Since I was actually around to see the evolution of punk, I would have to say that the foundation was laid by Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and their album "Raw Power" I consider among the best:
The Clash were great innovators, and I am partial to California bands like Black Flag, and Dead Kennedys. Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins were great spokespeople and woke people up to anarchy. As much as I liked Johnny Rotten and his post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Limited, I thought the Sex Pistols were simply a Malcom MacLaren product.
Lots of good bands named, let's not forget Bad Brains, and the NYC bands either...(besides the Ramones, which were a polyster version of the Sex Pistols - three chords and an "OY!", lol).
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