Read other letters about this article
Minor Threat had nothing to do with "Skinhead Punk" (a.k.a. the "Oi" movement, which was basically a UK-only phenomenon, with a few, long-after-the-fact American imitators). They were a great hardcore band, no doubt, and one of the most influential, but Black Flag definitely got there first. As a matter of fact, so did Bad Brains - if any song could be said to have launched American hardcore it was probably "The Big Takeover," which even MacKaye and Rollins bowed down and genuflected to.
Also, the Police were simply the most commercially succesful of the British "Blue Eyed Reggae" contingent from the early '80s - and by far the least interesting. If I was gonna represent that short-lived movement, I would go with something from the Clash ("Police and Thieves," "White Man In Hammersmith Palais") or the Specials ("Message to You Rudy," not reggae exactly, but the impulse and influence was undeniable on other UK popsters). Heck, even Elvis Costello's "Watching the Detectives" had a bigger - and earlier - commercial impact in the UK than anything the Police ever did.