Death- For The Whole World To See (1976)

My mind was completely and utterly blown the first time I heard this. Not the death metal band! This Death was around in the early-mid 1970's, hailing from Detroit. Obviously huge fans of fellow Detroiters MC5 as well as The Stooges, Death played a similar brand of fast, brutal rock and roll that would be influential in the development of punk rock (but did so with better chops than the Stooges for sure). This is without question one of the best proto-punk albums I've ever heard. A lot of people compare them to early Bad Brains, which I can see a bit in the intensity and vocal delivery (particularly on "Freakin' Out"), but I think the comparison is made primarily because both bands are black. Originally recorded in 1976, this didn't see an official release until 2009. If you dig The Stooges, MC5, Bad Brains or pretty much any music at all, you need to hear this.

Get it here.

Gems: Seriously, every song on this rips.