AMERICAN MUSICAL CLASSIC - THIS was the Years BEST by Time Magazine! TRULY a great American Music milestone. The USA version of London Calling.These kids were ORIGINAL as hell. Never matched and still refreshing to hear. 5 stars. White Girl, Adult Books are standouts.
Give yourself a Wild Gift - I bought this on vinyl back in the early 80 s when I was a restless teenager growing up in the burbs of B ham, AL. Being a skateboarder and reading about the goings on with regards to the LA punk scene in Skateboarder magazine I was curious enough to seek this album out. Fortunately we had a great record shop (Charlemagne Record Exchange) to find such gems. This was an instant hit with me and some of my friends, and to this day something I still listen to on occasion.The great thing about this album is that it really defies labels. Sure, there are some flat out punk songs on the album, but in the end it s an album of just great, original rock and roll. While the previous album Los Angeles had some great material, this album really began to show the depth of the band s talents, and the great combination of voices between John Doe and Exene. Billy Zoom is still one of the greatest guitarists I ve ever seen play live and he shines on this album throughout. Better yet, for a kid growing up in Birmingham, the lyrical storytelling really gave the feeling of being there, of what it was like living in the seemy underbelly of the LA punk scene. Great stuff. Get it.
Great album - I said earlier that this was the best American punk cd I had heard, that was I before I heard the Wipers, who completely blew my mind.Still, the lyrics on X s second album have incredible depth and are amazing, details are so vivid you can see the world of dirty L.A., married frustration, and drunken couch crashers like a painting right in front of you. Never mind whether a band is punk enough because they signed to a major label, this band has grit, romance, poetry, danger, and slashing guitars, I don t know what else you could ask for. Except of course for more music this brilliant. If you like White Girl then you ll love The Wipers though, and that s my favorite X song by far.
Brought back memories of my teen angst - Listening to this CD again after ten years was complete and blissful nostalgia. I went back to 15 years old...the oddball kid in 9th grade who put a little X in eyeliner on her temple and shoulder. There are a lot of great tracks and from 15 to 35 I still absolutely love this band. True survivor s of the eventual overflow of punk bands from L.A...their music still endures in a way that no other band from that era could compare to. Exene Cervinka was a true poet of her generation and although she lacked in vocal qualities...she more than makes up for it with her passion and her lyrics. I consider her the angry & confused feminine mind in an almost completely male oriented genre. John Doe s vocals are unsurpassed and the band as a whole without sounding too polished were definately the definative punk band of the time with actual musical capabilities along with the frustration and angst about a myriad of topics including being young and married which I don t think was a particularly normal subject in the punk idealism but it fits well with this band and they were doing what was meant to be done...telling the truth, no matter how ugly or unattractive it sounded to the general public. I let my 11 year old listen to the age appropriate tracks on this CD and he even found it inspiring. Soul Kitchen was his favorite track and and he was utterly fascinated that it was a remake from a 1960 s band called The Doors. The Doors, who? My son is a musician, he plays trumpet, drums and is a beginning to learn electric guitar inspired completely to take on this instrument by Kurt Cobain. He plays Jazz but I have been digging through my head to find many different forms of music for him to appreciate. His latest fascination is with early albums by The Police...which I also highly recommend.
And to Think John Doe became an actor. - Emerging out of the early 80 s punk scene X was much more talented then their punk brethren. Poet Exene Cervenka and John Doe s slightly off key harmonies somehow add the missing ingredient into the mixture of pop punk and pure rock and roll. Similarities to Beefheart and the Ramones cannot go unnoticed, but with lyrics like I ll replace your drunk old man (White Girl) it s suffice to say they have lyrically matured from the first album. When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch exemplifies what everyone has felt when a relationship goes sour. Get out your Docs and skank around the couch as the neighbors downstairs call the cops.