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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Still Annoying After All These Years, July 3, 2007
I can still remember listening to this album for the first time. It might seem stupid, but I honestly felt betrayed. Then depressed. Then annoyed. Maybe all at the same time. I don't know. I love X, I always will, but Ain't Love Grand wasn't the X I loved. It's been at least fifteen years since the last time I listened to this album all the way though - most of my other X stuff has worn out and I've been replacing it - so naturally my thoughts turned to Ain't Love Grand. I think "Gee, it's been a long time since I listened to it, maybe it wasn't all that bad." But, you know, even after all these years, the album still has the power to annoy. The band is buried under the production. I've always loved Exexe's voice, even before she could really sing, but on at least two tracks here - "Burning House of Love" and "Around My Heart" - Mr. Wagener has reduced her to studio vapor; a kind of heavenly one woman choir bouncing off the walls. Hearing something like that makes me so mad I want to spit. I think I did when I first heard it. What kills me is that a lot of these songs are good songs and with a different producer the album probably would have worked. "My Goodness," "What's Wrong With Me" and "Little Honey" are standouts regardless. That's basically what the two stars are for. And some of these songs can be heard much better elsewhere. "Love Shack" shows up on Poor Little Critter On The Road. A few more turn up on Live at the Whisky and Unclogged, far more listenible than the Ain't Love Grand versions. Anyway, enough already. And by the way, I'm not one of those guys who think X put out four great albums and then quit. I loved See How We Are and Hey,Zeus!
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
X IT'S THE MID 80'S HELP US WE NEED MONEY & FAME, April 2, 2005
O.K. I agree with what most people have to say about this album, how heavy handed the production is etc. but in defense of the band and the producer lets just look at the facts. Whilst all our opinions count, they will always vary greatly and thats what makes life interesting. Fact 1.You play in of the one more original and underated L.A. bands since the Doors. Fact 2.You have a record company hungry to re-coup the cash they sunk into you're earlier efforts,whilst showing great promise you only had small record sales.Fact 3. Hire Michael Wagener of Alice Cooper fame to produce Ain't love Grand if only to get the record company off you're back.Fact 4. I don't care what anyone says but the Wagener produced albums of Alice Cooper's in the early to mid 70's, rock as hard as any of the new punk rock music that was to come(just listen to the Killer album).Fact 5. unless we we're all there in the studio when X recorded, who really knows what happened, it all just speculation.Now onto the non- facts I love X nearly and dearly with all my heart so much so that I have a great big X tattoed over my heart.In my ears, X never really did make a bad album just different records in a developing career, wether we the fans, agree or disagree with their desicions is entirely up to us as individuals.This album appears to have been fraught with danger from the very beginning, with John and Exene's ensuing personal issues as well as Billy Zoom deciding to quit the band,does this sound like a recipe for creative success , I personally would think not.When I put this album on to listen to I don't go in my head( oh my god I'm listening to the worst X album they ever made) I just let myself get into the music. Songs such as My Goodness crap over the latest effort from over produced pop muppets such as little Miss Kelly (I wanna be the next Avril) Clarkson's latest effort sorry Kelly I'm sure you're not a bad person(hang on yes you are).Sure this album was made in the middle of the big hair era but please don't use this as an excuse to say that this is why X didn't make a great record.From what I can hear they made the album that they had too make, not the album the we wanted them too make. There are still even hints of X's early sneering punk legacy in such songs as What's wrong with Me.Metal-billy makes an appearance in the form of the brilliant Dave Alvin penned Little Honey I think Billy Zoom shines on this track (which you can hear warts an' all on the Xcellent Knitters Poor Little Critter in the Road)and Burning house of Love rocks.The only song that ever really caught me off guard was their choice of the Small Faces All or Nothing(I never really did get this) and song such as Watch the sun Go Down, shows us to which direction The John Doe thing would take in another couple of years time .So maybe when you listen to this album don't be so harsh, maybe X are just victims of circumstances and the times, look out for those huge drum sounds BOOM! BOOM! BOOM ! Please Mr Producer man can I get a little more reverb on the snare thnx it's like record company executives had only just discovered reverb for the first time( it was total reverb mania in the 80's).Anyway after all is said and done you may still not like this album but at least try to be a little open-minded and forgiving. Because when you play in a band you don't always get to do things you want to do on a recording and I feel I can speak from experience, as a musician.As Jerry Dammers (of the Specials fame) once said in an early 80's interview and I still tend to agree with him, he said " there is no such thing as bad music there is only music that I like or that you don't like".
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The production is dated, but the songs & performances aren't, January 18, 2003
By A Customer
A lot of folks are overly harsh when discussing this title. True, the Heavy Metal production certainly does NOT mesh with the band's Punk/Rockabilly sensibility but this shouldn't detract from the fact that the album contains fine songs and performances. You gotta give X a break... despite critical accolades and a devoted cult following, their record sales weren't exactly astronomical. Desperate to finally break big, they made the misstep of hiring a "Hair Band" producer and, though not exactly pleased with the results (they have since all but written this album off), they, sure enough, did finally receive radio airplay with "Burning House of Love." Just remember, X was practically incapable of writing a bad song. If you can get past the heavy-handed production, there is a lot to treasure here. The songs reflect Exene Cervenka and John Doe's breakup and divorce and this is the last X title for brilliant guitarist Billy Zoom before he jumped ship. Certainly not their best title but nowhere near as wretched as some punk purists would have you believe. Plus, one should own every X title as they are certainly one of the most criminally overlooked bands in rock history.
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