Scott's Favorite Record #14/#15
Scott’s favorite records #14: X, More Fun In The New World. I got my first good taste of the band X from the Decline Of Western Civilization soundtrack, and I vividly remember seeing this album at Believe in Music and being really stoked on the album art.
However, when I took it home and played it, I could not get my mind around it at all. The songs on Decline are more straightforward punk, but this sounded kind of like the Stray Cats (I wasn’t familiar with the term “rockabilly” yet) and kinda like country, but it was somehow really cool. It grew on me quickly with the sing-along lyrics and the gloriously gritty harmonies of Exene and John Doe.
There are a couple cuts here that suggest their sound was changing, and not necessarily for the better, but I absolutely love this album. And yes, I know, their album Los Angeles is the pinnacle of X material to most, but something about this one works for me. I did see X play live one time. It was in San Diego and I remember being really far away from the stage and also really drunk. Therefore, I don’t remember much about it. And Exene has gone off the right-on rails in recent years, but I will always love this record. Oh, my copy is a first pressing with red labels and white Elektra ‘E’ logo at top.
It is also a “Specialty Records Corporation pressing variant”.
7 Seconds – The Crew comes in at #15 in Scott’s Top 40 Record countdown. This is a 2nd pressing edition as indicated by the blue print on the covers and the red sublimation on the labels, from 1984.
Paul (@pdub58) and I were discussing 7 Seconds last night, which reminded me that we formed a bond early on over our fondness for this band—including later 7 Seconds work, like the polarizing “New Wind” LP. My friend Sean (@seanbarney3) was so offended by New Wind’s wimpy pop approach that he would have fought Kevin Seconds in the street, had he seen him.
The Crew is the band at it’s best. You’d think my old ass would be hanging on “Young til I die” but I really like “Clenched Fists, Black Eyes” best. Also, Kevin Seconds is now 65 years old—you’re pulling it off, dude!
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