10 Underrated Hard Rock Bands Of The 70's

10. The Germs

When the punk movement came roaring out of New York in the late 70's, many rock fans were taken aback by the rapid pace of each song. Just on the other side of the States, a group of misfits decided to take their music to places that were faster, meaner, and more raucous than the original punk rockers.

The Germs's music was a beautiful display of chaos, as the crunchy guitars perfectly complimented frontman Darby Crash's infuriated vocal style. When the band came together to cut their only album (GI), it would become one of the trailblazing albums for the hardcore punk scene.

However, the band's fury was not meant to last forever, with Darby Crash overdosing on heroin a year after their debut's release. After fiddling around the LA scene, guitarist Pat Smear found future success being the touring guitarist of Nirvana and eventual guitarist for the Foo Fighters. Thanks to his affiliation with the alt-rock titans, The Germs are now starting to generate a healthy shelf life as one of the most balls-to-the-wall punk acts to come out of Los Angeles. Though the band's time together produced musical magic, The Germs started a fire that burned out way too quickly.