  My favorite CD of all time is Bad Religion's "No Control. " It was really the first great punk CD I ever heard. I had heard a lot of mainstream punk bands, like NOFX, Pennywise, mainstays of punk. But No Control made me love punk.
It was a thousand times more punk than anything NOFX or Rancid could put out. It was a million times more essential than the mainstream music of 1989 when it first came out. Furthermore, it is still essential and relevant today. Greg Graffin's warnings against progress and industry still resonate as clearly today as they did 15 years ago. In this sense Bad Religion transcendes and outdoes two of the "Big Three" of punk. The Sex Pistols and the Ramones were just looking for a good time.
I enjoy both of those bands, but they just don't seem truly "great" to me. I haven't talked about the third of the three forefathers of punk. The last, and most relevant, was the Clash. In my opinion, all great punk bands (and some ska, and some reggae) spring from the Clash. Most punk bands will admit that they were influenced by the Clash. Of course, I didn't mention many of the other forefathers of punk (Iggy and the Stooges, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, etc), but these are more along the lines of hardcore.
Anyway, music doesn't evolve in a straight line. But really, if you get a chance, check out Bad Religion. I'm not bitter. It's a dirty lie that conservatives made up to discredit me. Also, I am less angry than most. I can't remember the last time I was truly mad. I will admit to getting irritated once in a while though. 
