X / Los Angeles
| Album: | Los Angeles | Collection: | General | |
| Artist: | X | Added: | Feb 2019 | |
| Label: | Fat Possum Records | |||
A-File Activity
| Add Date: | 2019-03-01 | Pull Date: | 2019-05-03 |
|---|
| Week Ending: | Apr 28 | Apr 21 | Apr 14 | Apr 7 | Mar 31 | Mar 17 | Mar 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airplays: | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
Recent Airplay
| 1. | Sep 05, 2024: | down in the basement
Your Phone's Off The Hook, But Your Not |
4. | Apr 11, 2024: | down in the basement
The Word's A Mess, Its In My Kiss |
|
| 2. | Aug 01, 2024: | down in the basement
The Word's A Mess, Its In My Kiss |
5. | Feb 08, 2024: | I Like to Dance: Shake Off Your Pants
The Word's A Mess, Its In My Kiss |
|
| 3. | Apr 24, 2024: | The Library
Soul Kitchen |
6. | Jan 04, 2024: | down in the basement
Johnny Hit And Run Pauline |
Album Review
DeVoss
Reviewed 2019-02-27
Reviewed 2019-02-27
– General Description:
Yes! Punk Rock, fast and faster, lyrics and delivery dripping with sarcasm (most, I suppose, had shock value 1980’s-style, but are no longer shocking in this age, if anyone ever took the lyrics seriously...).
And as a bonus, this being a studio album of the genre, the musicians here reasonably: stay in key, stay together in tempo, harmonize, and even have some minor melodic development here and there. Vocals are mostly yelled with impatience. (It’s not easy to sing over a pounding arrangement, and in this music, not really the goal.) They never let a motive they like die. Very influenced by the music of the fifties. This album was produced by Ray Manzarek (former keyboardist of The Doors) who liked the exploding punk movement; he’s the musician playing the organ.
The songs are short and to the point (and mostly want to smack you in the face). In 1989, this album was on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Best Albums of the Eighties”. The track ‘Los Angeles’ has also been included in “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”.
Play with abandon and enjoy. Great percussion.
The following bonus tracks (not on the original LP) were first released on a 2001 CD reissue by Rhino Records:
“I’m Coming Over (Demo Version)”
“Adult Books (Dangerhouse Rough Mix Version)”
“Delta 88 (Demo Version)”
“Cyrano de Berger’s Back (Rehearsal)”
“Los Angeles (Dangerhouse Version)”
– Musicians:
John Doe – bass, lead vocals
Exene Cervenka – vocals
Billy Zoom – guitar
D.J. Bonebrake – drums
Ray Manzarek – organ on “Nausea”, “The Unheard Music”, and “The World's a Mess; It’s in My Kiss”; synthesizer on “Sex and Dying in High Society”
– FCC Compliant: YES* (Except Track 6 “Los Angeles”)
– Recommended Tracks: 8, 9, 11
– Track Reviews:
1. (2:26) Your Phone’s Off the Hook, But You’re Not - hard driving tempo, will wake you up
2. (2:51) Johnny Hit and Run Paulene - double-time take on old-timey rock-n-roll, trying to sound like Elvis
3. (2:26) Soul Kitchen - accelerating; hypnosis parodied with lyric ‘Learn to forget’
4. (3:40) Nausea - not as fast as the previous three; fun, goofy organ playing
5. (2:25) Sugarlight - rockabilly double-time; cowbell
6. (2:25) Los Angeles - actually has a country twang to it; FCC ALERT contains the words ‘nigger’ and ‘shit’
7. (2:15) Sex and Dying in High Society - fast, not much different
8. ***(4:49) The Unheard Music - more relaxed and blue-sy, even dreamy for the bridge
9. ***(4:32) The World’s a Mess, It’s In My Kiss - very fifties-sounding; interesting vocal cross-talk towards the end; long organ solo
10. (1:25) I’m Coming Over (Demo) - quiet intro, then a song blasting like a shotgun
11. ***(3:21) Adult Books (Dangerhouse Rough Mix) - another fifties throwback and sorta fun lyrics
12. (1:28) Delta 88 (Demo) - double-time nightmare
13. (3:02) Cyrano De Berger’s Back (Rehearsal) - a laid-back song actually, but off-key, sloppy panning and glitchy audio
14. (2:17) Los Angeles (Dangerhouse Version) - FCC ALERT see track 6
Yes! Punk Rock, fast and faster, lyrics and delivery dripping with sarcasm (most, I suppose, had shock value 1980’s-style, but are no longer shocking in this age, if anyone ever took the lyrics seriously...).
And as a bonus, this being a studio album of the genre, the musicians here reasonably: stay in key, stay together in tempo, harmonize, and even have some minor melodic development here and there. Vocals are mostly yelled with impatience. (It’s not easy to sing over a pounding arrangement, and in this music, not really the goal.) They never let a motive they like die. Very influenced by the music of the fifties. This album was produced by Ray Manzarek (former keyboardist of The Doors) who liked the exploding punk movement; he’s the musician playing the organ.
The songs are short and to the point (and mostly want to smack you in the face). In 1989, this album was on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Best Albums of the Eighties”. The track ‘Los Angeles’ has also been included in “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”.
Play with abandon and enjoy. Great percussion.
The following bonus tracks (not on the original LP) were first released on a 2001 CD reissue by Rhino Records:
“I’m Coming Over (Demo Version)”
“Adult Books (Dangerhouse Rough Mix Version)”
“Delta 88 (Demo Version)”
“Cyrano de Berger’s Back (Rehearsal)”
“Los Angeles (Dangerhouse Version)”
– Musicians:
John Doe – bass, lead vocals
Exene Cervenka – vocals
Billy Zoom – guitar
D.J. Bonebrake – drums
Ray Manzarek – organ on “Nausea”, “The Unheard Music”, and “The World's a Mess; It’s in My Kiss”; synthesizer on “Sex and Dying in High Society”
– FCC Compliant: YES* (Except Track 6 “Los Angeles”)
– Recommended Tracks: 8, 9, 11
– Track Reviews:
1. (2:26) Your Phone’s Off the Hook, But You’re Not - hard driving tempo, will wake you up
2. (2:51) Johnny Hit and Run Paulene - double-time take on old-timey rock-n-roll, trying to sound like Elvis
3. (2:26) Soul Kitchen - accelerating; hypnosis parodied with lyric ‘Learn to forget’
4. (3:40) Nausea - not as fast as the previous three; fun, goofy organ playing
5. (2:25) Sugarlight - rockabilly double-time; cowbell
6. (2:25) Los Angeles - actually has a country twang to it; FCC ALERT contains the words ‘nigger’ and ‘shit’
7. (2:15) Sex and Dying in High Society - fast, not much different
8. ***(4:49) The Unheard Music - more relaxed and blue-sy, even dreamy for the bridge
9. ***(4:32) The World’s a Mess, It’s In My Kiss - very fifties-sounding; interesting vocal cross-talk towards the end; long organ solo
10. (1:25) I’m Coming Over (Demo) - quiet intro, then a song blasting like a shotgun
11. ***(3:21) Adult Books (Dangerhouse Rough Mix) - another fifties throwback and sorta fun lyrics
12. (1:28) Delta 88 (Demo) - double-time nightmare
13. (3:02) Cyrano De Berger’s Back (Rehearsal) - a laid-back song actually, but off-key, sloppy panning and glitchy audio
14. (2:17) Los Angeles (Dangerhouse Version) - FCC ALERT see track 6
Track Listing