Anybody a serious X fan around here? I've been listening to a few songs from Los Angeles and Ain't Love Grand and it sounds like pretty amazing. Are these good places to start? Any referrals?

los angels is freaking amazing.

My entry point with them was "Under The Big Black Sun" - great record.

The compilation that came out this year ( "Make The Music Go Bang" ) is actually a really good one, as those things go.

my introduction was more fun in the new world, which i really like. i have no good answer for why i don't own more of theirs.

Los Angeles and Wild Gift are musts. Under The Big Black Sun and More Fun In The New World are only slightly weaker.

I've never ventured past those 4.

Steve

I don't think I've heard anything by X. What do they sound like?

I really want to answer that, but I'm having a hard time.

They're just a really "rock'n'roll" punk band. They sort of evolved over time from rawer-sounding punk to a polished rock band. The thing that stands out the most about them is the sorta discordant male/female vocal "harmonies".

I only have their first 3 albums, and Los Angeles is my favorite followed by Wild Gift. I'm still not crazy about a lot of the keyboards on LA, though. They're played by Ray Manzanerek (sp?) of the Doors who also produced that one. I don't know off hand what role, if any, he played in their later stuff.

I chose "More Fun" for my Listmania, based on the two title cuts and "Hot House". LA and Wild Gift are tremendous as well, especially when you get both on one CD.

Some day, I will own the "Adult Books" Dangerhouse single.[/b]

Agree, but I'd change that slightly to very slightly weaker, being the freak for X that I am.

Dumpjack - Ain't Love Grand is their second-to-worst album (Hey Zeus is the worst), and I still love it, so if you're liking that one, you'll like all X. (The "metal" production throws a lot of people off; it's like they tried to sell out but were incapable of doing it.)

See How We Are is an excellent album (the title track is probably their best ballad), but it's much more "rock" than "punk" X, so some fans of the early stuff can't get into it.

Manzerek produced the first four albums, but he doesn't really intrude on the ones after Los Angeles (there's the occasional piano, but he doesn't get any solos or anything).

For years I've considered buying one of their CDs just so I can own a CD by a band for every letter of the alphabet. I think X is my last letter. They actually sound like a band I would like. I wonder if BMG carries them...

If Ain't Love Grand is one of their 'worst', then I'm looking forward to diving into their catalogue. I should add that 'metal' production values are not offensive to me at all, as I count myself a fan of 80s metal. But I see if one were a serious devotee of the band and/or punk how this might cause some contention. So I'm thinking or picking up those Rhino reissues for Los Angeles, Wild Gift and Ain't Love Grand.

You sound like someone who needs a copy of Germ Free Adolescents, regardless of what you decide about X-the-band.