The Minutemen may have come out of the same California hardcore scene that produced Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Fear, but they not only bore little resemblance to their West Coast contemporaries, they didn't sound much like anyone else in American rock at that time.
The Punch Line was the band's first album, packing 18 tunes into less than 25 minutes, and if the music shares hardcore's lust for speed and assaultive rhythmic punch, their sharp, fragmented melodies, complex tempos, and overtly poetic and political lyrics made clear they were rugged individuals; imagine James Blood Ulmer teaching Wire how to get funky and you start to get an idea of what The Punch Line sounds like.
It wasn't until the band began to slow down a bit on What Makes a Man Start Fires? that the strength of the group's individual songs became clear, and The Punch Line works better as a unified sonic assault than as a collection of tunes, but moments do stand out, especially "Tension," "Fanatics," and the title cut, which certainly lends a new perspective to Native American history.
The Punch Line was as wildly inventive as anything spawned by American punk, and the band would only get better on subsequent releases.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SearchGeorge Hurley, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 2 | TensionMartin Tamburovich, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 01:20 | 3 MB | 8 MB |
| 3 | GamesD. Boon, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 01:04 | 2 MB | 7 MB |
| 4 | BoilingGeorge Hurley, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:57 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 5 | DisguisesD. Boon | Minutemen | Play | 00:48 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 6 | The StruggleD. Boon | Minutemen | Play | 00:41 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 7 | MonumentsGeorge Hurley, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:51 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 8 | RuinsGeorge Hurley, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:49 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 9 | IssuedGeorge Hurley, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:40 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 10 | The Punch LineMike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:41 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 11 | Song for El SalvadorD. Boon | Minutemen | Play | 00:32 | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| 12 | History LessonD. Boon | Minutemen | Play | 00:38 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 13 | FanaticsMike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:31 | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| 14 | No ParadeD. Boon | Minutemen | Play | 00:51 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 15 | Straight JacketMike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:59 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 16 | GravityGeorge Hurley, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:57 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 17 | WarfareGeorge Hurley, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:55 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 18 | StaticD. Boon, Mike Watt | Minutemen | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 4 MB |
| 15 mins | 35 MB | |||||
| 15 mins | 92 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D. Boon | Artwork, Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 2 | George Hurley | Artwork, Composer, Drums, Voices |
| 3 | Minutemen | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Spot | Producer |
| 5 | Martin Tamburovich | Composer |
| 6 | Mike Watt | Bass, Composer, Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |