So I want to get into X

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I think I might buy Wild Gift.

Is this a bad idea?

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:05 (twenty-two years ago)

despite what others around here will say, no, this is NOT a bad idea. in fact, it might well kick your ass, the way it kicked my high-school ass when it came out, the way it still sounds hungry and angry and bored and desperate and traditional and futuristic to me.

but some people think X was self-indulgent rockist shite. although they are wrong, I can see how they would think that, if they don't buy into the concept because they hate concepts and they want to live in a land without them. but X was always about buying into the concept, and 'wild gift' is their strongest statement of it.

'more fun in the new world' is my favorite though

― Neudonym, Monday, 7 July 2003 03:13 (twenty-two years ago)

what's the concept?

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Los Angeles rulz too

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:15 (twenty-two years ago)

the concept that four young people in the 'punk' scene could take jumped-up rockabilly and metal riffs, wed them to beat poetry and country-duet crooning, and use that sound to talk about the dirty shit that goes on in L.A. when Randy Newman was looking the other way

― Neudonym, Monday, 7 July 2003 03:20 (twenty-two years ago)

and roger is right, los angeles totally rulz too

― Neudonym, Monday, 7 July 2003 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

[i]country-duet crooning,[/i]

Yeah, I downloaded "4th of July" the other day and I'll be damned if I didn't think it was a Waco Brothers song.

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Los Angeles is incredible. One of the records that sort of changed my life. Young Doors fan me bought a cheap-ass cassette of it back in like 1984 because Ray Manzarek had produced it. I think it was the first "punk" record I'd ever heard; pretty sure I heard it before Never Mind the Bollocks anyway. It thrilled me, gave me goosebumps, I loved the way Exene and John played off each other.

Yeah, fantastic band.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

you can still find Los Angeles with Wild Gift used (though they're not remastered).

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Are the remasters worth seeking out?

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:32 (twenty-two years ago)

You nailed the best thing about X: "the way Exene and John played off each other."

As great as the first two records are, I actually prefer Under the Big Black Sun and More Fun In the New World.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll be seeing them Wednesday for the first time, and I'm giddy like a schoolgirl (Bonebrake and Zoom are both in tow).

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:35 (twenty-two years ago)

An old CD Reissue has both Los Angeles and Wild Gift on one CD. (I'm still waiting for them to do the same with Under the Big Black Sun and More Fun in the New World.)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 7 July 2003 10:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd go with the first album, myself.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

the first album's probably the best bet for a first X purchase - more immediate (?), more, um, rocking (maybe), though I've definitely come to prefer Wild Gift to everything else.

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:08 (twenty-two years ago)

ben: do you like the doors? (if no, definitely avoid Los Angeles, alas)

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I would suggest the following order: Wild Gift (arguably their best, so a good place to start), Los Angeles (punky!), Under the Big Black Sun (stylistic maturity, which also leads to occasional gaffes such as "Come Back to Me"), and More Fun in the New World (sincerity, earnestness, and careerism start to get the best of them, but not before they uncork a handful of great tracks). You can pretty much stop there, although the Knitters album is sort of fun, and probably the best thing they did outside of the first four albums.

― Lee G (Lee G), Monday, 7 July 2003 15:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I think I like Wild Gift best, too, though Los Angeles is not far behind at all. Then Under the Big Black Sun, then More Fun in the New World (though it's a big step down from the first three, I think). "White Girl" was one of the first punk songs that I remember hearing on the radio and liking.

I never thought of them as very high concept. I don't think there's too much to say about them (but I'm lazy about trying). Their virtues and weaknesses are pretty straightforward.

I thought this might be a thread where you ask about any particular genre you want to get into.

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 7 July 2003 16:19 (twenty-two years ago)

X's first four records are all good listens, with More Fun in the New World notch or two under the first three.

I picked up the remasters a few months back and have been listening to them quite often. They sound good and are a definite step up from the early issues. I think "Los Angeles" is still my favorite, but the first half "Under the Big Black Sun" is blistering.

I'm seeing them Tuesday night. Saw them once with Tony Gilkeson and it was OK, but now BILLY ZOOM is back, so I am excited.

― earlnash, Monday, 7 July 2003 16:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, Wild Gift is my favorite -- it's still very raw and punk but there's more breathing room, more stretching out than Los Angeles, which runs along at such a seamlessly rapid clip (even with the slower "Nausea," it's still soooooo patently, unmistakably "the trademark X sound") that it's almost suffocating.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

AVOID the Dave Alvin years at all costs.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Basically, avoid everything after Ain't Love Grand. In fact, you might as well avoid that album too.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)

They are incredible on this tour. I saw them in Baltimore, and both band and audience were everything that's missing from the modern punk scene (boys and girls, age and experience, diversity and love).

And get the two-disk anthology used if you're starting out, which you can use as your own buyer's guide for the albums.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

First four albums (X, Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun, More Fun in the New World).
Then stop or you will get sick.

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, btw by X I meant the "Los Angeles" album. I always remember it by the cover, where the X is huge and the Los Angeles is small.

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

You people are all sick, See How We Are is a great album too, though admittedly far more countrified than punk. And I don't get this: "ben: do you like the doors? (if no, definitely avoid Los Angeles, alas)" either. I find the Doors generally tedious, and find Los Angeles almost completely dissimilar.

I'm with Colin, get the 2-disc set and use it as the guide. I'd say that all of the albums are worth it, myself.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

What about Hey Zeus! and Unclogged? I've never heard either, but the fact that NO ONE has mentioned them doesn't bode well.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 03:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Sean: Manzarek Manzarek Manzarek

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 04:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Even though Ray Manzarek produced the first few albums (and the band covered "Soul Kitchen"), resemblances to The Doors are sort of far-fetched.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 04:37 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, I hate the Doors, and Los Angeles is one of my favorite albums evah.

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 04:43 (twenty-two years ago)

what I want to know is what Neudonym meant with "Despite what others around here will say"--um, Wild Gift is pretty much the consensus pick as their best album.

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 04:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I was not talking about Wild Gift but rather about X the band itself. Weren't there lots of haters at one point?

― Neudonym, Wednesday, 9 July 2003 05:45 (twenty-two years ago)

not that I remember but maybe that's just my poor memory

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 05:52 (twenty-two years ago)

no there were definitely haters. I love love love Los Angeles, but the Manzarek wank all over it has tempered my love a bit (I think the only Mank flourish/solo I like or even tolerate on the thing is at the end of "The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss", but that could just be because I love that song sooooo much), part of the reason why Wild Gift has edged ahead. when I was 14 and still liked the Doors (ha - and still read Bret Ellis) Los Angeles was waaay out in front.

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 06:01 (twenty-two years ago)

and further proof of how great X is: we're all still up at 2 a.m. (3 for Blount, only midnight for Matos) talking about 'em. ben welsh better get his ass in gear and buy this record or NONE OF US IS SLEEPING EVER.

you hear me welsh?

― Neudonym, Wednesday, 9 July 2003 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)

The Manzarek parts bother me more and more over time (where they used to not bother me at all), but not so much that I have stopped liking the album. I'm another one who pretty much can't stand the Doors, but likes Los Angeles, etc.

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 9 July 2003 10:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm tellin' you...the Los Angeles/Wild Gift CD is absolutely crucial and key. Seek it. Find it. Buy it. Learn it. Live it. Love it. Make it the center of your existence.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 10:51 (twenty-two years ago)

True enough that Hey Zeus and Unclogged don't get mentioned much, but oddly I know people who are right into both of them, for whatever reason.

One note to temper Custos' enthusiam w/r/t the LA/WG combo CD is that all of the original albums have just recently been reissued by Rhino, with remastering, bonus tracks and essays inside; the combo CD gives you two great albums for the price of one, but if you decide you really like it, you may end up going for the reissues anyhow.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

True. True.
If you have enough cash, sure, go for the reissues.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

(side note: same thing happend with Marvin Gaye. I finally find the 2-fer-1 cd that has both "What's Goin' On" and "Let's Get it On" on it...then a week later they announce a sweeping program of digital remasterings of his back catalog.)
(another side note: Yeah, but do they squash the mix with dynamic range compression and call the butchery "improved sound quality"?)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm too busy to post much these days, but popping my head back in for X who rarely gets mentioned around here. "Wild Gift" and "Under the Big Black Sun" are my faves, but a very great band yeah.

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The first record of theirs I bought was Unclogged, oddly enough, and I really love that record; I probably still listen to it more often than any of the others. It's their live acoustic record, and I'd rate it as the best live album I've ever heard. It's passionate and playful, and the songs have more breathing room than they do on the first two records. Terrible cover art, though.

Also, their scenes in The Decline of Western Civilization were totally my favorites.

― Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, their live version of "Johny Hit and Run Pauline" in the movie is actually BETTER than the studio version on the album!

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

X is a good example of how lyrics can matter to me. I can't understand everything they are singing most of the time anyway, but there are individual lines and phrases that stand out and interact with the purely music qualities. Odd things like "She must build a fire next to the pay-phone" (or whatever it is). Different enough from most lyrics to be striking, to me anyway.

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

"You're phones off the hook, but yer NNNNNAAAAAAWWWWTTTTT!!"

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

"Humma nana wonna yumma dada fumba doo..
Gary Indiana, don't forget the motor City"

..j'ever hear the Replacements do that song?

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I actually threw on Wild Gift today, assuming I'd like it more then Los Angeles. I wanna listen to it again but I think it's not quite as catchy. The lows aren't as low but the highs aren't as high. Then again, the fan was on which made it harder to actually tell what the heck they were saying. I'm also a bit annoyed at how Exene sounds fine when singing solo but she ALWAYS makes that grating off-harmony with John when they sing together. It's kinda repetitive, and I'm guessing she was doing it on purpose.

I have the first three albums and like 'em all but don't actually LOVE any of them. Should I bother with More Fun In The New World?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 21:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait, how is what they're doing not harmonic? Orbit to thread!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 21:39 (twenty-two years ago)

oh like I'm some musicologist. Non-harmonic, harmonic, whatever. It sounds like she's tone deaf and it gets old.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

She sings off-key a lot of the time, I'd say.

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 9 July 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

The very close harmonies (some call them "Chinese harmonies" but I don't quite understand why, yet) are definitely on purpose, and one of the reasons I like X so much.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Thursday, 10 July 2003 05:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Just got back from seeing them live tonight. As far as I'm concerned, it was the best show going on in America at the time.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Thursday, 10 July 2003 05:17 (twenty-two years ago)

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