PRODUCED BY RAY MANZAREK
Originally released April 1980 Originally released May 1981
Originally released July 1982 Originally released September 1983
– Ray Manzarek – Ray even played the Doors’ “Soul Kitchen”... of course at a thousand miles per hour. I didn’t even I didn’t even of course at a thousand miles per hour. the Doors’ “Soul Kitchen”... played even the 5th It was maybe what they’re playing? you know said to me,”Do recognize it. Dorothy no I have “Honey, or 6th song of their set. I was buzzed out. Overwhelmed. In aural shock. you’ll recognize it.” And I put listen close, I said. “Well, of these songs are,” idea what any The set ended in shit, again!! Holy ear brain to it and lo and behold it’s “Soul Kitchen.” my the Rockcats. forgetting to the dressing room, completely we ran back flaming heat and guys and help you in the studio. Nothing to produce you Said I’d love I introduced myself. as I can sounds as powerful sure it the music, I’ll make play You you are. Just like fancy. And it was! They called it “Los Angeles.” it. It should be a mother-fucker. make the whole thing forward at some furious clip like a cocaine train out of control but locked in but locked a cocaine train out of control the whole thing forward at some furious clip like and that his power pulse. I love time, perfect perfect to his internal metronome that keeps X - the band. Wow! a rifle shot every 2nd and 4th beat. snare that cracks like big marching Strip in the City of Angles. Sunset a Go Go on the The City them at the Whiskey I first saw and I had gone band - got their start. the very Dorothy place the Doors - my of Night. At band called the Rockcats opening for and double bill with a neo rock-a-billy to see a swell in the LA I had read which through their lyrics of only them was a band I had knowledge about Chris talked Reader in an article Murder.” by Chris Morris “Sounds Like entitled scene in LA of tunes by 4 or 5 punk bands to the exploding punk rock and included lyrics are in the article but X!!! And it’s And who’s lyrics illustrate his thesis of mayhem. those crazy sex and death words! shit ... I loved Holy Hit and Run Paulene.” “Johny me. they destroyed Well, Whiskey. at the weeks later they were I had to see them and a few that I had harmonies pouring off the stage like tone row and wild and twelve So tight and fast bass a decade or so keyboard Rhodes and Fender Continental organ Vox sat upon behind my And they fast. God, they could play But twice as fast. being home again. It was like before. Effortless fingering, impeccable on the frets. Doesn’t he ever make a mistake? Is he a flesh a mistake? ever make Doesn’t he impeccable on the frets. Effortless fingering, beating the living shit out And who is that madman guitar god? Yeahhh! and blood Valhalla driving the band, pushing those drums? Always D. J. Bonebrake. Ladies and Gentleman... Let’s do some damage. the world. Attack of the then time. John Doe - rockers monsters of skin. My favorite What a band. Four and the angular bass stance the hard, strong jaw, voice, Handsome - of the deep rich Mr. of the - his partner Exene, Schoenberg Their harmonies - some would say the hot/cool lyrics. the fine words of pinning of American failings, eyed wailing scream in the night, the clear of Los Angeles. and madness in the midnight dawn and booze love drug, a sex-machine filled with and he’s got a sterilized hypo Hit and Run Paulene...” “Johny And he boy. busy, the legs. So get between has 24 hours to shoot all Paulenes and he only “The ‘em. And Exene’s I love naughty Johny. naughty, does. Listen to those words! That - Mess - Kiss. that crazy combination: World I just love a Mess, it’s in My Kiss.” World’s It’s so does he do it? 3 or 4 guitars. How or is that at least Zoom on guitar, And Billy smooth and cool. is so silver LOUD!!! And he sharp, so bright, so fucking so massive, Power... Passion... Poetry!
Debbie Leavitt Diana Bonebrake David Arnoff
Frank Gargani I thought the Ramones going were to be the new Beatles and I thought could be the next we that well, Animals or something and have two… three hits and then I wanted to go into producing cause that’s wanted to do. what I always I got more and more frustrated had a hit. It never because we had everything we seemed like supposed to were thing in place we a long time that I thought for have. it was going to happen. eventually Billy Nathanael West. Jean Harlow. Jean Harlow. West. Nathanael Gary Cooper. Charles Bukowski. Sullivan’s Travels. Driver. Taxi Smith. The Heartbreakers. Patti I These people and movies are why to L.A. moved sign had the Hollywood In 1975, a missing tooth as the second “O” laid, collapsed on the ground. it felt was everywhere & we Decay was our duty to report the damage from the front lines. that a bona fide couldn’t believe We Manzarek would Ray rockstar like didn’t believe work with us. We major label would want that any want to sign to sign us nor did we grand us 10 with them. Slash gave for to record the first record & 20 a lot the second. That seemed like of money at the time. John It was like being on a big boat in being on It was like Ocean the middle of the Pacific with all the wildest people you hope to meet. Some could ever and breezy and balmy were days so stormy some nights were sunny, I overboard. I almost got swept couldn’t see land and I had no knew if I was so I never compass, headed to a tropical island or San anywhere It didn’t matter, Pedro. Then my and new. was exciting bed would stop spinning, and I’d or Mount up in Hollywood wake or Minneapolis or Washington, fellow of my Quite a few Austin. those did not survive passengers buried at sea. Some trips, and were some in lifeboats, away rowed Alcatraz. I tried to swam towards warn swimming them they were in the wrong direction, but they rebels. pirates. high divers. were all were captains. shipmates. We didn’t then. We shipmates back just think about the future, we the horizon. sailed towards Exene
The first 4 albums were The first 4 albums
Ray’s greatestRay’s attribute was to to support were, let us be who we He knew a us and just let us play. he it and good thing when he saw wasn’t going to do that producer manipulation that happens or break everything He down. us a deal origi- to get attempted sending introductory notes nally, to all the labels but they rejected us at the time. growth. I find it ironic that X is known as I find it ironic that X is known band Los Angeles an archetypical considered an odd- were because we ball band. That’s the reason I was attracted to the band, because they less punk, or less willing to be were punk. defined or categorized as only There was more room to stretch, musical more possibilities for
recorded during a 5 year period recorded during a 5 year focused when the 4 of us were on writing, almost exclusively rehearsing, recording and touring. created a greatI think we of body work in that period. The songs still hold up. DJ Side 2 Side 1 PHR-2010 Slash 104 Golden SoundStudios, Hollywood, CA. 1980 January Recorded: Engineers: Rick Perrotta, Norm Graichen GarganiPhotos: Frank JRubyProds.Inc Art: The World’s aMessIt’sinMyKiss The Unheard Music Sex andDyinginHighSociety Los Angeles Sugarlight Nausea Soul Kitchen Johny HitandRunPaulene Your Phones Off theHook,But You’re Not 1980 All Time. (2003) All Time. Stone’s listoftop500GreatestAlbums #287onRolling Rated 1980’s. (1989) Stone’s listofTop #24onRolling 100Rated Albumsofthe #16Rated ontheVillage Voice CriticsPoll. (1980) #1LosAngeles CriticsPoll.Rated Times (1980) ------recognized asbeingexceptional, unique andenduring. worshipped. Butitwasjustthefirstsalvo inabodyofworkthatis The resulthasbeenwrittenabout,discussed,treasuredandeven reining enough allow therawness of theband’sanger and message toshinethrough but by Door’skeyboardist Ray Manzarek.Ray’s touch wasgentle enoughto The albumwasthefirstinasetof four albumstobeproduced for theband Warner Brothersfor manufacturing anddistribution. into themajorlabelsysteminadealthatsentmostofSlashcatalogto excess of50,000copiesontheindieimprint before laterbeingabsorbed Word andthealbumfared well, spreadfast sellingin acrossthecountry music community. catapulted (willingornot)toflagbearerstatuswithintheLosAng “Los Angeles” quite simply setthebar sohighthatthebandwere minutes withninesolidsongsclocking inatjustunderthirty Armed tobringtheband’sfirstfulllengthworld. obvious labelpartner (GI)in1979 hadalreadyreleasedtheGerms Slash Records andwasthe for somany whofollowed intheirwake. catalystassociated withthateraorserve asanartistic andinspiration At thetimenoonereally knewthatthebandwouldendupsocompletely scene thatwasbeginningtofindits voice. music Xwasjellinginagrowing Records, “Los Angeles” onL.A.basedDangerhouse “Adultsown withtwosingles and Books” With theearly seedshaving alreadybeen to giv e theL.P. balanceandpoise. eles
actually cametrue! honored. AdreamthatI had, triumphant, awed, thankful, album, scared,difficult, butalso then, firsttimerecordingan events. Iwassowildback music, deliverer ofpeople,art, magical ancestor, alchemical I remembermost.Heisamaster song ends.Ray Manzarek iswhat untilthe stand inthedoorway I don’thave moneytogoin,soI jukebox isplaying “Strange Days.” dark, andtotally Abar deserted. in 1976. It’swinter, foggy, getting ing alongtheVenice boardwalk I amforever transformed. Walk- I’ve heardthe‘longversion,’ and on thecarradio.It’sfirsttime byTheDoors ing to“LightMyFire” 12 Illinoislisten- years oldinrural Exene body couldget it! …we don’thave any records!”No - someone saying “yougotrecords? time thevandooropenedtherewas townevery we went to,andevery went ontourandhadin-storesat then thereweren’t anymore. We 20,000 copiesofLosAngeles and It tooktendays tosellthefirst that madealbumhappen. vocals andthesolos.ItwasallRick live.everything We overdubbed the even thoughwe were doing It tookacouplehundredhours, of money. that theygotrecordsfor thatkind never cameby... theywere thrilled aboutit.”Slash album, don’tworry much timeasittakes tofinishthe they give youandI’llgive youas engineer it.Justgive mewhatever and hesaid“Idon’tcare,Iwantto ing togive us$10,000.00 todoit” told him“looktheyareonly go- album for Slash”Isaid“Ya” ButI “I hearyou’regoingtomake an sole init.Rick calledmeandsaid con- put abrandnewHarrison buildinginHollywoodRecords and rotta, HehadboughttheoldRadio Los Angeles isallabout Rick Per- Billy and played whatwe did. easy we justwent intothestudio expectations. Insomeways itwas to record...like kidsandwe hadno We were justanxiousandexcited our musicmeantsomething. that Ray Manzarekconfirming down bymajorlabels.Andwe had despitebeingturned determined we hadresolve, andwe were We hadsomecriticalacclaim, played twoorthreeyears ofshows. we recordedLosAngeles we had We hadmomentum.Bythetime DJ Los Angeles. wasn’t theonly sexsymbolin rock worldthatFarah Fawcett to prove totherestofpunk with acrack like abank.We meant chords onthecarradios,head’s clocks onHollywood Blvd., smooth sterilized hypos, invitations, dirty Hollywood Blvd. Therewere played outattheMasque oron thatwe hadseen told astory songs. Musically &lyrically they much creditfor choosing those record. AsIrecall,Ray deserves already writtenfor thesecond severalwe thatwe’d did,butleft recall why we picked thesongs & lessthanaweek tomix.Idon’t Los Angeles took10 days torecord John
Debbie Leavitt
David Arnoff Side 2 Side 1 PHR-2006 Slash 107 Golden SoundStudios, Hollywood CA. at: “White Girl”Recorded Hollywood,Clover Recorders, CA. March 1981Recorded: Assistant Engineer:CarlHogan Engineer: Clay Rose GarganiPhotos: Frank andChrisD. Exene,Cover Gargani Art: John&Frank Year 1 When OurLove Passed OutOntheCouch Back 2 theBase Beyond andBack White Girl Some OtherTime In ThisHouseThatICallHome It’s WhoYou Know I’m ComingOver Universal Corner Adult Books We’re Desperate The OnceOver Twice 1981 Reached #165 (1981) ontheBillboardTop 200Chart. Voted #2Village Voice AlbumoftheYear. (1981) Voted Stone’s listofthe500GreatestAlbumsAllTime. #333onRolling Voted #1LosAngeles CriticsPoll. Times (1981) Voted #1New York CriticsPoll. Times (1981) ------In somany isoneof the lastsignposts ways “WildGift” before thatturn. fast slippingaway. togoback andrecapturewhatwas aside. Therewouldbenoopportunity shows ofpunkwasabouttobethrown were becomingviolentandtheart what wasconsidered“punkrock”. Thesoundof‘77wasevaporating, American politics.Hardcoreasamusicalgenre wasbreakingofffrom In 1981 thingswere changing quickly inpopularmusicaswell asin butpoetic,complicatedThe themesaregritty yet visceral. young band.Butitnever soundscocky ortakes anything for granted. the confidenceofinitialsuccessandrecognitionXhadreceiv day,The recordstillsoundsselfassuredtothisvery with asifarmed style. expands onit’sthemesindramaticandaggressive months of“LosAngeles” also gives itakindredspiritbut“WildGift” Certainly thefact that therecordwasrecordedandreleasedwithin13 band’s secretweapon… tension. numbers like “Universal and“WhiteGirl”thatshowcased Corner” the count jumped (nomistake) toalucky andtherewere thirteen midtempo expanded ontheband’sdebutwhileclosely guardingitsspirit.Thetrack withthesamebroodingdarknessofit’spredecessor,Filled “WildGift” “Los Angeles.” might even beconsideredanextensionof symbiotic relationshipandinfact, thealbum “Los Angeles”. Thetworecordshave a isthenotsodistantcousinof “Wild Gift” ed asa
David Arnoff “absence make the heart grow grow “absence make theheart playful songswithhumorlike Society’s Outcasts.We hadmore addicts& thought ofasdrug alittletiredofbeing had grown in 1980-81, goodtitle.Bynow we presentfor Xmas asagreat Turkey Ave Wild advertising &Franklin ofHighland billboard atthecorner were twowordsona Wild Gift John took notice. and themajorrecordcompanies the GreekTheatreinLosAngeles However, by‘81 we were headlining becausewe weren’t thatbig. great some pressurebutitwasn’tthat expectation andwe were under release. Therewasalittlemore playing live andwe wantedto more songsthatwe many were the firstalbuminthat we hadso wasacontinuationof Wild Gift DJ like “HouseICallHome.” andridiculous, ment onthebizarre really funny, very inthatwe com- record, Ithink,lotsofhumor. Xis each other!Thisisahappykindof the otheroutcastsandIhadfound outcast mademehappy. At least ing. TheideathatIwasn’tatotal was much moreconfidentrecord- many peopleliked LosAngeles, and Angeles songs.Iwassurprised so written atthesametimeasLos wereMany ofthesongsonWildGift Exene recording andmixingthisone. we spentawholethreeweeks House ThatICallHome.”think “Beyond &Back” and“InThis songs like “Year 1,” “Adult Books,” & now madeitmoreobviouswith to early rock ‘nrollfor inspiration The Screamers.We always looked Tomata?” from referencing Tomata again” and“duplentypeople go for fonder, soInever wanttoseeyou we’re booked.” you inhere…we’re busy... They’d justtellus“we don’twant time becausewe were apunkband. they wouldn’teven letusbook to allthestudiosinHollywood and sowe wentwe around didWildGift so we couldn’tget thestudiowhen were suingeachhis partner other could have ahitrecord.Rick and we the studioandcutitasasingle convinced ifwe couldjustget into do “WhiteGirl”live andwas Bob BiggsfromSlashheardus Billy
Fayette Hauser that album. dreadful… butIlike thesongson you listenclosely. Itwaskinda anything… sothat’sinthereif it wasahumyoucouldn’tget outof there andwasthishum, ing rainthewholetimewe were you letmeengineer.” Itwaspour- get youinataprettylow priceif andIcan ing atClover Recorders album andIjustgotajobengineer- I heardyou’relookingtodoan the HongKong andsaid“HeyBilly, friend ofacameuptomeat This guyClay whowasa Rose Unkown
Diana Bonebrake
Diana Bonebrake
Debbie Leavitt
Unknown Michael Hyatt
Unknown
Debbie Leavitt
Michael Hyatt
Diana Bonebrake
Diana Bonebrake
David Arnoff
Steven Harris Michael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt
Debbie Leavitt David Arnoff
Debbie Leavitt
David Arnoff
Debbie Leavitt Frank Gargani Debbie Leavitt
Michael Hyatt Debbie Leavit Unknown
Debbie Leavitt Michael Hyatt Jeffrey Scales
Unknown Michael Hyatt Unknown
Billy We got $100 grand for signing to Elektra, we got ten grand each and 1982 the rest evaporated. I thought the The album “Under the Big Black Sun” has move to Elektra was going to do it… I mean they gave us real bud- gets, so we made the third record been talked about as a game changer many at Cherokee which was a really famous studio with a Trident A times in the scope of X’s career. It’s an Range and a big room. By the time the third record came expansion of the band’s core sound, a around we had used up all our original material and we had to heartfelt expression of growing up and a write new songs. John and Exene were scribbling notes on tour and came back with a bunch of ideas pointed description of what such a but we have didn’t long to turn them into songs. I think they gave transformation entails. us 60 grand to make the record and we went over.
The blinders were now completely off and any pretense of innocence or There are some tracks on Under playfulness was relegated to the past. The band was showing us the world The Hungry Wolf the Big Black Sun that I really like. as it appeared to them, callous, vengeful and unforgiving. “Come Back To Me” is kinda cool, Motel Room in My Bed the saxes were a little syrupy, with We felt that we were going to do an The fact that X had now left the confines of the indie label world and had Side 1 Riding With Mary Ray pushing me in that direction, album that wouldn’t be affected by decided to engage with a major label at a time of growing distrust in Exene striving for commercial success. but I went, so… I didn’t really want to make this Come Back to Me corporate America had to have an impact as well. There was no turning There was pressure to be ourselves record. I didn’t want to write the Under the Big Black Sun back… and they themselves knew it. We used to make jokes about and not change but the result was a songs. John kinda moved it all Elektra that no one would recording with some creative leaps. Hungry Wolf may be the best opening track on any of the band’s records along. I wrote the words for ever come by the studio or Because I Do and is so lyrically raw that it made you feel as if you were about to be fed “Please Come Back to Me” in anything. They absolutely left to that snarling animal so eloquently acted out by Billy’s right hand. Cleveland, just like in the song, on Blue Spark us totally alone, they never a typewriter in the office of Pirate’s Side 2 suggested anything. Dancing With Tears in My Eyes As a consistent fan favorite though the years, when “Under the Big Black Cove, the club we were playing. It’s John Real Child of Hell Sun” is studied in the context of X’s body of work, it clearly has it’s own sad, but X just kept going. I just Back in the spring of 1980 How I (Learned My Lesson) cadence and demeanor. The closing number “The Have Nots” expresses kept going. We all do, right? Many everything changed for Exene the loneliness of being human in a strident and almost shocking manner. people have told us how this record when her sister Mirelle died The Have Nots has been a consolation when they tragically in a car crash. It took No one is the same after listening to this recording. have lost family and friends. That is three years until Under The Big Cover Illustration: Alfred Harris Black Sun finally dealt with those ------a good reason for making a record Cover Photography: Frank Gargani and I’m glad now we did. events. Exene & I were so in-sync #2 Los Angeles Times Critics Poll. (1982) by then we wrote songs for each Engineer: Clay Rose other. She wrote “The Have Nots” #1 Newsday Best Albums of 1982. for me & I wrote “Come Back to Recorded: February 1982 Me” and “Riding With Mary” for #4 New York Times Best of 1982. DJ her. The title track was a swirling Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Because we were concerned that account of our lives in X at that on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. our record company might pres- Reached #76 point set to the Bo Diddley beat. Electra - 60150 sure us to change our sound, we PHR-2010 Elektra was paying for recording wrote into our contract that Ray so we moved uptown & spent a would produce and that we would couple more weeks getting have full artistic control. I think we better performances & mixes. felt the heat from fans that were People couldn’t believe that DJ calling us “sell-outs” for going to a played marimba, Billy played sax big company. There was definitely and it was still a punk rock record. that going on, it was a real thing. Pat Snyder Pat Side 2 Side 1 PHR-2008 Electra -60283 Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, CA. June1983Recorded: Mixed By:Clay Ray Manzarek,andBrad Gilderman Rose, Assistant Engineer:BrianScheuble Engineer: Clay Rose Photos: Raymond Bridges, Rick Schmidlin Back Cover: Norm Ung Cover:Front Exene Cervenka Love Pt.#2 True I SeeRed in MyPast Drunk Hot House Painting theTown Blue Devil Doll I MustNot ThinkBad Thoughts Breathless Make theMusicGoBang Poor Girl Love True We’re Having Much MoreFun The New World 1983 Reached #86ontheBillboardTop 200Chart. (1983) Stone “TheChart.” #29 Rolling #1 LosAngeles CriticsPoll. Times (1983) ------game, thatmoves asyouplay.” But whatelsewouldyouexpectfromthebandwhosang“Thisis and insomeways even drastic. changes comingandsomeofthosechanges wouldbewholly unexpected stopped tocatch it’sbreathandconsiderthenextmove. Therewere big hadbeenworked throughit’slifecycle, “MoreFun” After theband and rockabilly. thatXisrevered for. Allthewhilewithpoiseandgrace Fun” embraces Polished andconfident “More folk, funk,blues,Americana working musiciansanditshowed. the transformation frompunkrock poetsandtroubadourstohard “HotHouse”wasbeingpushedatradio.XhadcompletedThe single rendition of“Breathless”appearedinamajormotionpicture. heavyperformances, tourschedules andplentyofpress.Their The bandpushedtherecordhardandtherewere television a patontheback!” somehow madeitthisfar andwe’re goingtostopandgive ourselves mood.Perhaps asiftosay,comfortable andcelebratory “We’ve At saw timesraucousandatelegant “MoreFun” Xinamore body ofwork. this end totherelationshipthatnurtured Ray Manzarekanditactsastheperfect book fourth andfinalXalbumtobeproducedby intheNew“More Fun World” wasthe
Debbie Leavitt year’s notice. Igavethe group. themover a but ifitdoesn’tdomoreI’m outof it more andI’lltoursupport that recordIwould make one we toured forI toldthemafter and thatwasdrivingme nuts. come upwithsomethingnow,” with somethingnow… doitnow… and it’slike “youhave tocomeup coming upwithmaterialsofast all thetimeandwe hadtostart butweeverything, were ontour being rehearsedandtight of ourgame materialwiseand of albumswe were atthetop I felt like theonfirstcouple itwasoverconcerned in1980. was over completely, asfar asIwas going todo?By‘85thepunkthing getting anywhere. Whatareyou things goingfor usandwe weren’t major distribution,allkindsof nobody remembersthat!We had American Bandstandtwotimes… of pressandlotsT.V. We did budgets bythatpoint.We hadlots We were uparound100 grand Billy way. Until recently. But thesongstayed timelessthis name” Icouldhave said“Reagan.” before theyvoted for what’s-his- lyric ofallXsongs.“Itwasbetter little… “New World” hasmy favorite Back toamoreupbeatmood, Exene some thingsforever. We stuff& changed didsomegreat records, thismusic&band. alltheyears IstillloveAfter these Billy andDJpowered everything. with “Poor Girl”and“HotHouse.” Bad Thoughts.”Itoldlove stories New World” and“IMustNot Think outward towritelyrics for “The record withRay. Exene looked and sadly itwouldbeourlast recording engineersbythispoint like X.We should’ve changed our soundandstillhave itsound punk rock, tostretch everything enough toplay rock, surf R&B, were onthetopofourgame &free tioning hisname.We felt like we union addresswithoutever men- years’be ourReagan stateofthe intheNewFun World?” Thiswould “Why don’twe justcallit,More At rehearsalonenightBilly said, John I wantedaculturalrevolution. It seemed sosenileincomparison. cians andsongwriters,the80’s realmusi- radio madebyscary 50’s and60’shadrealmusiconthe was hardtounderstandwhy the can Bandstandacouplatimes.It mercial success.We were onAmeri- there wasnobreakthroughcom- then, andwe hadtouredalot,but backCollege radiowasthegreatest United States. particularly throughthe tons oftouringwe were doing, thematically -itreflectedthe wasexpansive “More Fun” more mythical astimewent on. in thatway butthatalsomade us of “punkrock” thatheldusback that becausewe hadthemoniker We weren’t thatoddbutIthink playing tothesamefans. on theradio,” becausewe were and “whatcouldwe dotoget played about “whatarewe doingwrong” At thatpointwe were talking DJ tomorrow. never happened,butthere’salways Gary Leonard Gary accolades Tommy Stinson Phil Alvin Joe Keithley The Replacements The Blasters D.O.A. “From the moment I first saw X, John Doe was “X had the Blasters open for them countless times. “We played our first show in L.A. with X in early ‘79 instantly my idol. He looked great, he sang great, After the shows we would drink and laugh until sun- at a roller rink in a really wasted area of Hollywood. and he played great. The Replacements toured with rise. We’ve been rousted by the police and danced It was an adventurous bill, we had never heard them on and off throughout the 80’s and they will to Zydeco music. X got the Blasters on their record of X at that time, but I was struck by the weaving always be an important part of my life. label and ate Sunday dinner with my parents. Great melodies and their solid, solid rhythm. It was rock, band - Great friends.” but it was so far gone, it just had this different kind I was listening to Los Angeles the other day and it of cool, that spun your head so many times that a sounds as great as it did 30 years ago.” chiropractor was soon in dire need. Jason Fine Not long after that, X asked DOA to open for them Mike McCready Rolling Stone for 5 shows over a weekend at the Starwood in Hol- lywood. We drove from Canada for 30 hours straight “I saw X play about a dozen times in high school, Pearl Jam in an old piece of crap to make the first show by and, for me, a lot of those shows involved some “It has been an honor to watch X every night on our maybe an hour. X blew the doors off that sordid pretty epic misadventures. One time, I “borrowed” tours together. They are a true American band with old dump all 5 shows. Every show was packed my dad’s Honda Prelude and drove eight hours from iconic status…the perfect collection of cool punk with Holllywood celebrities, wannabes and punks Orange County to see an X show at a club called rock music with the literary sense and style of John in the know. D.O.A. played well, but it was second the Devil House in Tucson. Before the show I met a Steinbeck. fiddle stuff, because that weekend was really an bunch of punks in the parking lot – mohawk-and- announcement to the world that X was ready to Exene Cervenka and John Doe have painted the safety-pin-through the-nose type punks – and they take the crown as America’s best rock band. They American Dream - blood red, white, black and blue. invited me to a ratty apartment complex near the were in the same league as the New YorkDolls, The With colorful imagery of love, desperation, and life, club to party. They were drinking Coors (which Stooges and the MC5. Completely amazing. their songs take me on a journey every time I hear seemed very un-punk to me) and cutting each other them. with a pocket knife. One dude had a kitten on his Alas, like the Ramones, they did not get their total due and pitifully inferior bands were 10 times as DJ Bonebrake is one of the greatest drummers shoulder, and another guy was flicking lit matches popular, but they were and remain the real shit...... around. Billy Zoom has one of the great right hands at its tail. I remember thinking these idiots had it You know, I don’t miss the old days but I miss wit- in rock guitar and excellent leads too. all wrong – this isn’t what punk’s about. Punk isn’t nihilism and violence and destruction and drinking nessing historical events like that. Long live X.” I went and saw them a few years back in San Diego right-wing beer. Punk is freedom and passion and and what I saw that night was magical and danger- joy. It’s remaking the rules -- defining something ous still. X just makes me happy and I feel grateful real, un-ironic, un-hypocritcal. At least that’s what I Jeff Ament to be able to know them as friends. Thanks X!” thought punk was about – and I learned that from X. Pearl Jam X didn’t pose. X stood for something: truth. Even in “A few years ago, some friends and I created some the early days they were so fucking good, a big roll- alternate criteria for what would make up a great Penelope Spherris ing freight train of electricity and emotion, menac- American band -- musicianship, lyrics, originality, ing but human, with songs about love and lust and Director live performance, three consecutive great records Los Angeles that spoke for the ages. Each time I saw “1977. Time to tear down the old and bring in the and nothing in the later years that might soil the them they got better -- more daring, more precise. Produced by Ray Manzarek Additional Photos from the private Master Tape Baking: Paul Dugre for Paul and new. I’ll never forget the first time I saw X. The band’s reputation. Unlike so many punk bands they were not afraid collections of D.J. & Diana Bonebrake Mike’s Recording music was purely original, like nothing I’d ever to be great. When I got home from Tucson the next X made the top five of everybody’s list of Greatest Original Band Artwork By Exene Cervenka and John Doe heard before. They borrowed from no one. They day, my dad was surprisingly cool about me stealing American Bands.” Album Artwork Restoration and Graphics: ripped-off no one. his car – he just wondered why I’d drive 16 hours to Masterpiece Collection Executive Producers: Management: Mike Rouse M.R. Management Olli Tervo Four amazing musicians who magically came see a punk band. I told him this wasn’t just a punk X & Steve Kravac together and created a totally unique sound. To us band, it was X – the best band I’d ever seen. I was 16 Dave Alvin Booking: Andy Somers/Bruce Solar Box & Booklet Design slapped together by they were L.A. royalty. They set themselves apart then. Thirty years later I still feel the same way.” Photography The Agency Group Los Angeles The Evil Twin (sashaloobkoff.com) with from the other punk bands of the time because their The Blasters The Producers gratefully acknowledge Smoke Porterhouse backseat driving music was more melodic, the poetic lyrics more “X was the middle band on a curious triple bill of the extraordinary contributions of the Re-Mastering personal, and the performance more visceral and Jack Rabid Black Randy and The Metro Squad and Arthur J intuitive without being affected or artificial. and The Gold Cups at The Whiskey the first time I photographers to this collection Los Angeles, Under the Big Black Sun and The Big Takeover saw them in Feb or March of ‘78. I’d had a few beers Wild Gift John and Exene’s lyrics provoked deep thought and “Thirty five years on, punk rock seems like it and while watching them I had the sort of thought David Arnoff david-arnoff.com Porterhouse Records tumultuous emotion. devolved into a rote, paint by numbers, dulled, that you have after a few beers, “This band is fuckin’ Diana Bonebrake bonebrakepaintings.com E.Q. and Dynamics: Brian Gardner for Hollywood, CA. X was one-of-a-kind, totally distinct from other machine stamped formula. But when it first hit like amazing. They’re like having great sex with a really Frank Gargani frankgargani.com Bernie Grundman Mastering bands, yet they fit in perfectly with the massive the Hindenburg, the greatest bands in fact, were smart person.” Steven Harris steve.harris.photo.com porterhouserecords.com and explosive Los Angeles punk rock movement. actually hot musicians - like X. I think I was impressed by the complex variety of Michael Hyatt michael-hyatt.com Lacquer Cutting: Dave Cheppa for Exene’s unique, inventive style has been embraced They were the American band everyone pretty musical, poetic and cultural influences and refer- Better Quality Sound PHR-2011 and mirrored by fashion aficionados for decades. Debbie Leavitt debbieleavitt.com much agreed on. The first four albums took off ences that X displayed even in those early raw days. Their longevity is well deserved, their originality Gary Leonard garyleonard.com like rockets in the underground I remember, Re-Mastering carries on, and their signature sound has now Few bands in LA, or even New York or London, were Jeffery Scales jefferyscales.com transcending the sadly starting-to-narrow punk tag, stolen the hearts of an entirely new generation as lyrically intense or musically surprising and no More Fun in the New World because it encapsulated the original ‘77 outbreak’s Fayette Hauser of fans.” one came close to their uniquely haunting yet tough Pat Snyder greatest strengths. harmonies. E.Q. and Dynamics: Dave Cheppa for Better Quality Sound One… boy could they play! Billy Zoom’s ‘50’s From that distant night in ‘78 through years of All photos on this page by Diana Bonebrake Eddie Vedder inspired post-rockabilly riffs ripped through every friendship, beers and countless wild gigs, through Lacquer Cutting: Dave Cheppa for club or hall that I saw them at (to this day), and that all their brilliant, influential and always adventur- The copyright to all images contained Pearl Jam rhythm section of John Doe and D.J. Bonebrake was Better Quality Sound ous albums, from X generously helping out my band in this booklet are the property of the “Every member of the band X is a master of their flat out relentless - fast and yet heavy. The Blasters (and so many other groups) with sup- craft. Whether guitar, bass and drums, or poetry, individual photographers. Two… They had the fierce intelligence and raw, port, advice and much needed shows, from my rol- songwriting and singing,...each element is being unfiltered poetic smarts we flat out demanded then. licking days with John, Exene and DJ in The Knit- looked after by an inspired genius. To have Exene Cervenka and Doe’s lyrics delivered in their ters and my cherished time as a member of X, right individuals with such massive talent all in one frenzied, yelped, stridently harmonic/anti-harmon- up to the last time I saw them perform 2 months ago group is something incredibly rare. I’ve been ic singing were like reading a Raymond Chandler (so damn many nights since that first show at The gleaning energy, hope and information from their novel, and it put the lie for the 1000th time to the Whiskey), my opinion of X has not changed at all.” records for decades. It makes no sense to me that media meme that punks were dumb, bored, lazy they never became one of the biggest American wastrels. bands ever.” To this day they are a flat out national treasure.”
David Arnoff