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==Reformation==
==Reformation==
In 1991 X-Ray Spex reformed for a surprise sell-out gig at the [[Brixton Academy]] where Poly appeared in a blue foam dress with an army helmet (too her regret)<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-poly-styrene-singer-51-811129.html] My secret life: Poly Styrene, The Independent 19 Apr 2008</ref>. The group reformed again in 1995 with a line-up of Styrene, Dean and Logic to release a new album ''Conscious Consumer''. Although heralded as the first in a trilogy, the album was not a commercial success. Styrene later explained<ref>[http://www.x-rayspex.com/biography/biography3.html Poly Styrene’s Biography By Celeste Bell] from x-ray spex official site</ref> that touring and promotional work suffered an abrupt end when she was run over by a [[Fire apparatus|fire engine]] in central [[London]]. The group disbanded, but subsequent releases include a compilation of the group's early records, a live album, and an anthology of all the aforementioned.
In 1991 X-Ray Spex reformed for a surprise sell-out gig at the [[Brixton Academy]] where Poly appeared in a blue foam dress with an army helmet (to her regret)<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-poly-styrene-singer-51-811129.html] My secret life: Poly Styrene, The Independent 19 Apr 2008</ref>. The group reformed again in 1995 with a line-up of Styrene, Dean and Logic to release a new album ''Conscious Consumer''. Although heralded as the first in a trilogy, the album was not a commercial success. Styrene later explained<ref>[http://www.x-rayspex.com/biography/biography3.html Poly Styrene’s Biography By Celeste Bell] from x-ray spex official site</ref> that touring and promotional work suffered an abrupt end when she was run over by a [[Fire apparatus|fire engine]] in central [[London]]. The group disbanded, but subsequent releases include a compilation of the group's early records, a live album, and an anthology of all the aforementioned.


Jak Airport later worked for the [[BBC]]'s Corporate and Public Relations department under his real name, Jack Stafford; he died on 13 August 2004 of [[cancer]].<ref name="rina" />
Jak Airport later worked for the [[BBC]]'s Corporate and Public Relations department under his real name, Jack Stafford; he died on 13 August 2004 of [[cancer]].<ref name="rina" />

Revision as of 19:17, 13 September 2009

This article is about the punk band. For other uses, see X-Ray Specs.
X-Ray Spex

X-Ray Spex are an English punk band from London that formed in 1976.

During their first incarnation (1976 – 79), X-Ray Spex were “deliberate underachievers”[1] and only managed to release five singles plus one album.[2] Nevertheless, their first single, "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single[3][4][5][6] and the album, Germ Free Adolescents, is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all-time.[7][8][9][10][11]

X-Ray Spex were a wonderful, shambling, musical mess of rebellion, fashion and fun. Main muse Poly Styrene danced, yelped, screamed and sang over the joyful noise belted out by her punchy buzzsaw’n’biscuit-tin band while fighting off Laura Logic’s sax honks from stage left – all with a smile of pure glee.[12]

Career

Initially, the band featured singer Poly Styrene (born Marian Joan Elliott) on vocals, Jak Airport (Jack Stafford) on guitars, Paul Dean on bass, Paul 'B. P.' Hurding on drums, and Lora Logic (born Susan Whitby) on saxophone. This latter instrument was an atypical addition to the standard punk instrumental line-up, and became one of the group's most distinctive features.

X-Ray Spex's other distinctive musical element was Poly Styrene's voice, which has been variously described as "effervescently discordant"[13] and "powerful enough to drill holes through sheet metal".[14] As Mari Elliot, Poly had released a reggae single for GTO Records in 1976, "Silly Billy", which had not charted. Born in 1957 in Brixton, of Somali-English parentage, Poly Styrene became the group's public face, and remains one of the most memorable front-women to emerge from the punk movement.[15] Not conventionally attractive, she wore thick braces on her teeth and once stated that "I said that I wasn't a sex symbol and that if anybody tried to make me one I'd shave my head tomorrow".[16] She later actually did at Johnny Rotten's flat prior to a concert at Victoria Park. Mark Paytress recounts in the liner notes for the 2002 compilation, The Anthology, that Jah Wobble, Rotten's longtime friend and bassist for his post-punk venture PiL, once described Styrene as a "strange girl who often talked of hallucinating. She freaked John out."[17] Rotten, known more for his outspoken dislike of things than actual praise and admiration, recently said of X-Ray Spex in a retrospective punk documentary, "Them, they came out with a sound and attitude and a whole energy - it was just not relating to anything around it - superb."[18]

Styrene was inspired to form a band by seeing the Sex Pistols in Hastings and, through their live performances, she and X-Ray Spex became one of the most talked about acts on the infant punk scene.[19] The band played twice at the punk club The Roxy during its first 100 days. In March, the band played with The Drones and Chelsea. In April, they shared the bill with the Buzzcocks, Wire, and Johnny Moped.[20] Their first Roxy gig was only their second live appearance. It was recorded and their anthem Oh Bondage Up Yours was included on the influential Live at the Roxy WC2 album.[21] The publicity from this gig led to a “near residency”, particularly on Sunday nights, at ‘The Man On The Moon’ pub, Kings Road, Chelsea, and record label interest.[22]

In October 1977, Oh Bondage Up Yours was finally released as a single. Today, the 45 is regarded as their most enduring artifact, both as a piece of music and as a sort of proto-grrrl catch-phrase.[23][24] Opening with the line, "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard - well I think, oh bondage, up yours!", the song could be interpreted as a premonition of the riot grrrl movement a good 15 years later, although Styrene herself insists it was more intended as an anti-consumerist/anti-capitalist jingle, and was not exclusively feminist in nature.

In November 1978, the band released their debut album. With the exception of "Identity", which was partially based on Styrene seeing a girl slash her wrists in a club toilet, the rest of Germ Free Adolescents dealt with the anti consumerist theme.[25] Indeed, 'The Guardian' newspaper described the album as containing "unrivalled anti-consumerism anthems".[26]

X-Ray Spex played at ‘Front Row Festival’, a three-week event at the Hope and Anchor, Islington in late November and early December 1977.[27] This resulted in the band's inclusion, alongside the likes of Wilko Johnson, 999, The Only Ones, the Saints, The Stranglers, and XTC, on a hit double album of recordings from the festival. Then, in February 1978, before the release of their second single, X-Ray Spex recorded the first of two sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1.[28] Their profile was further enhanced by playing a fortnight's residency at New York's CBGB's, even though the album Germ Free Adolescents was not released in America until 1992.

On 30 April, the band appeared at the huge Rock Against Racism gig at Victoria Park, Hackney. Also on the bill were Steel Pulse, The Clash, The Ruts, Sham 69, Generation X and Tom Robinson Band. Later in the year, to promote the album, X-Ray Spex embarked on their first, and only, full UK tour. Exhausted by touring, Poly Styrene left the band in mid 1979, though she is seen performing with the band in the 1980 film, D.O.A.. She released a solo album, Translucence, before joining the Hare Krishna movement (as did Logic, who left the band aged 16 in 1977 to form a new group called Essential Logic).

Without Styrene, the group lost its momentum and split up. Hurding and Airport went on to form Classix Nouveaux, while Paul Dean and Rudi Thompson went on to form Agent Orange with Anthony "Tex" Doughty, who later become a founding member of Transvision Vamp.

The first incarnation of X-Ray Spex existed from mid-1976 to 1979, during which time they released five singles - "Oh Bondage, Up Yours", "Identity", "The Day the World Turned Day-Glo", "Germ Free Adolescents", and "Highly Inflammable" - and one album, Germ Free Adolescents.[29][14] One retrospective review described the singles as “not only riveting examples of high-energy punk, but contained provocative, thoughtful lyrics berating the urban synthetic fashions of the 70s and urging individual expression”.[30]

The same reviewer in The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music sums up the band’s 1970s contribution as “one of the most inventive, original and genuinely exciting groups to emerge during the punk era”.

Reformation

In 1991 X-Ray Spex reformed for a surprise sell-out gig at the Brixton Academy where Poly appeared in a blue foam dress with an army helmet (to her regret)[31]. The group reformed again in 1995 with a line-up of Styrene, Dean and Logic to release a new album Conscious Consumer. Although heralded as the first in a trilogy, the album was not a commercial success. Styrene later explained[32] that touring and promotional work suffered an abrupt end when she was run over by a fire engine in central London. The group disbanded, but subsequent releases include a compilation of the group's early records, a live album, and an anthology of all the aforementioned.

Jak Airport later worked for the BBC's Corporate and Public Relations department under his real name, Jack Stafford; he died on 13 August 2004 of cancer.[14]

The band played what was described as a raucous comeback gig[by whom?] in front of an audience of 3,000 at The Roundhouse in London on 6 September 2008. They performed Germ Free Adolescents in its entirety, with the exception of "Plastic Bag".[33] A DVD and CD of the Roundhouse performance is scheduled for release in November 2009.[25]

Discography

Albums

Appearances on various artist compilations (Selective)

Listing of those various artist compilation albums mentioned in the text of the main article:

Singles

  • "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" / "I Am A Cliché" (October 1977: Virgin Records, VS 189); also released as a 12" single (VS 189-12)
  • "The Day The World Turned Day-Glo" / "I Am A Poseur" (March 1978: EMI International, INT 553) - #23 UK Singles Chart[34]
  • "Identity" / "Let’s Submerge" (July 1978: EMI International, INT 563) - #24 UK
  • "Germ Free Adolescents" / "Age" (October 1978: EMI International, INT 573) - #19 UK
  • "Highly Inflammable" / "Warrior In Woolworths" (April 1979: EMI International, INT 583) - #45 UK

See also

References

  1. ^ Larkin, Colin (1994). All Time Top 1000 Albums. Enfield: Guinness Publishing. pp. p.236. ISBN 0-85112-786-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  2. ^ Strong, M.C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate. pp. p.184. ISBN 1-84195-335-0. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  3. ^ Mojo (October 2001) - 100 Punk Scorchers, Issue 95, London;
  4. ^ Joynson, Vernon (2001). Up Yours! A Guide to UK Punk, New Wave & Early Post Punk. Wolverhampton: Borderline Publications. pp. p.448. ISBN 1-899855-13-0. An essential ingredient of any punk collection {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  5. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Punk. Ontario: Collector’s Guide Publication. pp. p.102. ISBN 1-896522-27-0. It was a tremendous record… Whatever else X-Ray Spex might achieve, Oh Bondage had already done more than most groups manage in an entire career {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  6. ^ Gardner, Steve (1996). "Hiljaiset Levyt: 100 Best Punk singles". Revolt-in-plastic punk. Weird arty stuff with saxophone;
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (1994). All Time Top 1000 Albums. Enfield: Guinness Publishing. pp. p.236. A colourful explosion of sound {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  8. ^ Steve Gardner (1996) Hiljaiset Levyt: 100 Best Punk LP's;
  9. ^ Du Noyer, Paul (1998). Encyclopedia of Albums: 1,000 Best-Ever Albums. Bristol: Dempsey Parr. pp. p.89. ISBN 1-84084-031-5. They aimed their fluorescent bile at the vapidity and sterility of the modern world, specifically the increasingly consumerist nature of society, in classic sax-drenched anthems {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  10. ^ Dimery, Robert (2005). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell. p. 420. The whole record is a thunderingly radical and real; production is straightforward and merely delivers the sound of a scorching, hectic band unto the listener;
  11. ^ The Guardian (November 2007). 1,000 Albums To Hear Before You Die. London. With anti-fashion icon Poly Styrene as frontwoman, and a 15-year-old Lora Logic on sax, X-Ray Spex offered neon DIY rock'n'roll that proved punk wasn't all self-harm and safety pins.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: year (link);
  12. ^ Buckley & Ellingham (eds) (1996). Rock: The Rough Guide. London: Rough Guides. pp. p.976. ISBN 1-85828-201-2. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help); |pages= has extra text (help);
  13. ^ allmusic review of The Anthology
  14. ^ a b c Poly Styrene from comnet.ca/~rina
  15. ^ Are you ready to fly? - article from The Guardian
  16. ^ Murray, Charles Shaar (1978), "No Pop, No Style Poly Styrene is Still Strictly Roots", New Musical Express (published 13 May 1978), retrieved 2008-01-19 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |publication-date= (help)
  17. ^ Cinderella's Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground by Maria Raha
  18. ^ The Punk Years documentary
  19. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. pp. p.730. ISBN 0-87930-607-6. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  20. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Punk. Ontario: Collector’s Guide Publication. pp. p.61–62. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  21. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Punk. Ontario: Collector’s Guide Publication. pp. p.102. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  22. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. pp. p.730. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  23. ^ Michelle Lee, "Oh bondage up yours! The early punk movement--and the women who made it rock,Off Our Backs, Nov/Dec 2002
  24. ^ "BOFH: Oh Bondage, Up Yours! (article demonstrating the use of the song title as a catchphrase)". theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
  25. ^ a b The return of punk's first lady The Independent 21 November, 2008
  26. ^ The Guardian (November 2007). 1,000 Albums To Hear Before You Die. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: year (link);
  27. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Punk. Ontario: Collector’s Guide Publication. pp. p.102. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  28. ^ X-Ray Spex’s John Peel Sessions on BBC Radio 1;
  29. ^ PUNKNET 77 - X-Ray Spex
  30. ^ Larkin, Colin (2002). Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music. London: Virgin Books. pp. p.503. ISBN 1-85227-947-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help);
  31. ^ [1] My secret life: Poly Styrene, The Independent 19 Apr 2008
  32. ^ Poly Styrene’s Biography By Celeste Bell from x-ray spex official site
  33. ^ X-Ray Spex pack out London's Roundhouse NME 8 September, 2008
  34. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 612. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. Cite error: The named reference "British Hit Singles & Albums" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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