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| X-Ray SpexGerm Free Adolescents [expanded]2005 Castle
Review by: feeeding5000 See others by this writer Only registered users can post comments Published on December 16th 2005
X-Ray Spex were definitely one of the best early UK punk bands. Germ Free Adolescents has recently been reissued with bonus tracks, including single tracks and two Peel sessions. Usually the bonus tracks on a CD are not as good as the actual album, but in this case, that’s not true. X-Ray Spex’s singles, many of which were re-recorded for the album, are just as good as the album tracks. This is especially true of the standout “Oh! Bondage Up Yours!,” the most famous X-Ray song. It’s a speedy punk anthem with screechy vocals from one of the best female vocalists I’ve heard, Poly Styrene, and a catchy sax line.
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As a mere teenager who was perfectly happy with crappy mediocore pop-punkish stuff this is quite refreshing and I can tell that this kinda stuff is so ultimately better than much of what is around today. One of my all time favourite albums..."OH BONDAGE! UP YOURS!" 1. x-ray specs Greeat album great band. ashame poly styrene couldnt get her shit together and write at least another album before they split up but at least they left us with 17 great songs. (all 17 are on their anthology: "Let's Submerge" great first wave punk. and with a saxaphone to boot. thats what it was all about, trying new things. they are in the Punk Rock movie by Don Letts doing Oh Bondage. people should check that out if they havent seen it. and for whoever asked if Poly was still making music, I read that she gave it up way back in like '79 or so and became religious..go figure. 1. Germs How this brilliant record could get as many stars as bloc party is anybodys guess. Perhaps you should reconsider changing the name of this website to www.artfagpussy.com. x-ray spex what a fucking awesome band! angry samoans...what a fucking great band AT LEAST an 8. 1. adolescents the curse of the return of the all american reject's ghost broke my keyboard. 1- Germs This is probably the best short review I've read on this site. Good work. 1. adolescents Brilliant album. Already have an earlier CD reissue on Caroline Blue Plate, I'll have to upgrade. :) fun fun! 1-adolescents 2-germs 3-x 4-xray spex This was a ground breaking record! You need to read a little deeper into the lyrics to see the commentary. When I was 12, my older cousin gave me this album for Xmas, this album was the soundtrack to my early years into punk, I started playing in bands because of it. I'm in my 30's now, and this album still means the world to me. Matter of fact, I gave this album to my 16 yo niece last Xmas, now she's playing guitar and going to shows.. This is a 10 record without any doubt......one of the best of all time.....but I ouldn't say False Prophets are an 8......they pull an easy 10 as well. P.S.- Even though I really like the False Prophets collection, there is NO way that record's better than this one (a 10 versus an 8). Seriously dude. How this record isn't a 10 is beyond me. Seriously. It's a stone-cold classic. The weirdest thing about this band is how their hugest song "Oh Bondage Up Yours" isn't on their one album. Other than that, stick with the many many re-presses of the original "Germ Free Adolescents"- there's some beautifully day-glo vinyl ones out there... to the dude below here, you're a fucking idiot i love this site that completely misunderstands the sex pistols (or is just ignorant of punk history) and goes batshit over garbage like against me! and hot water music I LOVE THIS BAND SO FUCKING MUCH. If I'm not mistaken, they interview Poly in that new Punk Attitude documentary. this is so unbelievable great ramo you're not talking bout mars bar are you??!! that's the only one in nyc i know that has x-ray spex - or at least used to... lyrics didn't have a lot of substance? what the... Great album. I love X-Ray Spex and always play it on the jukebox at one of the local bars I hang out in. Yes, great album. Poly's voice is still so obnoxiously jarring. The expanded portion of this record don't really add much aside from other versions of the album tracks, but that's ok. The evergreen discography is great. Get it from soulseek. great band. Definitely my favorite hardcore straight-edge band. this is one of the greatest albums of times love this band. they were defintiely one of my favorites from the 1st wave of uk punk. good to see it reviewed although i think it should get more than an 8. i wonder if poly is still doing music these days. This band is awesome, I don't know how they could expand this release even more than the reissue that was out a couple years ago. that's cool that bands like this are getting attention again, i just wish that they would stop reissuing this shit, i think albums like this are better in their original form X-Ray Spex kick ass. |