00:00 Intro 01:43 Los Angeles 06:00 Wild Gift 10:26 Under The Big Black Sun 14:17 More Fun In The New World 16:19 Wild Thing 16:44 Ain't Love Grand 19:30 See How We Are 23:41 Hey Zeus! 26:19 Destroying Angels (John/Exene/Garbage single) 26:34 Alphabetland! 29:19 X The Unheard Music (documentary) 29:43 John Doe, Under The Big Black Sun (book) 29:59 Outro
Wow, another excellent deep dive. I put this band on the washing-up-dishes test (I always play music whilst doing the dishes). When the Los Angeles album was finished I could see my face reflected in the saucepans. The glare of the gravy jar almost blinded me.
Haha! Thanks, Robert! What a great test of a band. I always put on jazz when washing dishes because I always need something relaxing during chores. My test always used to be playing music while driving. So many speeding tickets over the years thanks to good bands.
I'm rabbit-holing your channel this morning, after the epic Barney Miller vid. X blew me away in high school. I live in San Diego, and was lucky to see them many times. Weirdest circumstances, in Southern California, there is a phenomenon called "Grad Night." High school seniors are bussed to Disneyland for a night of fun. Usually a few insipid pop groups play. My Grad Night, X and The Blasters both played, TWICE each. Epic. Lyrically, X always reminded me of Beat-era writing paired with ferocious punked-up Americana.
X!!! These are my homeboys. I grew up in Los Angeles in the 70s and 80s, so when John is singing things like "Mexican kids shooting fireworks below", man does it make me home sick for a place I didn't even appreciate when I was there (you don't know what you have until you lose it). And if Billy Zoom doesn't make you want to jump in a Hot Rod Lincoln and floor it, then you should see a cardiologist. Now if you're wondering what "Hot Rod Lincoln" has to do with X and Billy, it doesn't other than being a great old rockabilly tune that name checks San Pedro, CA (the most southern neighborhood in Los Angeles), home town of another great band The Minutemen and to a much lesser degree, myself. (just felt compelled to make a connection to your T-shirt, myself and X because I'm mental) I love that a lot of your favorite X tunes are mine too, but I guess that just makes sense since they're just great tunes period. I want to say Nausea, See How We Are, 4th of July, Blue Spark, and Los Angeles are my top 5 tracks, but honestly it is like a Sophie's choice with so many other top tier songs. There are few bands that consistently pump out masterpieces like X do.... except the Aint Love Grand album. Just get the version of "Burning House of Love" and "What's Wrong with Me" that are on the Beyond and Back comp and let's all pretend Aint Love Grand never happened.
Great episode, good stuff. Agree with your Black Sun assessment: Zoom plays one of the best rock n' roll guitar solos ever on "The Hungry Wolf". Reason? THERE IS NO GUITAR SOLO. Just a faint plaintive wail at 1:42 where one should be. Absolutely haunting.
Haha! You're so right! You know, it seems to be a truism that guitarists (or any musician really) who serves each song, rather than their ego, goes criminally underrated. With someone like Zoom, who can stretch out and play in dozens of styles, and could solo for hours, he should be appreciated for the restraint and taste he's shown in the entire X catalog. To be in the studio recording Hungry Wolf and to say, "Hmmm... might be cool if my guitar simply let out a howl like a wolf here," that's some next level shit.
Haha, for that song it's true! But Billy's guitar is a lot of things all at once. More than anything you'll hear a Chuck-Berry-on-speed effect. When playing live, he makes the hardest things look effortless thanks to his angelic, smiling face--and his hands barely moving!
I really tried to get into X, and had an album or two but maybe living in NZ the grittiness didn't translate well to a country of sheep and rolling hills. Inspired now to have another listen with the ears of an older man. Be great to have a video that features bands from down under if you're up for it. Please God, no Crowded House though. Check out some Flying Nun bands if you're keen on jangly indie music. The Verlaines and Straitjacket Fits are stull on high rotate...oh and the Sceptics are amazing too.
Another great deep dive. The only thing X related that I have is "Meet John Doe" and I did read "Under the Big Black Sun" because I enjoy a lot of the bands from that scene. I liked your recent vinyl finds video and am hoping you do more of those.
Thanks, Maria! Glad you enjoyed it. I know that John Doe solo record has a cult following, but hadn't really explored it myself. I'll definitely have to check it out. And I appreciate the heads up on the vinyl-finds video. I'd love to bring more of those updates to you.
I started with Under a Big Black Sun. "Nausea" is my favorite tune as well. I always picture Billy Zoom with his permanent grin while he grinds out those massive riffs. when you compared Exene and John to Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, did you mean Marty Balin? (oh no-I'm a HIPPY!)
Hey Robert! Yes, Billy's grin is permanent. He once said he hated how guitarists would play something simple and contort their faces trying to make the crowd think they're playing something difficult. He decided to play really difficult stuff, and look as if he's playing the easiest thing in the world. And yes, I meant Grace and Paul, as far as being a couple and songwriting together, and having discordant voices and sort of being creative hippie-types, etc, etc. But Marty's voice is exceptional as is John's, so I see why you might have thought that.
So after talking shit about Aint Love Grand, I went and listened to the "Around My Heart" vid you linked to....and I liked it. When I first listened to Aint Love Grand I was still a young punk rocker absolutely mortified about the high gloss production. Aint Love Grand was the only X album I ever chucked across the room in disgust....but that high gloss production is kind of making me nostalgic for the late 80s now. I've obviously softened up with age and am more receptive to it. The song writing on X's worst album is still miles better than most bands magnum opus. Guess I'm going to have to go dig out a cassette from 30 year old deep storage and give it another whirl....as soon as I can find a cassette player. XD
I'm so glad you said that, because I was totally going to launch into a defense of Ain't Love Grand. Believe me, I was like you when I first encountered the album. It was not the X I was used to and I didn't think much of it. But it grew with me over the years; as did See How We Are. Nowadays whenever I feel like putting on some X, I occasionally find myself in the mood to hear those albums.
@@PopCultureGraveyard Yea I'm finding all kinds of music I wanted nothing to do with back then enjoyable nowadays. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe I'm just lamenting the sorry state of music nowadays, maybe it the delirium from the constant knee and back pain from getting older. Speaking of getting older, are you still discovering new bands? I love all these retrospectives, but I'd be curious if you'd recommend any underappreciated bands in the last 10 years or so. Every once in a while I still stumble onto a really great new band.
@@LividImp Yes indeed! I remember those cats.. I was a little to young for the club scene when they first hit. I turned 18 in 1982. There was another band that was pretty big locally called "The Cold"
@@nolagospeltracts8264 I saw "NOLA" and your interest in punk and I thought you might know who they were. Super underrated band. I started The Normals Facebook page back before Facebook got big and corporate. It was just a fan page I never thought anyone would pay attention to (I knew one guy who even knew who The Normals were back then). But the page got flooded with all these people from the NOLA scene. So now I have this weird affinity for this scene I was never a part of, in a town I've never set foot in. I still technically "own" the page, but I'm never on Facebook anymore so I gave control of it to the guy that runs Last Laugh records (who put out some of The Normals stuff).
Ugh. You know I taped the Bo Diddly line, and was like, "Oh, shit, I mean Chuck Berry." So I taped it again saying Chuck Berry. And, of course, in the HOURS it took me to edit this, I left in the wrong one. The struggle is real, Ed. Hopefully it doesn't detract too much.
@@PopCultureGraveyard Hah, yeah, sorry to be that guy. Great video by the way. I only mentioned that intro because I think it highlights the secret sauce of that band's early period, the Chuck Berry meets The Ramones style of guitar work. Billy Zoom might be my all time favorite guitarist. He's had a lot of health issues in his later years and I hope he's doing well. I never saw them back in the day (despite seeing The Blasters, Lone Justice, and several Kinman bands), I was a little too young, but I caught them a couple of times when they toured in recent decades.
@@PopCultureGraveyard Yea, definitely. Early REM is underrated. Radio Free Europe, Carnival of Sorts, Harborcoat, 1,000,000, Driver 8, that's the REM I seemingly can not get tired of.
@@LividImp Yes! Harborcoat may be my all-time favorite REM tune. But all that early stuff is magical, and Mikey Mills backing vocals are the secret sauce in that recipe!
@@nolagospeltracts8264 Cannot believe you got to see them on the Murmur tour! Awesome. I saw them on the Fables tour in July of 1985. The Can't Get There From Here single had just come out the month before. It was sweltering heat but Michael Stipe performed the whole concert in a long trench coat, sunglasses and fedora, looking like the IRS Records logo man. Great show.
00:00 Intro
01:43 Los Angeles
06:00 Wild Gift
10:26 Under The Big Black Sun
14:17 More Fun In The New World
16:19 Wild Thing
16:44 Ain't Love Grand
19:30 See How We Are
23:41 Hey Zeus!
26:19 Destroying Angels (John/Exene/Garbage single)
26:34 Alphabetland!
29:19 X The Unheard Music (documentary)
29:43 John Doe, Under The Big Black Sun (book)
29:59 Outro
Wow, another excellent deep dive. I put this band on the washing-up-dishes test (I always play music whilst doing the dishes). When the Los Angeles album was finished I could see my face reflected in the saucepans. The glare of the gravy jar almost blinded me.
Haha! Thanks, Robert! What a great test of a band. I always put on jazz when washing dishes because I always need something relaxing during chores. My test always used to be playing music while driving. So many speeding tickets over the years thanks to good bands.
I'm rabbit-holing your channel this morning, after the epic Barney Miller vid. X blew me away in high school. I live in San Diego, and was lucky to see them many times. Weirdest circumstances, in Southern California, there is a phenomenon called "Grad Night." High school seniors are bussed to Disneyland for a night of fun. Usually a few insipid pop groups play. My Grad Night, X and The Blasters both played, TWICE each. Epic.
Lyrically, X always reminded me of Beat-era writing paired with ferocious punked-up Americana.
X!!! These are my homeboys. I grew up in Los Angeles in the 70s and 80s, so when John is singing things like "Mexican kids shooting fireworks below", man does it make me home sick for a place I didn't even appreciate when I was there (you don't know what you have until you lose it). And if Billy Zoom doesn't make you want to jump in a Hot Rod Lincoln and floor it, then you should see a cardiologist. Now if you're wondering what "Hot Rod Lincoln" has to do with X and Billy, it doesn't other than being a great old rockabilly tune that name checks San Pedro, CA (the most southern neighborhood in Los Angeles), home town of another great band The Minutemen and to a much lesser degree, myself. (just felt compelled to make a connection to your T-shirt, myself and X because I'm mental)
I love that a lot of your favorite X tunes are mine too, but I guess that just makes sense since they're just great tunes period. I want to say Nausea, See How We Are, 4th of July, Blue Spark, and Los Angeles are my top 5 tracks, but honestly it is like a Sophie's choice with so many other top tier songs. There are few bands that consistently pump out masterpieces like X do.... except the Aint Love Grand album. Just get the version of "Burning House of Love" and "What's Wrong with Me" that are on the Beyond and Back comp and let's all pretend Aint Love Grand never happened.
Great episode, good stuff. Agree with your Black Sun assessment: Zoom plays one of the best rock n' roll guitar solos ever on "The Hungry Wolf". Reason? THERE IS NO GUITAR SOLO. Just a faint plaintive wail at 1:42 where one should be. Absolutely haunting.
Haha! You're so right! You know, it seems to be a truism that guitarists (or any musician really) who serves each song, rather than their ego, goes criminally underrated. With someone like Zoom, who can stretch out and play in dozens of styles, and could solo for hours, he should be appreciated for the restraint and taste he's shown in the entire X catalog. To be in the studio recording Hungry Wolf and to say, "Hmmm... might be cool if my guitar simply let out a howl like a wolf here," that's some next level shit.
I remember the "Hungry Wolf" video playing on MTV a lot back in the day. Not to be confused with the Duran Duran song of course
I was already intrigued... But the Ron Funhouse comparison has me all in...
Haha, for that song it's true! But Billy's guitar is a lot of things all at once. More than anything you'll hear a Chuck-Berry-on-speed effect. When playing live, he makes the hardest things look effortless thanks to his angelic, smiling face--and his hands barely moving!
I really tried to get into X, and had an album or two but maybe living in NZ the grittiness didn't translate well to a country of sheep and rolling hills. Inspired now to have another listen with the ears of an older man. Be great to have a video that features bands from down under if you're up for it. Please God, no Crowded House though. Check out some Flying Nun bands if you're keen on jangly indie music. The Verlaines and Straitjacket Fits are stull on high rotate...oh and the Sceptics are amazing too.
Another great deep dive. The only thing X related that I have is "Meet John Doe" and I did read "Under the Big Black Sun" because I enjoy a lot of the bands from that scene. I liked your recent vinyl finds video and am hoping you do more of those.
Thanks, Maria! Glad you enjoyed it. I know that John Doe solo record has a cult following, but hadn't really explored it myself. I'll definitely have to check it out. And I appreciate the heads up on the vinyl-finds video. I'd love to bring more of those updates to you.
I started with Under a Big Black Sun. "Nausea" is my favorite tune as well. I always picture Billy Zoom with his permanent grin while he grinds out those massive riffs. when you compared Exene and John to Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, did you mean Marty Balin? (oh no-I'm a HIPPY!)
Hey Robert! Yes, Billy's grin is permanent. He once said he hated how guitarists would play something simple and contort their faces trying to make the crowd think they're playing something difficult. He decided to play really difficult stuff, and look as if he's playing the easiest thing in the world. And yes, I meant Grace and Paul, as far as being a couple and songwriting together, and having discordant voices and sort of being creative hippie-types, etc, etc. But Marty's voice is exceptional as is John's, so I see why you might have thought that.
Somebody once gave me a mix cassette with "Universal Corner" on it. amazing track!
So good!
Definitely one of my top 5 favorite X songs.
So after talking shit about Aint Love Grand, I went and listened to the "Around My Heart" vid you linked to....and I liked it. When I first listened to Aint Love Grand I was still a young punk rocker absolutely mortified about the high gloss production. Aint Love Grand was the only X album I ever chucked across the room in disgust....but that high gloss production is kind of making me nostalgic for the late 80s now. I've obviously softened up with age and am more receptive to it. The song writing on X's worst album is still miles better than most bands magnum opus. Guess I'm going to have to go dig out a cassette from 30 year old deep storage and give it another whirl....as soon as I can find a cassette player. XD
I'm so glad you said that, because I was totally going to launch into a defense of Ain't Love Grand. Believe me, I was like you when I first encountered the album. It was not the X I was used to and I didn't think much of it. But it grew with me over the years; as did See How We Are. Nowadays whenever I feel like putting on some X, I occasionally find myself in the mood to hear those albums.
@@PopCultureGraveyard Yea I'm finding all kinds of music I wanted nothing to do with back then enjoyable nowadays. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe I'm just lamenting the sorry state of music nowadays, maybe it the delirium from the constant knee and back pain from getting older.
Speaking of getting older, are you still discovering new bands? I love all these retrospectives, but I'd be curious if you'd recommend any underappreciated bands in the last 10 years or so. Every once in a while I still stumble onto a really great new band.
@@LividImp Well since you asked, I did a “Best 20 Albums of the Last 20 Years” episode a while back that you might wanna check out
@@PopCultureGraveyard Ah. I'm fairly new to your channel, I'll have to do some back tracking then.
@@LividImp Well, I'm glad you're here! If you're interested:
ruclips.net/video/0-O85qwlqgA/видео.html
Yes, the Decline Of Western Civilization! Introduced me to X, Black Flag and the Germs back in 81
And Fear.
Yes, that film did god's work, turning on so many people to that scene!
NOLA, like New Orleans? You a fan of The Normals?
@@LividImp Yes indeed! I remember those cats.. I was a little to young for the club scene when they first hit. I turned 18 in 1982. There was another band that was pretty big locally called "The Cold"
@@nolagospeltracts8264 I saw "NOLA" and your interest in punk and I thought you might know who they were. Super underrated band.
I started The Normals Facebook page back before Facebook got big and corporate. It was just a fan page I never thought anyone would pay attention to (I knew one guy who even knew who The Normals were back then). But the page got flooded with all these people from the NOLA scene. So now I have this weird affinity for this scene I was never a part of, in a town I've never set foot in. I still technically "own" the page, but I'm never on Facebook anymore so I gave control of it to the guy that runs Last Laugh records (who put out some of The Normals stuff).
(re: Johny Hit and Run Paulene) 3:05 "Billy's opening Bo Diddley intro..."
I think you mean Chuck Berry. :^P
Ugh. You know I taped the Bo Diddly line, and was like, "Oh, shit, I mean Chuck Berry." So I taped it again saying Chuck Berry. And, of course, in the HOURS it took me to edit this, I left in the wrong one. The struggle is real, Ed. Hopefully it doesn't detract too much.
@@PopCultureGraveyard Hah, yeah, sorry to be that guy. Great video by the way. I only mentioned that intro because I think it highlights the secret sauce of that band's early period, the Chuck Berry meets The Ramones style of guitar work. Billy Zoom might be my all time favorite guitarist. He's had a lot of health issues in his later years and I hope he's doing well. I never saw them back in the day (despite seeing The Blasters, Lone Justice, and several Kinman bands), I was a little too young, but I caught them a couple of times when they toured in recent decades.
You ever think about a R.E.M deep dive - the IRS years?
I do, actually. An REM early years episode. My favorite era.
@@PopCultureGraveyard Got to see them on the Murmur, Reckoning & Fables tours. Never got to see X though.
@@PopCultureGraveyard Yea, definitely. Early REM is underrated. Radio Free Europe, Carnival of Sorts, Harborcoat, 1,000,000, Driver 8, that's the REM I seemingly can not get tired of.
@@LividImp Yes! Harborcoat may be my all-time favorite REM tune. But all that early stuff is magical, and Mikey Mills backing vocals are the secret sauce in that recipe!
@@nolagospeltracts8264 Cannot believe you got to see them on the Murmur tour! Awesome. I saw them on the Fables tour in July of 1985. The Can't Get There From Here single had just come out the month before. It was sweltering heat but Michael Stipe performed the whole concert in a long trench coat, sunglasses and fedora, looking like the IRS Records logo man. Great show.