X is for X

X - Los Angeles (1980)

They truly broke the mold...

Tough for me to separate this record (or the band itself) from The Decline of Western Civilization, a film in which X totally outperforms a handful of other classic L.A. punk bands like Black Flag, Fear, and the Circle Jerks (exempt are The Germs, who defy conventions of musical criticism/appreciation). DJ Bonebrake taught me that there was nothing cooler than being a really good drummer in a punk rock band.

X - Wild Gift (1981)

"We're Desperate" and "White Girl" rule, but I still like the debut better.

X - Under the Big Black Sun (1982)

I can't find my copy of this one.

X - More Fun in the New World (1983)

Great songs, but lacks the danger of the earlier sides. That's what happens when punks get old, right?

XTC - English Settlement (1982)

How many great major label British pop-rock records came out in 1982? Tons!!! You couldn't show your face in public if you weren't a reverent fan of this one, although I always wondered how many "fans" could actually make it through the whole thing in one sitting.

XTC - Skylarking (1986)

I tried to call "bullshit" on this one, and completely missed the point. "Earn Enough For Us" is awesome.

XTC - Oranges and Lemons (1989)

Think it's tough to make it through English Settlement? Try listening to this one soup to nuts with a hangover! Better to call it quits at track 7.

X-Ray Spex - Obsessed With You: The Early Years (1991)

This is my wife's CD. I like the handful of songs I actually know...

Xymox - "Phoenix Of My Heart" (1991)

Also my wife's CD. Back when we still though we were cool/young enough to go to rock shows in Brooklyn, we spent a night giggling on the side of the stage at North Six watching bands rip off LCD Soundsystem. We giggled so much that we ended up popping a few Ambiens and "walking around" Williamsburg after the show. We somehow made it home, and discovered that we each purchased (hopefully) two used CDs at some point that night. One of mine was Freestyle Greatest Beats, Volume 10, which has "Body Rock" on it. If it sounds like I'm bragging, I'm not; I still don't know what my other CD was, or is.

My wife scored a cracked Xymox single and a horrible Ofra Haza CD (also cracked). Don't do drugs.