Hello Reader,
Welcome back. Or if this is your first time here, welcome!
Today we’re going to delve into X. That’s right the one and only punk rock/alternative music legends, X. Vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist and bassist John Doe, guitarist and saxophonist Billy Zoom, and drummer and percussionist D. J. Bonebrake formed the band in LA in 1977. Doe and Cervenka serving as the band’s primary songwriters. Bonebrake was the only band member born in California, the other three were originally from different areas of Illinois but met in the LA area.
X wasn’t a band that stations played on the radio where I lived, even as I ventured into living on my own as a young adult in larger cities in the early to mid 2000s. I wish they did. And I also wish that I the cool moment of having an older sibling that gave me a cassette mixtape in high school, or even a CD or mp3 version as well. Hard to do so without older siblings. Rather it was Michael Azzerad’s phenomenal text Our Band Could Be Your Life that also changed my life for the better and became one of our first posts on this site. X’s adjacency to bands I grew to love within that late 70s and more so 80s (punk) scene like Minutemen, Mission of Burma, The Replacements, the Germs, Fear, the Adolescents, etc made me start to delve into their own discography. In general, I often began at allmusic.com and explored which albums others had rated the highest so I had a place to start with, and then getting CDs from the library or online to listen to, which I then stored on iTunes on my computer. I also purchased X records on vinyl, watching recordings of the band like in Penelope Spheeris‘ capture of history, the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization made me fall in love with the bands sound. Especially the early years.
(All credits and rights to X)
The bands’ sound in its earliest years had a rockabilly edge to it with poetic lyrics. Cervenka and Doe’s slightly off kilter harmonized vocals became a trademark sound to the band. Their first album Los Angeles (1980) was well received by many including legendary critic Robert Christgau and heaped with even more praise in the decades since its release. By their second album, Wild Gift (1981) the band had established a more punk sound, playing at a frenzied speed. And by the third album, Under the Big Black Sun (1982) the band had kept the punk guitars but added country leanings. X’s sound continued to evolve over subsequent years into roots rock and more alternative styles but to me, and many others, they were punk and alternative in the best ways. More Fun in the New World (1983) saw the band trying to be even more radio friendly. The band of talented musicians with unforgettably outstanding stage names were excellent at what they did, and the critics praised the records as did their fans, but the squares couldn’t understand the band. Maybe they didn’t fit into as easy of a box as other bands and so the mass public never caught on at the time. 1985 saw the release of a new studio album, Ain’t Love Grand but still a lot of frustration from lack of mainstream success. Billy Zoom departed the band in 1986, returning in 1999. Filling in for Zoom were Dave Alvin (with the band from 1986 & 1987) and Tony Gilkyson (band member from 1986-1999). In 1987, the band released See How We Are. In 1989, their cover version of The Troggs “Wild Thing” was featured in the film Major League. And later used by professional wrestlers as their entrance music. The band saw several of their songs being used in film, tv shows over the decades. In fact, it’s John Doe’s version of “I Will Always Love You” that plays on the jukebox when Kevin Costner’s character Frank and Whitney Houston’s character Rachel are dancing in the bar in The Bodyguard. X regrouped in the early 90s, releasing Hey Zeus! in 1993. And Alphabetland in 2020. Another album of theirs with vivid colors and a memorable image.
X is a band that I never got to see in the 80s as I was too young then, but I wish I had. And I know those that did still remember those experiences 40 or so years later. The newer audiences are fortunate that X began to tour with more regularity starting in 2004. The two X shows, and the one John Doe show I’ve seen have been extraordinary performances, particularly the farewell tour show this July. I’ve been to a few hundred shows of various musicians and artists and that July show on the End is Near tour ranks in the top 15% as the band brought so much energy. Even in their late 60s and early 70s.
And on Friday August 9th, on the bands final goodbye tour comes their farewell album Smoke & Fiction. This album released for your listening pleasure via the fantastic Fat Possum Records.
Giving credit where it’s due. Smoke & Fiction album credits:
- DJ Bonebrake – drums, percussion
- Exene Cervenka – vocals
- John Doe – bass guitar, vocals
- Billy Zoom – guitar, bass guitar
- Mark Chalecki – audio mastering at Little Red Book Mastering, Los Angeles, California, United States
- Rob Schnapf – production
- Matt Schuessler – audio engineering
And now for some hype for your ears!
A smile upon your face during “Ruby Church”:
(All credits and rights to X)
The nostalgia within “Big Black X”:
(All credits and rights to X)
Overall, Smoke & Fiction sees many elements of the band in the 80s and its listeners will love that. Even the casual fans should love this album. The band still plays at an exceptional level individually and together as a cohesive unit. The album is a hint of the musicianship you’ll see live. The bands artistic talents are on display throughout the album, and they really haven’t lost a significant step. It’s remarkable to hear such distinction nearly 50 years later. Their sonic adaption and evolution continue on Smoke & Fiction as the band’s overall sound is fitted to what the group is best at. They don’t stray. There are excellent shared, harmonized vocals from Doe and Cervenka. Listener, you get to hear that on multiple songs! And Doe’s and Cervenka’s solos are fantastic as well. Zoom and Bonebrake are still in top form which is showcased on nearly every song with various incredible chord progressions, hard charging melodies, immaculate solos and steady rhythms. All four truly are one of one individuals and talents. The songwriting is consistently good throughout Smoke & Fiction though I’m sure, listener that you’ll discover your own favorites and earworms. This is definitely an album that will have you grooving and participating in informal dance parties. I think this album will sound best on vinyl, though the sonic quality was good digitally. I’m looking forward to listening to this on vinyl.
Smoke & Fiction gets 4 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It won’t blow many people’s socks off, but it’s a great way for the band to end on. To me, Smoke & Fiction resides in the lower part of that 4 Scum Drop range. And it also slides within X’s discography behind their best (early 80s) albums. So, if you’re seeking a more precise ranking, I would put this album in the middle of X’s discography. Smoke & Fiction is worth adding this album to your X collection on the format of your choice. As noted above, it’ll be vinyl for me.
Smoke & Fiction Track listing (song length)
- Ruby Church (2:07)
- Sweet Til The Bitter End (2:31)
- The Way It Is (3:29)
- Flipside (3:00)
- Big Black X (3:35)
- Smoke & Fiction (3:04)
- Struggle (2:19)
- Winding Up the Time (2:52)
- Face in the Moon (3:04)
- Baby & All (2:31)
Total runtime: 28:32
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. The process with this album from start to finish will take you less than an hour if you listen twice back-to-back. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
Here are links to the bands site, facebook page, their Instagram, and their Twitter.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music. And thank you, X for the music that you gave the world.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
