quine on guitar, along with Jody Harris of the Contortions, jazzman David Hofstra on Bass and Jay Dee Daugherty of the Patti Smith Group on drums.  On his 1977 John Cale produced single,  "Let It Blurt", Lester sounds like a cross between Richard Hell and Captain Beefheart.




Music is personal.

That explains Blank Generation's earning the top spot on his year end list. He's a bit of a homer with five NYC entries making his Top 10 list ( Hell, The Ramones, The Persuasions and Suicide). Bangs visited Jamaica--the island, not the borough-- with a pal who was trying to sign Peter Tosh, catching a glimpse of the reggae artist dressed in " a navy blue tracksuit and militant black beret, (yelling) as he practiced high flying karate kicks in the parking lot". Coleman and Suicide provide the dissonance Bangs enjoyed --that bit of mad rage in all of us.