(Cassettes, Rock) Cassette

Recorded live in Vienna January 1998. CD

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One of the greatest records to ever come out of the west coast punk scene at the end of the 70s and start of the 80s – incredibly well-penned and well-played – at a level that instantly leaves behind so many of its contemporaries! The themes of the tunes are fantastic – sung by Exene Cervenka and John Doe – as little tales of lust, greed, compromise, and decay – all set to the fantastic drums of DJ Bonebrake and the searing guitar of the great Billy Zoom! The quartet are amazing together – never missing a beat as they rip through classics that include "Your Phone's Off The Hook But You're Not", "Johnny Hit & Run Pauline", "Soul Kitchen", "Nausea", "Los Angeles", and "Sex & Dying In High Society". This CD reissue continues Rhino's tradition of recent years of loading things up with bonus tracks, demos, odds & ends – and the five bonus tracks here, including an early version of "Adult Books", are a welcome bit of history. Other tracks include "Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not", "Johnny Hit And Run Pauline", "Soul Kitchen", "Nausea", "Los Angeles", and "Sex And Dying In High Society". CD

The last true masterpiece by the greatest rock band to ever come out of the late 70s and early 80s L.A. scene. More Fun In The New World serves in a lot of ways as X's upright middle finger to the early years of the Reagan era, with the anthemic opener "The New World", and the ballad "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts", perfectly encapsulating the fear and loathing brought about by the ridiculous politics that infected the entire decade. The album is very much a sequel to the amazing Under The Big Black Sun, full of razor pop anthems, Billy Zoom's punkabilly guitar acrobatics, and amazing depth thanks to John and Exene's sensitive and perceptive song writing. Awesome! Other tracks include "True Love", "We're Having Much More Fun", "Poor Girl", "Make The Music Go Bang", "Devil Doll", "Painting The Town Blue", "Hot House", "Drunk In My Past", "I See Red", and "True Love Part 2". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing album – and one that we'd never part with, ever! X may have sprung from the LA punk scene of the late 70s – but this second album from the group is one that pushes way past every one of their contemporaries – a set that's always urgent, never dated – and which is filled with well-written, well-penned songs that should all be in the pantheon of rock and roll! Every aspect of the group is perfect at this point – the amazing drums of DJ Bonebrake, the searing guitars of Billy Zoom, and the fantastic vocal interplay between John Doe and Exene – working here at a level that's way different than any male/female duo in rock, pop, or soul from previous decades – as they set fire to the brilliant words of tunes that include "The Once Over Twice", "We're Desperate", "Adult Books", "I'm Coming Over", "In This House That I Call Home", "White Girl", "Some Other Time", and "Year 1". There's not a single mis-step on this album – and we should know, as we've listened to it thousands of times over the years! This crisp remaster also includes seven previously unreleased demos, alternate versions, and live recordings. CD

A truly incredible collection – even more wonderful than we might have guessed from the title and cover – and both of those are already pretty darn appealing! This package might well be the most comprehensive we've ever seen on the early days of punk in England – a package that goes way past the big names, way past the classic cuts, and really digs deep into the huge explosion of indie labels that fueled the scene – creating a legacy of rare singles and amazing sounds that the British scene hadn't seen in years! If you dig the Sex Pistols or Clash, there's dozens of other tunes here to love – some by artists you'll know from later fame, represented here on very early tracks – and lots more from acts who maybe only gave the world a handful of brilliant singles. The presentation is as stunning as the music – 111 tracks on 4CDs, inside a heavy 64 page book-style jacket – with page after page of notes on each song and band, and lots of images as well. Consider this whole thing an overdue primer on all the punk you missed – even if you lived back in the day – and lose yourself in the huge array of tracks by groups who include The Radiators From Space, Puncture, Some Chicken, The Panik, The Only Ones, Suspects, Tueway Army, The Boys, Acme Sewage Co, Raped, Bazoomis, Menace GLC, Sids, Rudi, Art Attack, Angelic Upstarts, Mean Street, Poison Girls, Chelsea, Demon Preacher, Leyton Brothers, The Dole, Riff Raff, The Tights, Social Security, Nicky & The Dots, No Way, The Wall, Hollywood Brats, Disco Zombies, Spizzoil, Horrorcomic, The Cravats, and lots lots more! CD