The Best Debut Punk Albums of 1978: X-Ray Spex, Crass, and More

Punk started to emerge in the 1970s, and with it came a handful of amazing debut albums. The year 1978 was a good year for punk rock, judging by these three albums that were released in that year. From the Buzzcocks to X-Ray Spex, punk was definitely having a moment in 1978.

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‘Another Music In A Different Kitchen’ — Buzzcocks

English punk band The Buzzcocks released their debut album Another Music In A Different Kitchen in March 1978. This was the third lineup for the band, after original vocalist Howard Devoto left and bassist Garth Smith was fired. However, the album marked the emergence of one of the U.K.’s prominent punk acts.

Previously, The Buzzcocks had released the EP Spiral Scratch on their own label, New Hormones, making them one of the first punk bands to do so. Still, to gain mainstream success, they signed to United Artists Records in 1977. Another Music In A Different Kitchen paved the way for the band’s second album, Love Bites. This featured their breakout single “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)”.

‘The Feeding Of The 5000’ — Crass

Anarcho-punk band Crass emerged in 1978 with the debut album The Feeding Of The 5000. This album did the heavy lifting in establishing Crass as prominent figures in the punk scene. It introduced listeners to their extreme, profanity-laden sound and lyrics, as well as their anarchist ideals.

When The Feeding Of The 5000 was packaged for pressing, the vinyl was delayed due to the allegedly blasphemous lyrical content of the song “Asylum”. Workers at the pressing plant refused to make the records, so the album was initially released without “Asylum”. In its place was two minutes of silence titled “The Sound Of Free Speech”. Crass would continue to make statements like this throughout their career. And starting their own record label, Crass Records, allowed the band to have full control of their work.

‘Germfree Adolescents’ — X-Ray Spex

X-Ray Spex released their debut album Germfree Adolescents in November 1978, and it has since become a beloved punk offering. When it was released, critics felt it contained too much previously released material, but still praised the album for its bright punk sound and new sophistication.

Retrospectively, Germfree Adolescents has been called “one of British punk’s strongest” albums. It introduced Poly Styrene to the punk scene, where she is highly regarded as one of the first riot grrrls. Additionally, Pitchfork reviewed the album in 2017, awarding it a rare and often coveted 10/10.

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