XLos Angeles

Billy Zoom's rockabilly guitar runs hot and tight while John Doe and Exene Cervenka twist their voices into eerie, off-kilter country harmonies you won't hear anywhere else. 'Johnny Hit and Run Paulene' tears by dark and breathless, and the whole thing crackles with that strange punk-meets-honky-tonk tension. Ray Manzarek of the Doors produced and slid in keyboards. Their 1980 debut, and one of the greatest punk records ever made. Drop the needle and hold on.