X - Los Angeles (1980) {2001 Rhino Reissue} [FLAC]

By the late '70s, punk rock and hardcore were infiltrating the Los Angeles music scene. Such bands as Black Flag, the Germs, and, especially, X were the leaders of the pack, prompting an avalanche of copycat bands and eventually signing record contracts themselves. X's debut, Los Angeles, is considered by many to be one of punk's all-time finest recordings, and with good reason. Most punk bands used their musical inability to create their own style, but X actually consisted of some truly gifted musicians, including rockabilly guitarist Billy Zoom, bassist John Doe, and frontwoman Exene Cervenka, who, with Doe, penned poetic lyrics and perfected sweet yet biting vocal harmonies. Los Angeles is prime X, offering such all-time classics as the venomous "Your Phone's Off the Hook, but You're Not," a tale of date rape called "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene," and two of their best anthems (and enduring concert favorites), "Nausea" and the title track. While they were tagged as a punk rock act from the get-go (many felt that this eventually proved a hindrance), X are not easily categorized. Although they utilize elements of punk's frenzy and electricity, they also add country, ballads, and rockabilly to the mix.

Rhino's 2001 X reissue series would have been welcome if all it did was restore their first three albums to print, not just because they're all superb, but because they'd been out of print for years. Also, Los Angeles and Wild Gift had only been available as a two-fer, without original artwork and with rushed sound (they were released in the first wave of CD reissues, after all). One listen to Los Angeles confirms that this reissue campaign is a first-rate labor of love. True, it might be easy to wish that there were more than five bonus tracks, but all five are excellent -- an early demo of "I'm Coming Over," a demo of "Delta 88," a rehearsal runthrough of "Cyrano de Berger's Back," and danger-house versions/mixes of "Adult Books" and "Los Angeles." Two of these -- "Delta 88" and "Cyrano de Berger's Back" -- never showed up on proper albums, which makes their presence welcome, and the early versions are raw and vibrant. Then again, the album itself isn't exactly timid, either, and it sounds better than ever in this remastering. Topped off with liner notes with Kristine McKenna, this is a terrific package -- a perfect way to start the series and a perfect compliment to Rhino's other landmark 2001 punk reissue, the Ramones' first album.