So why is Misfits’ Collection on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
My introduction to Glenn Danzig’s unique brand of gothic music – sound and lyrics both – came by way of Danzig’s self-titled band and album, Danzig, which also happens to be #622 of the best 1,000 albums ever:
“Mother” was the first Danzig song that I ever heard – and I was also not familiar with the Misfits at the time (Glenn Danzig’s other band). I didn’t really know what to make of it at first, but I’ve come to really like it: there’s a slow-ish, dark buildup to a big bellowing chorus, with Danzig’s vocals showing off their considerable powers. “Mother” also reminds me that Danzig the band is an unusual hybrid of metal and goth sounds.
One of the reasons that I’m an even bigger fan of the Misfits versus Danzig the band is the former’s lean into punk rock versus metal. Collection, as the album title implies, aggregates a ludicrous number of short, punchy, and sublimely satisfying Misfits smashers, and many of its tracks have made their way onto workout and punk rocking playlists of mine over the years.
Up until the moment I wrote this piece, I always assumed that “Where Eagles Dare” – arguably my favorite song on Collection – was related to the very solid 1968 World War II action flick of the same name, starring Clint Eastwood* and Richard Burton. And it turns out I was correct.
* I always kind of wished that Eastwood would have done more of these kinds of movies – those the likes of Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise would later appear in – as he is quite good in it.
In any event, “Where Eagles Dare” the song has one of the most memorable choruses in punk rock history:
I ain’t no goddamn son of a bitch
You better think about it, baby
The best punk rock songs are often aggressive and sharp and yet melodic and soaring at the same time, and this one is all of those things for days.
“Bullet,” a weirdly piercing portrait of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, is also a huge standout, with an even more aggressive tilt while going full pedal down for all of its 98 seconds of running time.
“Teenagers from Mars” is ferocious and wonderful, a worthy punk/goth successor to the Ramones.
And showing off some surprising new wave and pop chops in a song you can almost imagine Billy Idol pulling off, “London Dungeon” chronicles an incident in which Danzig and guitarist Bobby Steele spent some time in a UK clink after a fight.
Pop culture stuff that has something to with Misfits’ Collection
The band that comes to mind that also treading similar punk-goth territory as the Misfits is Type O Negative. I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan of theirs, though I do greatly dig their live cover of The Doors’ “Light My Fire.”
Some stats & info about Misfits – Collection
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Punk Rock, American Underground, Gothic Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Collection released? 1986
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #249 out of 1,000
Misfits’ Collection on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Misfits’ Collection that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
They call us walking corpses, unholy living dead. They had to lock us up, put us in their British hell.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.