GENERATION X
DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUMS
Chrysalis Records
MARCH 1978: 'Generation X' (CHR1169)
Tracks: 'From The Heart' / 'One Hundred Punks' / 'Listen' / 'Ready Steady
Go' / 'Kleenex' / 'Promises, Promises' / 'Day By Day' / 'The Invisible Man' /
'Kiss Me Deadly' / 'Too Personal' / 'Youth Youth Youth'
Now also on CD as CCD 1169.
GENERATION X 'Generation X' (Chrysalis CHR1169) ****
You see the **** at the top of this review? Well, if this album had come out six to
nine months ago that probably would have been *****, for the balance between
the old and new material the LP contains would have been near perfect. The kids
(God bless 'em) would have gone apeshit for the Generation X faves like 'Day By
Day', 'Ready Steady Go', 'Listen' and 'Youth Youth Youth', and the hack critics
would have drooled over the adventurousness of songs like 'Invisible Man' and the
remarkable 'Kiss Me Deadly'. The blend is near perfect.
I still probably couldn't take the facial and physical contortions with which Billy
dominates Generation X's live shows, they probably achieve maximum
effectiveness on persons much younger than I of the opposite gender, but as for
their albums, I was pleasantly surprised to discover some real talent behind all the
posing. This one was late but worth the wait, and barring any more bum
decisions, next one could be truly great.
DAVE FUDGER (Sounds March 18th 1978)
JANUARY 1979: 'Valley Of The Dolls' (CHR 1193)
Tracks: 'Running With The Boss Sound' / 'Night Of The Cadillacs'/
'Paradise West' / 'Friday's Angels' / 'King Rocker' / 'Valley Of The Dolls' /
'English Dream' / 'Love Like Fire' / 'The Prime Of Kenny Silvers (Parts One
And Two)'.
Now also on CD as CCD 1193.
GENERATION X 'Valley Of The Dolls' (CHR 1193)
Maybe they weren't the brightest and best, but for a while Generation X seemed
like a sure thing among British bands, New Wave division. Though disparaged in
their country's hyperthyroid music press, the group's singles sold well, and their
concerts were practically riotous. Dyed-blond singer Billy Idol attracted female
teeny punks who'd outgrown the Bay City Rollers, and Generation X' energetic
crossbreeding of punk with heavy metal almost excused the puerile lyrics.
But that was last year. These guys kept a relatively low profile while cutting their
second album, but Valley of the Dolls sounds like punk apostasy even in the
context of fashionable anti-New Wave backlash. It's not just that the tempos have
cooled down or even that Ian Hunter's production enshrouds the band in Mott the
Hoople-like murk.
On their first LP, ridiculous polemics ("Youth Youth Youth" and "Wild Youth")
meshed perfectly with near-hysterical music (guitarist Bob "Derwood" Andrews is
a confessed Ritchie Blackmore fan). On Valley of the Dolls, Generation X has
presumably progressed to rococo punk: Idol still delivers lyrics in a hoarse sneer,
but infantile directness has been replaced by infantile obliqueness. The music
wanders around engagingly, the playing remains powerful, even through the haze,
yet aimlessly, like a lost puppy. That said, this record is too puzzling to dismiss
altogether, unless you have no patience for flubbed rock neural connections.
SCOTT ISLER (Rolling Stone #294) (Donated by Joe Donnelly)
JANUARY 1981: 'Kiss Me Deadly' (CHR 1327)
Tracks: 'Dancing With Myself' / 'Untouchables' / 'Happy People' / 'Heavens
Inside' / 'Triumph' Revenge' / 'Stars Look Down' / 'What Do You Want' /
'Poison' / 'Oh Mother'.
This was released under the shortened Gen X name and with the new line-
up of Billy Idol, Tony James, James Stevenson and Terry Chimes.
Now also on CD as CCD 1327.
NOVEMBER 1985: 'The Best Of Generation X'(CHM 1521)
Tracks: 'Valley Of The Dolls'/ 'Night Of The Cadillacs' / 'One Hundred
Punks' / 'Running With The Boss Sound' / 'Friday's Angels' / 'Wild Youth' /
'Ready Steady Go' / 'King Rocker' / 'Dancing With Myself' / 'Youth Youth
Youth' / 'Triumph' / 'Revenge' / 'From The Heart'.
Macdonald Bros Records
JUNE 1987: 'Original Generation X' (JOCKLP 9)
Tracks: 'Your Generation' / 'Day By Day' / 'Change Our World' / 'Youth
Youth Youth' / 'Gimme Some Truth' / 'From The Heart' / 'No No No' /
'Rockers' / 'Endless Dreams Of Billy Idol' / 'Love Like Fire'.
These recordings were made before the band signed to Chrysalis.
Capitol Records
NOVEMBER 5TH 1991: 'Perfect Hits 1995-1981' (21862)
Tracks: Dancing With Myself / Your Generation /Ready, Steady, Go /
Untouchables / Day By Day / Wild Youth / Wild Dub / One Hundred Punks
/ King Rocker / Kiss Me Deadly / Gimme Some Truth / New Order / English
Dream / Triumph / Youth, Youth, Youth.
Empty Records
APRIL 14th 1998: 'KMD Sweet Revenge' (MT-421)
(Format: CD)
Their missing third album, recorded in 1979 and unreleased until 1998.
Featuring eleven tracks.This full length release contains the standout
tracks 'Modern Boys', 'Anna Smiles' as well as the original version of the
hit 'Dancing With Myself'. This is the record that Gen X fans had been
waiting for, for almost twenty years, featuring the original line-up of Billy
Idol on vocals, Bob 'Derwood' Andrews on guitar, Tony James on bass and
Mark Laff on drums. Liner notes by Lord Pathetic. LP version licensed and
released by Munster Records in spain.
Capitol Records
MARCH 2003: 'Anthology' (Capitol)
DISC 1: Dancing With Myself / Fridays Angels / Your Generation / Ready,
Steady Go / Untouchables / Valley Of The Dolls / Day By Day / Wild Youth
/ Prime Of Kenny Silvers Parts 1 & 2 / Wild Dub / One Hundred Punks /
King Rocker / Kiss Me Deadly / Gimmie Some Truth / New Order / English
Dream / Youth, Youth, Youth / Rock 'n' Roll / The Hunter.
DISC 2 : Triumph / Dancing With Myself / Girls / Modern Boys / Cathy
Come Home / Revenge / Flash As Hell / Anna Smiles / Psycho Beat / Stars
Looked Down / I Dig Everything / Dancing With My Wealth / Exclusive
Interview With Tony James.
DISC 3 : Ready Steady Go / This Heat / English Dream / Triumph / Anna
Smiles / Night Of The Cadillac's / No No No / Valley Of The Dolls / Revenge
/ Kiss Me Deadly / Friday's Angels / Wild Youth / Day By Day / King Rocker
/ Your Generation / Rock 'n' Roll / Shakin' All Over / Youth Youth Youth /
Outro Jam.
GENERATION X 'Anthology' (Capitol)
Recently, Chrysalis reissued the first two Generation X albums, remastered with
bonus tracks. Now here's a triple disc set that has its pros and cons. First the
cons: the liner notes aren't very informative and are awkwardly written and
plagued by grammatical and spelling errors. For example, here's a gem of a
sentence: "In some cases not all of these albums had even been mixed, but what
was recoverable is presented here for the first time in among the groups (sic) hit
singles and some classic live material, enjoy." Unless you know something about
Gen X, you're not going to learn very much from the short liner notes, that's for
sure. Also, the CD goes on to say that disc one is "the complete singles," which it
most certainly is not. It has the A-sides of most of the singles, but few of the non-
LP B-sides, and is basically the same tracks as the Perfect Hits CD that's been
available for years, minus "Triumph" and with a few more songs added. A couple
of those, covers of "Rock and Roll" and "The Hunter," aren't even from singles,
they're previously unreleased outtakes! A couple of minor quibbles with this disc,
too: I also wonder why they always include "Wild Dub," certainly not the band's
strongest release, since it's, as the title implies, simply a "dub" version of "Wild
Youth." The other quibble is the use of the inferior earlier version of "Gimme Some
Truth," which was a single B-side. The best version remains on the still-unreissued
American version of their first LP, which substituted three album tracks for three
more recent recordings. That version of "Truth" has it all over this one. It's tighter,
faster and has a great guitar solo and amazing backing vocals.
Disc two is the legendary Sweet Revenge album, which would've been the follow-
up to Valley Of The Dolls had Derwood Andrews and Mark Laff not quit the band
after a Japanese tour. Previously available as a Spanish import on Munster, this
version sees the tracks mixed up and has better sound overall. It includes the
original version of "Dancing With Myself," later rerecorded by the Gen X line-up
for the Kiss Me Deadly LP, as well as superior versions of "Triumph," "Stars Look
Down," and "Revenge." The totally unreleased tunes like "Anna Smiles," "Psycho
Beat" and "Modern Boys" all rock like crazy. They also added a couple more songs
to the line-up, including a great speeded up cover of David Bowie's "I Dig
Everything," and a completely unnecessary "dub" version of "Dancing With
Myself." There is an interesting audio interview with bassist Tony James at the
end, though.
Disc three is an entire live show from Osaka, Japan on that ill-fated tour that split
the original line-up. I've had this in bootleg form for years, but the sound here is
way better, with absolutely none of the hiss of the boot version, and simply
amazing sound. A great and enthusiastic show, though I'm curious as to why the
last song is listed as "Outro Jam," when it's just the crazed ending part of the last
song, "Youth Youth Youth."
The long and short of it is, if you're a major Gen X fan you'll want to get this, but
casual fans may be better off sticking with the recent expanded CD reissues of the
first two albums.
ALAN WRIGHT
GENERATION X SINGLES
There's a wide range of more Generation X recordings and releases that
keep on surfaceing as time rolls on. And you can find a good selection of
BBC radio one sessions here http://nemsworld.com/genx/bbc.htm
FOR THE OFFICIAL BILLY IDOL website...
www.billyidol.com/
FOR TONY JAMES and his creations try here...
www.sputnikworld.com/
DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUMS
Chrysalis Records
MARCH 1978: 'Generation X' (CHR1169)
Tracks: 'From The Heart' / 'One Hundred Punks' / 'Listen' / 'Ready Steady
Go' / 'Kleenex' / 'Promises, Promises' / 'Day By Day' / 'The Invisible Man' /
'Kiss Me Deadly' / 'Too Personal' / 'Youth Youth Youth'
Now also on CD as CCD 1169.
GENERATION X 'Generation X' (Chrysalis CHR1169) ****
You see the **** at the top of this review? Well, if this album had come out six to
nine months ago that probably would have been *****, for the balance between
the old and new material the LP contains would have been near perfect. The kids
(God bless 'em) would have gone apeshit for the Generation X faves like 'Day By
Day', 'Ready Steady Go', 'Listen' and 'Youth Youth Youth', and the hack critics
would have drooled over the adventurousness of songs like 'Invisible Man' and the
remarkable 'Kiss Me Deadly'. The blend is near perfect.
I still probably couldn't take the facial and physical contortions with which Billy
dominates Generation X's live shows, they probably achieve maximum
effectiveness on persons much younger than I of the opposite gender, but as for
their albums, I was pleasantly surprised to discover some real talent behind all the
posing. This one was late but worth the wait, and barring any more bum
decisions, next one could be truly great.
DAVE FUDGER (Sounds March 18th 1978)
JANUARY 1979: 'Valley Of The Dolls' (CHR 1193)
Tracks: 'Running With The Boss Sound' / 'Night Of The Cadillacs'/
'Paradise West' / 'Friday's Angels' / 'King Rocker' / 'Valley Of The Dolls' /
'English Dream' / 'Love Like Fire' / 'The Prime Of Kenny Silvers (Parts One
And Two)'.
Now also on CD as CCD 1193.
GENERATION X 'Valley Of The Dolls' (CHR 1193)
Maybe they weren't the brightest and best, but for a while Generation X seemed
like a sure thing among British bands, New Wave division. Though disparaged in
their country's hyperthyroid music press, the group's singles sold well, and their
concerts were practically riotous. Dyed-blond singer Billy Idol attracted female
teeny punks who'd outgrown the Bay City Rollers, and Generation X' energetic
crossbreeding of punk with heavy metal almost excused the puerile lyrics.
But that was last year. These guys kept a relatively low profile while cutting their
second album, but Valley of the Dolls sounds like punk apostasy even in the
context of fashionable anti-New Wave backlash. It's not just that the tempos have
cooled down or even that Ian Hunter's production enshrouds the band in Mott the
Hoople-like murk.
On their first LP, ridiculous polemics ("Youth Youth Youth" and "Wild Youth")
meshed perfectly with near-hysterical music (guitarist Bob "Derwood" Andrews is
a confessed Ritchie Blackmore fan). On Valley of the Dolls, Generation X has
presumably progressed to rococo punk: Idol still delivers lyrics in a hoarse sneer,
but infantile directness has been replaced by infantile obliqueness. The music
wanders around engagingly, the playing remains powerful, even through the haze,
yet aimlessly, like a lost puppy. That said, this record is too puzzling to dismiss
altogether, unless you have no patience for flubbed rock neural connections.
SCOTT ISLER (Rolling Stone #294) (Donated by Joe Donnelly)
JANUARY 1981: 'Kiss Me Deadly' (CHR 1327)
Tracks: 'Dancing With Myself' / 'Untouchables' / 'Happy People' / 'Heavens
Inside' / 'Triumph' Revenge' / 'Stars Look Down' / 'What Do You Want' /
'Poison' / 'Oh Mother'.
This was released under the shortened Gen X name and with the new line-
up of Billy Idol, Tony James, James Stevenson and Terry Chimes.
Now also on CD as CCD 1327.
NOVEMBER 1985: 'The Best Of Generation X'(CHM 1521)
Tracks: 'Valley Of The Dolls'/ 'Night Of The Cadillacs' / 'One Hundred
Punks' / 'Running With The Boss Sound' / 'Friday's Angels' / 'Wild Youth' /
'Ready Steady Go' / 'King Rocker' / 'Dancing With Myself' / 'Youth Youth
Youth' / 'Triumph' / 'Revenge' / 'From The Heart'.
Macdonald Bros Records
JUNE 1987: 'Original Generation X' (JOCKLP 9)
Tracks: 'Your Generation' / 'Day By Day' / 'Change Our World' / 'Youth
Youth Youth' / 'Gimme Some Truth' / 'From The Heart' / 'No No No' /
'Rockers' / 'Endless Dreams Of Billy Idol' / 'Love Like Fire'.
These recordings were made before the band signed to Chrysalis.
Capitol Records
NOVEMBER 5TH 1991: 'Perfect Hits 1995-1981' (21862)
Tracks: Dancing With Myself / Your Generation /Ready, Steady, Go /
Untouchables / Day By Day / Wild Youth / Wild Dub / One Hundred Punks
/ King Rocker / Kiss Me Deadly / Gimme Some Truth / New Order / English
Dream / Triumph / Youth, Youth, Youth.
Empty Records
APRIL 14th 1998: 'KMD Sweet Revenge' (MT-421)
(Format: CD)
Their missing third album, recorded in 1979 and unreleased until 1998.
Featuring eleven tracks.This full length release contains the standout
tracks 'Modern Boys', 'Anna Smiles' as well as the original version of the
hit 'Dancing With Myself'. This is the record that Gen X fans had been
waiting for, for almost twenty years, featuring the original line-up of Billy
Idol on vocals, Bob 'Derwood' Andrews on guitar, Tony James on bass and
Mark Laff on drums. Liner notes by Lord Pathetic. LP version licensed and
released by Munster Records in spain.
Capitol Records
MARCH 2003: 'Anthology' (Capitol)
DISC 1: Dancing With Myself / Fridays Angels / Your Generation / Ready,
Steady Go / Untouchables / Valley Of The Dolls / Day By Day / Wild Youth
/ Prime Of Kenny Silvers Parts 1 & 2 / Wild Dub / One Hundred Punks /
King Rocker / Kiss Me Deadly / Gimmie Some Truth / New Order / English
Dream / Youth, Youth, Youth / Rock 'n' Roll / The Hunter.
DISC 2 : Triumph / Dancing With Myself / Girls / Modern Boys / Cathy
Come Home / Revenge / Flash As Hell / Anna Smiles / Psycho Beat / Stars
Looked Down / I Dig Everything / Dancing With My Wealth / Exclusive
Interview With Tony James.
DISC 3 : Ready Steady Go / This Heat / English Dream / Triumph / Anna
Smiles / Night Of The Cadillac's / No No No / Valley Of The Dolls / Revenge
/ Kiss Me Deadly / Friday's Angels / Wild Youth / Day By Day / King Rocker
/ Your Generation / Rock 'n' Roll / Shakin' All Over / Youth Youth Youth /
Outro Jam.
GENERATION X 'Anthology' (Capitol)
Recently, Chrysalis reissued the first two Generation X albums, remastered with
bonus tracks. Now here's a triple disc set that has its pros and cons. First the
cons: the liner notes aren't very informative and are awkwardly written and
plagued by grammatical and spelling errors. For example, here's a gem of a
sentence: "In some cases not all of these albums had even been mixed, but what
was recoverable is presented here for the first time in among the groups (sic) hit
singles and some classic live material, enjoy." Unless you know something about
Gen X, you're not going to learn very much from the short liner notes, that's for
sure. Also, the CD goes on to say that disc one is "the complete singles," which it
most certainly is not. It has the A-sides of most of the singles, but few of the non-
LP B-sides, and is basically the same tracks as the Perfect Hits CD that's been
available for years, minus "Triumph" and with a few more songs added. A couple
of those, covers of "Rock and Roll" and "The Hunter," aren't even from singles,
they're previously unreleased outtakes! A couple of minor quibbles with this disc,
too: I also wonder why they always include "Wild Dub," certainly not the band's
strongest release, since it's, as the title implies, simply a "dub" version of "Wild
Youth." The other quibble is the use of the inferior earlier version of "Gimme Some
Truth," which was a single B-side. The best version remains on the still-unreissued
American version of their first LP, which substituted three album tracks for three
more recent recordings. That version of "Truth" has it all over this one. It's tighter,
faster and has a great guitar solo and amazing backing vocals.
Disc two is the legendary Sweet Revenge album, which would've been the follow-
up to Valley Of The Dolls had Derwood Andrews and Mark Laff not quit the band
after a Japanese tour. Previously available as a Spanish import on Munster, this
version sees the tracks mixed up and has better sound overall. It includes the
original version of "Dancing With Myself," later rerecorded by the Gen X line-up
for the Kiss Me Deadly LP, as well as superior versions of "Triumph," "Stars Look
Down," and "Revenge." The totally unreleased tunes like "Anna Smiles," "Psycho
Beat" and "Modern Boys" all rock like crazy. They also added a couple more songs
to the line-up, including a great speeded up cover of David Bowie's "I Dig
Everything," and a completely unnecessary "dub" version of "Dancing With
Myself." There is an interesting audio interview with bassist Tony James at the
end, though.
Disc three is an entire live show from Osaka, Japan on that ill-fated tour that split
the original line-up. I've had this in bootleg form for years, but the sound here is
way better, with absolutely none of the hiss of the boot version, and simply
amazing sound. A great and enthusiastic show, though I'm curious as to why the
last song is listed as "Outro Jam," when it's just the crazed ending part of the last
song, "Youth Youth Youth."
The long and short of it is, if you're a major Gen X fan you'll want to get this, but
casual fans may be better off sticking with the recent expanded CD reissues of the
first two albums.
ALAN WRIGHT
GENERATION X SINGLES
There's a wide range of more Generation X recordings and releases that
keep on surfaceing as time rolls on. And you can find a good selection of
BBC radio one sessions here http://nemsworld.com/genx/bbc.htm
FOR THE OFFICIAL BILLY IDOL website...
www.billyidol.com/
FOR TONY JAMES and his creations try here...
www.sputnikworld.com/
PUNK ROCKER
LOOKS BACK ON THE
RECORDED LEGACY
OF GENERATION X.
ALBUMS
LOOKS BACK ON THE
RECORDED LEGACY
OF GENERATION X.
ALBUMS
