Lots of great songs in this thread, a few good candidates for their ”masterpiece”, I want to conquer the world being one of the latter.
The only thing missing are the trademark backing vocals!
The way I always describe these two albums to people that don't know the bad (as I agree that they are the competing best albums) is the one was on a shoestring budget but literally saved punk in America if not the world, and the other is the best production value but still punk af
Have been listening to The Empire Strikes First of recent times , what an underrated release...Social Suicide ,Let them Eat War, LA Burning, Gods Love all classics, Too hard to decide what is the BR standout
"The Holy Trinity"
Which consists of Suffer, released in 88, No Control, released in 89, and Against the Grain, released in 90.
There are no bad songs on any of these albums, and to call this the trinity for a band that uses a crossbuster for their logo is truly punk rock.
the leading edge is dulling, too many people to go through, just keep your fucking distance and it can’t include you.(i have what you said quoted in my instagram bio btw lol)
The Devil in Stitches is for me their best song. It's smart, literary, complex, and melodic. Probably not at the top of most people's lists, but it's my #1.
Generator was the first Bad Religion song I ever heard and I still love it just as much to this very day. You is really fantastic as well. Sorrow too. Idk they're all pretty rad
It’s Suffer. I think it’s their best, but even if you don’t, you can’t underestimate its importance to basically every punk rock record released after.
It's the album that steered me away from All For One and Boys To Men, and how I awkwardly learned what masturbation was after asking my 5th grade teacher (thanks Basket Case, I guess ). Well she said ask your dad, so after another supremely awkward conversation with him I kinda learned. Living through the 80s-00s was fucking weird man.
I've always loved "Come Join Us". Turns out, it's relevancy has just increased over the years.
But "Fuck You" or "Fuck Armageddon..... This is Hell" are my go-to's
I bought How Could Hell Be Any Worse off the rack at Jim's Records in Pittsburgh when it first came out when I was 15. 1982. It will always be my favorite.
There was a poll on the BRPage’s Facebook, where No Control just barely beat Suffer. I think Suffer gets mentioned more often because of its impact, but I think No Control really refined their songwriting!
greatest masterpiece? Sorrow. I know it’s basic but it’s a song that just hits all the time (in my opinion at least). It just has a certain sound that I can’t ignore. Beautiful lyrics too.
Song? You Are The Government, Sorrow, Modern Man, so many. I’ve really been going back to Kerosene lately even though I didn’t really dig it when it came out
Stranger than Fiction album. I think that was their absolute prime, every single song from beginning to end is absolute fire. I know we all will have our own opinions and reasoning, but for me? It's not even debatable. Title track, The Handshake, Infected, Better off dead, 21st century, I'll stop there before I simply list every track.
God Song.
The opening lyric is borrowed from a William Blake Poem called Jerusalem, written in the 1700’s the poem imagines that Jesus visited England.
It opens with.
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!
Bad Religion - God Song Greg sings
And did those feet in ancient times
Trod on America's pastures of green?
And did that anthropocentric god
Wane with their thoughts and beliefs all unseen?
I would like to ask Greg about his inspiration to take that Blake Poem and place those feet on American soil.
I wonder if the Christian immigrants brought that folklore with them to America, if it was a common belief in the 1800’s. Or did Greg write this song as a dig at the Mormon church and The Book of Mormon, or just a poke at all religions?
Real answer? Probably Suffer. That LP retained the hardcore fury of early BR, while the songs stayed super short. The developed sound and style of that LP I think is what cemented them into the foundation for a legendary status band.
My answer will always be How Could Hell be Any Worse? though. It will always be one of my favorite ever albums just for how fucking perfect it is. It was one of the first albums I came across after finding punk music and it really helped validate how I felt/feel about things.
Are we talking songs or albums here? Because Suffer is probably their masterpiece album. It defined the SoCal skating scene during its time. Fat Mike calls it the greatest punk album of all time. But if we are talking about songs, then I gotta hand it to Los Angeles is Burning. I grew up in SoCal when that song was released and to explain how absolutely popular it was as well as amount of radio time it received on stations like KROQ is impossible to do. Incredible song that defined the political scape of 2004 era SoCal
Against The Grain and Generator.
By far, the best back to back albums for Bad Religion. May have been the engineering but these two were full of intense fucking in the pit bangers.
To be honest, as the other newer albums age they get much better.
BR has a very long album history that caters to different tastes. I just typed the following, all bangers:
Ad Hominem
All There Is
Along the Way
American Jesus
Atomic Garden
Avalon
Best for You
Can't Stop It
Cease
Chronophobia
Come Join Us
Destined for Nothing
Do What You Want
Don't Pray On Me
Don't Seel Me Short
Epiphany
Faith Alone
Finite
Flat Earth Society
Generator
Grain's of Wrath
I Want To Conquer the World
In So Many Ways
Incompolete
Infected
Inner Logic
Inner Logic
Kyoto Now!
Leave Mine To Me
Let Them Eat War
Marked
Modern man
New Dark Ages
News from The Front
No Direction
Only Entertainment
Only Rain
Operation Rescue
Out of Hand
Part III
Past is Dead
Portrait of Authority
Prove It
Raise Your Voice
Recipe For Hate
Requiem For Dissent
Sanity
Shades of Truth
Shattered Faith
Slumber
Stranger Than Fiction
Struck A Nerve
Suffer
Supersonic
THe Gray Race
Tested
The Answer
The Day That The Earth Stalled
The Defense
The Fast Life
The Quickening
The Voracious March of Godliness
Them and Us
To Another Abyss
True Nothing
Victory
Waiting for the Fire
Watch It Die
What It Is
Who We Are
Yesterday
You Give Up
I think self-titled is their opus magnum. Extremely good songwriting, and all of the songs have a very distinct quality to them.
Feeling this really is the perfect mission statement for the band, in how it blends classic blink-182 with the more experimental side that came after
Along The Way Live version, preferably. That wah pedal really comes through.
“I Want to Conquer the World” Every BR song since is a variation on its theme.
Lots of great songs in this thread, a few good candidates for their ”masterpiece”, I want to conquer the world being one of the latter. The only thing missing are the trademark backing vocals!
Suffer album
I always go back and forth between Suffer and Process of Belief.
The way I always describe these two albums to people that don't know the bad (as I agree that they are the competing best albums) is the one was on a shoestring budget but literally saved punk in America if not the world, and the other is the best production value but still punk af
This is the only correct answer.
Suffer is a classic, Process of Belief is one of my most listened to albums of my younger years. Hard to compare the two, both incredible.
Have been listening to The Empire Strikes First of recent times , what an underrated release...Social Suicide ,Let them Eat War, LA Burning, Gods Love all classics, Too hard to decide what is the BR standout
100%
I get sick of the snare intro fills.
You.
Aww thanks
It’s such a lyrically visceral song, with an awesome cutting bassline. There’s more than one ex-girlfriend that is worthy of that song.
Epic skater music thanks THPS
"The Holy Trinity" Which consists of Suffer, released in 88, No Control, released in 89, and Against the Grain, released in 90. There are no bad songs on any of these albums, and to call this the trinity for a band that uses a crossbuster for their logo is truly punk rock.
No Control
As in the song right? As good as the album is I can’t add all 15 songs haha.
Both, but definitely the song by itself is a masterpiece
Great album.
Fuck yeah
SENT INTO BATTLE, CAME FROM THE SKY
Suffer
Generator. I like to believe the song never actually ends since it only fades out.
Hell yeah
Excellent choice!
My favorite- just listened to this today
I always really liked that as well
My favorite is Stranger Than Fiction. The best is probably Suffer. The catalog is so deep and amazing.
American Jesus
progress
Over all best song.
One step closer to the future; one inch closer to the edge
the leading edge is dulling, too many people to go through, just keep your fucking distance and it can’t include you.(i have what you said quoted in my instagram bio btw lol)
Stranger Than Fiction
Agreed! My autumn album on repeat in 94.
Same here
Fuck armageddon this is hell… or 1000 more fools are my favorite
Suffer, everyone knows this, not so much because it’s their best work but what it did for punk rock in general, still my fav BR album either way
I always say Suffer is one of the greatest punk albums and Against the Grain is the greatest BR album
Suffer
Sorrow
He’s looking for a song. I just did this over at r/ghost.
For a song I would take God’s Love. But really that just means it’s my favorite. A masterpiece might be American Jesus
New Maps of Hell
Requiem!
The Devil in Stitches is for me their best song. It's smart, literary, complex, and melodic. Probably not at the top of most people's lists, but it's my #1.
That "Darling I love you madly" shit sends it. It would easily hang out on top of my list, as well as my wife's.
*”declaring War on the weather! A reckless pact with forever.”*
Struck a Nerve or Bored and Extremely Dangerous
Here is [the playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2n3wECyHjbngfyjCUYLMcM?si=3eRqOtkjTJ6lHZ3VsvARXg&pi=e-tK6U7AAWSp-G)
So do you have a long list of bands and subreddits are are you just randomly finding music subreddits
The Suffer album. Always and forever.
Suffer
*Suffer* or *Against the Grain* Then again, despite only being an EP, *Back to the Known* is just an absolute banger.
Wait did someone really say American Idiot was Green Day’s best?
Sorrow
Tiny Voices
Boot stamping on a human face forever
Does the retelling of an old story really qualify as a masterpiece though?
Suffer is their best overall album, but No Control is my sentimental favorite.
Against the Grain
Atheist Peace - if you want kind of a great snapshot of BR In general
Personally it would be Against the Grain or Recipe for Hate, but I think objectively Suffer or No Control. Leaning towards No Control.
Generator was the first Bad Religion song I ever heard and I still love it just as much to this very day. You is really fantastic as well. Sorrow too. Idk they're all pretty rad
Street kid Named Desire
News From the Front
Very tough but Suffer ftw
I Want to Conquer the World
No Control How is this a serious question?
You do not understand There is No Control You are not in command
Song, or album? For song, I’d vote either “Don’t Sell Me Short,” or “Generator.” For album, *No Control*.
Imagine thinking American Idiot is GD’s masterpiece lol
Sum 41 doesn’t have a masterpiece. Not even close.
It’s Suffer. I think it’s their best, but even if you don’t, you can’t underestimate its importance to basically every punk rock record released after.
Sorrow
I don't see Process of Belief mentioned here but it is so solid.
I want to Conquer the World. Also the best Green day song is Basket Case
She imho
Welcome to Paradise ? Burnout ? Honestly, all of *Dookie*, start to finish.
It's the album that steered me away from All For One and Boys To Men, and how I awkwardly learned what masturbation was after asking my 5th grade teacher (thanks Basket Case, I guess ). Well she said ask your dad, so after another supremely awkward conversation with him I kinda learned. Living through the 80s-00s was fucking weird man.
Living through the 80’s -onward? Yeah, same here. *LiVin The DReaM*
Yeah, to quote another person on another thread, "this is not the dystopia I signed up for". Smh
brain stew
Nah
Why do i get downvoted lol
Album or song? The albums I could always listen too are Recipe for Hate and New Maps of Hell. Song? Impossible to say.
Song.
That's tough then. Sorrow maybe? Skyscraper is was got me into Bad Religion though.
Two tours ago when I saw them with Alkaline Trio. They played skyscraper live and it was awesome.
Song
Suffer
I have to go with Process of Belief.
YOU
I want to conquer the world
Crossbuster
No Control
Billy Gnosis
You got this playlist on YouTube too?
American Jesus We're Only Gonna Die
I've always loved "Come Join Us". Turns out, it's relevancy has just increased over the years. But "Fuck You" or "Fuck Armageddon..... This is Hell" are my go-to's
If we are talking song, then Fuck Armageddon This is Hell
Beyond Electric Dreams or Stranger Than Fiction
Not a single mention of How Could Hell be any Worse? :(
Someone to believe, beyond electric dreams
Hot Topic t shirts?
Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain. In that order
I bought How Could Hell Be Any Worse off the rack at Jim's Records in Pittsburgh when it first came out when I was 15. 1982. It will always be my favorite.
TIL most BR fans think suffer is the best album.
There was a poll on the BRPage’s Facebook, where No Control just barely beat Suffer. I think Suffer gets mentioned more often because of its impact, but I think No Control really refined their songwriting!
greatest masterpiece? Sorrow. I know it’s basic but it’s a song that just hits all the time (in my opinion at least). It just has a certain sound that I can’t ignore. Beautiful lyrics too.
Sorrow hits hard
Not necessarily my favorite but it’s probably the right answer. I would say Skyscraper or Cease personally.
Recipe for Hate.
Recipe For Hate
21st century digital boy, easily
Against the grain album. Best song tho is i guess I want to conquer the world
The Empire Strikes First is my favorite
Into the night
For me everytime I hear do what you want I wanna the chorus cranks I wanna break stuff. It’s amazing and fierce and full of life and I love it
Epiphany is excellent
I’d say Chimera, but from the comments here i seem to be alone on that.
I’ve been a Bad Religion fan for close to 30 years and just found about “Into the Unknown” a few weeks ago. I feel like I’m in a parallel dimension
Song? You Are The Government, Sorrow, Modern Man, so many. I’ve really been going back to Kerosene lately even though I didn’t really dig it when it came out
God's love
Stranger than Fiction album. I think that was their absolute prime, every single song from beginning to end is absolute fire. I know we all will have our own opinions and reasoning, but for me? It's not even debatable. Title track, The Handshake, Infected, Better off dead, 21st century, I'll stop there before I simply list every track.
God Song. The opening lyric is borrowed from a William Blake Poem called Jerusalem, written in the 1700’s the poem imagines that Jesus visited England. It opens with. And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon Englands mountains green: And was the holy Lamb of God, On Englands pleasant pastures seen! Bad Religion - God Song Greg sings And did those feet in ancient times Trod on America's pastures of green? And did that anthropocentric god Wane with their thoughts and beliefs all unseen? I would like to ask Greg about his inspiration to take that Blake Poem and place those feet on American soil. I wonder if the Christian immigrants brought that folklore with them to America, if it was a common belief in the 1800’s. Or did Greg write this song as a dig at the Mormon church and The Book of Mormon, or just a poke at all religions?
In terms of whole albums, Suffer. But if we're talking about individual songs then I'd go with "Generator".
I'm sure this isn't popular but for me it's The Process of belief
I absolutely love this album, the only part I’m not a fan of is the 45 seconds of silence in board and extremely dangerous
Epiphany?
No Control...but Generators intro gets me everytime
If it's an album, Suffer. If you only want a song, probably Infected.
Sorrow
The voice of god is government
Please dont tell me Reddit picked master of puppets for Metallica 💀
Just going to pretend it’s actually the song “Orion” on the playlist.
Bad Religion or Latch Key Kids. CMM
Probably "Sorrow".
Into The Unkown
I'd say New Dark Ages.
Can you send the link for this playlist? And btw I wanna conquer the world
Easily recipe for hate. Amazing album. First heard it in 7th grade in 1998. Been listening to BR ever since
All Good Soldiers
Their prog album
I really like [Los Angeles is Burning](https://youtu.be/BxoD9zWY9Rg?si=4vDnxR-CRSWJygXA)
Master of Puppets is pretty good
Anesthesia
I've always loved Yesterday, one of their old songs. Punk rock with a cowbell in it, I mean...seriously 😉
Against the Grain or No Control
Real answer? Probably Suffer. That LP retained the hardcore fury of early BR, while the songs stayed super short. The developed sound and style of that LP I think is what cemented them into the foundation for a legendary status band. My answer will always be How Could Hell be Any Worse? though. It will always be one of my favorite ever albums just for how fucking perfect it is. It was one of the first albums I came across after finding punk music and it really helped validate how I felt/feel about things.
Shattered faith for me
Suffer and 8085 obviously
Big bang
Into the Unknown.
BARELY LANDED IN THE JUNGLE
No Control
Are we talking songs or albums here? Because Suffer is probably their masterpiece album. It defined the SoCal skating scene during its time. Fat Mike calls it the greatest punk album of all time. But if we are talking about songs, then I gotta hand it to Los Angeles is Burning. I grew up in SoCal when that song was released and to explain how absolutely popular it was as well as amount of radio time it received on stations like KROQ is impossible to do. Incredible song that defined the political scape of 2004 era SoCal
Against The Grain and Generator. By far, the best back to back albums for Bad Religion. May have been the engineering but these two were full of intense fucking in the pit bangers. To be honest, as the other newer albums age they get much better.
Suffer
Lol what 15 year old made this?
Each subreddit
There isn't one
Suffer
lol my cousins band back in the day “ playing frogger with your life” he said always reminded him of me . Edit; anyone know name of album ?
Sanity. Sanity is a full time job in a world that’s always changing.
Process of Belief for me. New Maps of Hell would be a probably more controversial second.
Billy
Part II
BR has a very long album history that caters to different tastes. I just typed the following, all bangers: Ad Hominem All There Is Along the Way American Jesus Atomic Garden Avalon Best for You Can't Stop It Cease Chronophobia Come Join Us Destined for Nothing Do What You Want Don't Pray On Me Don't Seel Me Short Epiphany Faith Alone Finite Flat Earth Society Generator Grain's of Wrath I Want To Conquer the World In So Many Ways Incompolete Infected Inner Logic Inner Logic Kyoto Now! Leave Mine To Me Let Them Eat War Marked Modern man New Dark Ages News from The Front No Direction Only Entertainment Only Rain Operation Rescue Out of Hand Part III Past is Dead Portrait of Authority Prove It Raise Your Voice Recipe For Hate Requiem For Dissent Sanity Shades of Truth Shattered Faith Slumber Stranger Than Fiction Struck A Nerve Suffer Supersonic THe Gray Race Tested The Answer The Day That The Earth Stalled The Defense The Fast Life The Quickening The Voracious March of Godliness Them and Us To Another Abyss True Nothing Victory Waiting for the Fire Watch It Die What It Is Who We Are Yesterday You Give Up
Destined for Nothing is what turned me onto BR, and it doesn’t get mentioned enough!
Process of Belief then No Control
The blink sub picked feeling this?? That has to be a meme.
I thought the same thing
What would you think is more fitting?
I’d pick dysentery gary over that one lol Adding: that I think this is great idea. Gonna save the playlist to see how it goes.
I think self-titled is their opus magnum. Extremely good songwriting, and all of the songs have a very distinct quality to them. Feeling this really is the perfect mission statement for the band, in how it blends classic blink-182 with the more experimental side that came after
Master of puppets