Favorite Punk Guitar Riffs

Someone I follow on Instagram asked for favorite punk guitar riffs. I had opinions. This isn't exhaustive, but it's what came to mind at the moment I saw it:


The Ramones - Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
The Damned - New Rose
Rancid - Avenues and Alleyways
Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
Television - See No Evil
Misfits - Last Caress
Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer
The Saints - Stranded
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
The Undertones - Gotta Getta



With some more thought I'd have included:

The Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
The Blue Hearts - Owaranai Uta

and of course, the song this blog is named for:

The Dictators - Who Will Save Rock and Roll?

Magazine - Shot by Both Sides

This song alone should cement Magazine's place in Rock and Roll history:



The riff might sound familiar - if so, it's because Pete Shelley wrote it and gave it to his former Buzzcocks member and Magazine founder Howard Devoto. He then used it for the Buzzcock's song Lipstick:



Howard Devote gets songwriting credit on that one, and Pete Shelley on "Shot by Both Sides." Can't go wrong with that kind of post-split collaboration.

The Buzzcocks - Even Fallen in Love? + Orgasm Addict

Sadly we lost Pete Shelley today, of the amazing and unique Buzzcocks.

Here are two of my favorites, if I can somehow narrow it down. The first could be their best song, and they wrote a lot of great songs. The second is the first one I ever heard, and it hooked me hard.

Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love?

This blog has had a major shortage of the Buzzcocks. Let's fucking fix that.