REVIEWS:
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Art-i-ficial, Lets Submerge, Genetic Engineering, The Day The World Turned Day-glo. LOW POINTS: I Can't Do Anything, Warrior In Woolworth's
There were few bands that really stood out when the Punk/New Wave scene erupted towards the end of the 70's but X-Ray Spex were surely one of the premier acts of the period. They arrived midway through 77 and had disappeared inside 18 months with a string of classic singles and a solitary glorious album in their wake. Many of the bands from this period that had hit singles and albums have of course inevitably long since been forgotten and there really are few acts from the period who still command a slot in the larger High Street music stores. Generally though if you wander into an HMV or Virgin store in the UK you'll probably find a tabbed divider marked X-Ray Spex, there quite often will be nothing in stock but their section tab remains intact and that in itself speaks volumes.
Female fronted bands during this period were pretty thin on the ground, their wasn't too many members of the fairer sex who could fit the persona required to front one of these aggressive, raw, anti establishment Punk bands, but Poly Styrene had it in droves. Thousands of kids who couldn't bear smiling at school suddenly spotted this tiny screaming icon wearing dental braces on Top of the Pops and for the remainder of that year they became a most desirable facial feature alongside the safety pins and dog collars.
There were originally two females in the line up, however punk historians site Laura Logic's (the original teenage sax player) departure as being a result of Poly's inflated ego. The single that broke the band appeared prior to this album and wasn't included on it originally but "Oh Bondage Up Yours" is now one of the few welcome features as bonus track. It's your classic 1977 three minute blast, eye catching media intriguing title and lyric delivered in an equally ferocious manner, a true classic of the era.
X-Ray-Spex essentially rework The Ramones ideals, two and three minute blitz's, the live renditions even inherited the famous 1-2-3-4 Ramones count in's, the chainsaw guitars are present throughout and there's not a guitar solo in sight. Where X-Ray-Spex really scored and created their unique originality was all in one instrument, Rudi Thompson's blistering sax. The saxophone was an instrument which was practically dead and buried as a credible instrument for any band at this time let alone a band at the cutting edge of the new Punk Rock phenomena, but it worked, and it worked unbelievably well. It sounds ridiculous to imagine a band with Ramones style guitars, a thrashing and pounding drummer, and a energetic screaming female vocalist accompanied by a saxophone, but apart from being an integral part of the band the sax also handled all the solo's with supreme effect and efficiency.
"The Day The World Turned Day Glo", "Identity" and "Germ Free Adolescents" were the singles from the album and Poly delivers many of the tracks with a distinct John Lydon style warbling vocal, at times there's so much energy in her voice that it sounds as though she's literally struggling for breath "Identity" and "Genetic Engineering". The title track is the only real energy change on the whole set, the sax plays a distinctly cheesier part here than anywhere else on the album, inspiration for Gary Numan here I think, I'm sure this sax line of sorts is splashed all over his Pleasure Principle album.
"Art-i-ficial" is the best track here for me, heavy rock style opening guitar riff starts the track before Poly leads it through an adrenalin pumping three minute stormer, "Obsessed with You", "Let's Submerge" and "Genetic Engineering" all push it close and are all of the same mould. "Plastic Bag" is stranger track with its blistering choruses and slower spacey verses, "Warrior in Woolworth's" with it's T.Rex style guitar and a little less sax upfront (apart from the solo) is a lighter number with Poly a little more angelic than anywhere else on the set.
Germ Free Adolescents is a classic and it's essentially due to it's uniqueness in it's instrumentation and the energy it generates. The CD reissues have lost that energy a little by incorporating too many non album selections and mixing up the original track order (why do they do that ??). Latest editions have even reissued it as the meat in the X-Ray Spex Anthology which also incorporates the awful Live at the Roxy 1977 album in its entirety. Lots of rough mixes of the album tracks and three selections from the dreadful 1995 re-union album are also included. The additional tracks only prove that this 1978 classic should have been left alone and possibly only boosted by the original non album singles. To gain maximum pleasure from this set and truly experience it as it was originally intended get hold of the original track listing and burn a CD with the tracks in the correct order, sit back and enjoy, eat your heart out Siouxsie.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Oh Bondage Up Yours. LOW POINTS: Plastic Bag, I Can't Do Anything, I Live Off You
This is absolutely incredible and quite simply one of the worst albums I've ever had the misfortune to endure, it's so bad that it only reaches it's overall rating on the strength of it's comedy value. Live sets often manage to highlight bands frailties but not many greater than this, it honestly has to be heard to be believed Historical value can surely be the only justification for Receiver Records (shame on you) releasing this appalling package on an unsuspecting public. It is reputed to be a recording of the bands second ever gig which was recorded at London's Roxy Club and is the same set from which "Oh Bondage" was drawn for the famous 70's Punk compilation Live at the Roxy.
The playing time is thankfully short, only eight tracks including "Oh Bondage" performed twice, I assume the second rendition was an encore despite there not appearing to be any audible evidence of anyone asking for one !!!. "Oh Bondage" is the only track here that appears to have been rehearsed which would explain why it was selected for the Roxy compilation. This set showpieces!!! the original line up which includes Laura Logic on sax but again unfortunately "Oh Bondage" appears to be the only track that Laura has any idea how to play.
This is the most disappointing element of this album, the sax was the essential ingredient in the Germ Free Adolescents receipe, it's what stood the band out from the crowd and gave them their distinctive original sound. On this album however Ms Logic simply honks her way through the entire set, she out of time, out of key and at times it's simply hilarious. It's as though the band arrived short handed and pulled anyone onstage who would volunteer, the entire album would indeed have been a lot less embarrassing had Ms Logic not appeared.
Poly's vocals are predictable in all honesty, strained, coarse and nothing like the studio recordings but then as a vocalist in this era you could practically get away with anything as long as the band were in time, in tune and made plenty of noise. The band really don't need to create anything technical, just create the necessary volume and energy to back the vocalist, but they're so sloppy it's unbelievable, and coupled with the honking sax (when Laura actually remembers which song she's meant to be playing) it all blends together to result in one of the most atrocious and incredible releases I've ever experienced.
"Plastic Bag" is the lowest of the low points here and listening to this set makes you realise how much credit is due to Falcon Stuart for his production work on Germ Free Adolescents which was released under a year later. On the strength of this performance is it any wonder that Ms Logic was thrown out of the band before they ventured into the studio to record that album, the sacking has historically been attributed to Poly's ego but having heard this disaster I suspect there may well have been a little more to it than that.
Seeing as the band only released the one fantastic studio album during their heyday I was optimistic when I discovered this live release from the same era. Unfortunately though this album only disappoints, its adds nothing, and if anything only discredits the X-Ray Spex legacy, this really is one recording that should have remained in someone's private collection. How do you sum this one up, well it's strictly for completists, historians, die hard fans, band members and their immediate family only. "Your going well over the top" I hear you complaining "it was only their second gig", well I suppose I can probably forgive the band for their performance, but what's Receiver Records excuse ???
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