The Best X post, ever

X were bassist/vocalist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, vocalist Exene Cervenka, and drummer DJ Bonebrake (one of my favorite rock n roll names of all)...they released two tremendous albums (and a bunch of crappy ones, too, for my money) in the late 1970's. I don't think, after checking, that I even have copies of the post-"Wild Gift" albums, and am not really going to sweat seeking them out, in my meaningless opinion, they suck.

But those first two albums, "Los Angles" and "Wild Gift" certainly do not....a new sound, for my money, excellent LA punk/rockabilly featuring the sharp alternating vocals of Doe and Cervenka and excellent material.....honestly, I know people who hated them from the start, but I think that they were true originals, truly influential, and damn good for a short while. If interested, the legitimate albums that I have not posted here are: 1982's "Under the Big Black Sun", 1983's "More Fun in the New World", 1985's "Ain't Love Grand", 1987's "See How We Are" (of which I do have a copy but I am not going to bother), and 1993's "Hey, Zeus"....I have heard them all and they aren't my cup of tea, so I am going to replace them with the tremendous two disc "Beyond and Back the X Anthology", which, although focusing heavilly on the "Los Angeles/Wild Gift" era, does contain tons of alternate and live versions of some of their great stuff, which seemingly fits here more than the lesser latter day albums would.

Some live shows here too, for whatever reason I have a bunch of latter day live shows to, which wouldn't really paint an accurate picture of the band at its peak, lets go with a 1978 show from the band's hometown Los Anbgeles, a 1981 show from the same city, and a 2-disc show from 1982 (Santa Cruz Ca, which although post-"Wild Gift" is pretty good and a representation of the early era)

This was a hell of a band for a short while, they developed into soemthing which didn't get it done for me personally, but the first two albums are absolute classics of punk/rockabilly melding, with great songs so numerous that, once again, it is pointless to list since what I'd leave out would be more important than what I included.

Here is X at their best....not a complete career overview, but not everything needs to be...links in the comment section, leave a comment if you wish or have something to say about X....did I do them an injustice by writing them off at "Wild Gift"?

LOS ANGELES-01 Your Phones off the Hook, But You're Not/02 Johnny Hit and Run Pauline/03 Soul Kitchen/04 Nausea/05 Sugarlight/06 Los Angeles/07 Sex and Dying In High Society/08 The Unheard Music/09 The World's a Mess It's In My Kiss

WILD GIFT-01 The Once Over Twice/02 We're Desperate/03 Adult Books/04 Universal Corner/05 I'm Coming OVer/06 It's Who You Know/07 In This House That I Call Home/08 Some Other Time/09 White Girl/10 Beyond and Back/11 Back 2 the Base/12 When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch/13 Year 1

LOS ANGELES 12/28/78-01 You're Phone's Off the Hook, But You're Not/02 We're Desperate/03 Beyond and Back/04 It's Who You Know/05 The Unheard Music/06 Year 1/07 Soul Kitchen/08 The World's a Mess It's In My Kiss/09 Universal Corner/10 I'm Coming Over

LOS ANGELES 1/10/81-01 Hi/02 Some Other TIme/03 We're Desperate/04 Sex And Dying In High Society/05 Universal Corner/06 Beyond and Back/07 Johnny Hit And Run Pauline/08 Nausea/09 The Once Over Twice/10 Back 2 the Base/11 Year 1/12 In This House That I Call Home/13 Los Angeles/14 You're Phone's Off The Hook/15 Sugarlight/16 It's Who You Know/17 Soul Kitchen

SANTA CRUZ 10/26/82 DISC 1-01 Under the BIg Black Sun/02 Your Phone's Off the Hook/03 Real Child of Hell/04 Blue Spark/05 Los Angeles/06 We're Desperate/07 The Once Over Twice/08 The Have Nots/09 Some Other Time/10 Because I Do/11 Back 2 the Base/12 A Little Blues Vamp/13 Johnny Hit and Run Pauline/14 The Unheard Music/15 The Hungry Wolf

SANTA CRUZ 10/26/82 DISC 2-01 Beyond and Back/02 Nausea/03 It's Who You Know/04 The World's a Mess It's In My Kiss/05 How I (Learned My Lesson)/06 Sugarlight/07 Motel Room In My Bed/08 Riding With Mary/09 Year 1/10 Soul Kitchen/11 In This House That I Call Home/12 White Girl

THE X ANTHOLOGY DISC 1-01 Los Angeles/02 The World's a Mess It's In My Kiss/03 Yr Ignition (Rehearsal)/04 Year One (Demo)/05 Hungry Wolf/06 We're Desperate (Single)/07 Beyond and Back (live)/08 Back 2 the Base (Live)/09 Blue Spark (Outtake)/10 Some Other Time (Unreleased)/11 Sex and Dying in High Society (Demo)/12 Motel Room In My Bed/13 Heater (rehearsal)/14 The Once Over Twice (live)/15 Because I Do/16 In This House That I Call Home/17 Soul Kitchen (Demo)/18 Universal Corner (live)/19 Delta 88 (Demo)/20 Real Child of Hell (Outtake)/21 I'm Coming Over (Live)/22 White Girl (Single Mix)/23 Nausea (Live)/24 Johnny Hit and Run Pauline (demo)/25 Your Phone's Off the Hook, But You're Not/26 Riding With Mary (Single Mix)

THE X ANTHOLOGY DISC 2-01 The New World (demo)/02 Breathless (single Mix)/03 Poor Girl/04 Whats Wrong With Me (rough Mix)/05 How I (Learned My Lesson) (Live)/06 The Have Nots/07 Someone Like You (Knitters Demo)/08 The Stage (demo)/09 See How We Are (demo)/10 Surprise Surprise/11 4th of July (demo)/12 Arms For Hostages/Country at War (demo Fragments)/13 Wild Thing (Single Edit)/14 Burning House of Love (Live)/15 Devil Doll (demo)/16 True Love/17 Call of the Wreckin Ball/18 In the Time It Takes (demo)/19 I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts (1997 mix)

On Disc 2 of the X Anthology is the band's version of "Wild Thing", which many have heard unknowingly as the version used in the film "Major League"....my question, is WHY did they choose to use this particular version? Rather than the Troggs kick-ass original? Rather than some of the other cover versions? This is a rather poor version of that song, just always wondered why.....if you've seen the film but are unfamilair with X you'll recognize it immediately. Just one of the many qustions that keeps me from sleeping.