Customer Reviews

Beyond and Back: The X Anthology

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Casual fans and folks who want to get introduced to X should first get 'Make The Music Go Bang'. That compilation serves up a 2-CD slice of some of their biggest songs and serves as a proper Greatest Hits package.

'Beyond & Back' is served better as a complimentary collection to 'Make The Music Go Bang' by delving further into the X catalog with rarities, outtakes, B-Sides, and alternate takes on some of their greatest songs.

Together, 'Make the Music Go Bang' and 'Beyond & Back' makes a nice 4 disc set that covers much ground over X's illustrious career.

This album is an anthology of X in the same way as the Beatles' Anthology albums are anthologies of the Fab Four. In other words, as the Amazon review mentions, most of the tracks here are alternate takes, live recordings, rough demos, and heretofore-unreleased tracks.

As such, it is interesting, especially for fans that already have all of the proper studio albums (as I do). But as with the Beatles Anthology albums, a lot of these tracks make me wish I were listening to the familiar versions rather than the almost invariably inferior versions included here.

While true to the rough, homegrown DIY aesthetic that is X, sometimes production and execution DO matter. If these had been the versions that had been originally committed to wax for their studio albums, I probably would not have become the huge fan of X that I became.

Also, a post-Billy-Zoom version of X just doesn't do it for me. Yes, John Doe and Exene were the major songwriting talent in the band, but Zoom's incredible "atomic rockabilly" blasts were the fuel that lifted the songs off the ground into the stratosphere. ANY other guitarist just doesn't fit, especially when X is playing versions of their older classics. Can you imagine the Beatles' "Abbey Road" without George Harrison's masterful guitar work? I can't either. Same effect here with Zoom.

The good news is that a lot of the tracks (at least the earlier ones) DO feature X's original lineup, with Zoom. It's great as a historical document, and it has its rough-hewn charm, but don't confuse this with a best-of album. If you want the real deal, get X's first four albums before you buy this one.

If you never made a show of Xs in the late 70s or early 80s this is the one to get! It was 1980 -- I was living in LA going to college and my girlfriend and I just called it quits. A friend of a friend suggested a trip to the Wiskey-a go go in Hollywood to see a band called X. In that show that night I became a X fan. To this day any X record takes me back to those days of the very early 80s of the LA music scene. This CD -- tho not the best technically -- captures the vitality of the scene - I know I saw it at the time. However the lyrics do not speak to just that time but the themes and feelings relevant today. It speak of lust and love, society and justice (or lack there of) and the 'scene' -- thier music - is a thinking person's punk. A must have CD.

One night after seeing X in 1983, I had a dream I was at Denny's with Billy Zoom. He fed me Caramel Apple Cake from his golden guitar pick. Thusly, if you cannot find a song to love on this thrilling collection of gorgeous hits from this absolutely ground-breaking, earth-shattering, legend-making band, you've been dead too long. No one can claim to know modern music withou knowing X. Amen.

This is a superb double CD collection tracing the music and history of X, arguably one of the most important bands of the late-70's to mid-80's LA punk scene. Collected here are many of the band's original songs, plus several unreleased tracks and some surprises. Highly recommended, along with The Unheard Music, a video devoted to X. (if you can find it!) END

The raw sound on this album is incredible. I will only listen to "The world's a mess; It's in my kiss" if it's from this album. Her voice is so chaotic (and his is so controlled). Listening to it, I kept thinking, "This is how the song is meant to be performed." The sound quality of the whole collection is good enough to be raw and powerful, but not raw enough to be unpleasant.

The first disk is better than the second, but both include song versions that epitomize this band's unique union of man, woman and punk rock.

Simply beautiful. Sharp edges are good, in their voices and the music. If it's tame to the point of being "easy to listen to," then it's not any type of punk rock I want. Studio albums fail to capture punk rock as art 90% of the time, and this album is a good start if you appreciate live music.

Even if this is more "hardcore" than some albums X has released, I feel like I have to tell you that they are never as raw as Black Flag or the Germs.

This is one of my most listened to X albums. Each disc stands on its own. There's no way any fan could gather together so many rarities. I got the 2xCD best of release and it's got too much of the later, weaker material for my tastes. This came out some years before that and mines the unreleased stash that most bands appear to create over a period of years and a number of albums. This reminds me of the unofficial TOM WAITS Tales From the Underground series of 5 cds, lovingly put together by some fan. A wealth of unreleased items as well as tracks from other people's records. SUPERCHUNK did two similar releases culling together b-sides, live tracks and songs that appeared on compilations and not elsewhere. A real service to the fan. This accomplishes the same thing. The X fan should definitely have this. The casual fan should probably just get any of the first 4 albums, particularly with extra tracks because they exist. Heck, you really couldn't go wrong getting this as an overview of the band's best material, assuming you have a little tolerance for the occasional song that is not 100% perfectly recorded. That only applies to about 5 songs on this set anyway.

This official release does a similar thing while concentrating on most of X's finest songs. If you have to have ultra high fidelity for every song, sure, then you'll be disappointed in a handful of some of the demo or live tracks. But, punk rock man. And those songs are far from unlistenable. I've always been a big fan of hearing alternate versions of great songs, whether it's live, demo, studio outtake or a good cover by another band (or like GANG OF FOUR just did and covered their own songs 25 years later). I'm not one to simply listen to the same songs, the same versions, over and over again. I can barely get though say, ROLLING STONES hits from the 60's only because I've been hearing them over a 35 year period. Gimme something different and this 2xCD set fits the bill beautifully. This is much more a punk thing to do than a big music business thing. And that's where X comes from. Not hardcore. They're similar to the JAM and ELVIS COSTELLO in that they were present during the punk or hardcore era of late 70's and early 80's yet they had their own sound, more like cousins of punk. As ever, the older I get the more I see it's strong song writing that makes the difference. And X has a number of great songs, particularly from the first 4 or so albums and then those 2 emotional and grown up songs that travel lyrically and musically where few others do: 'I Must Not Have Bad Thoughts' and 'See How We Are'. Thanks X for doing this set. I'm also a big fan of X acoustic. Their 'Unclogged' album has Bonebrake on xylephone for some songs and many of X's songs appear translate very well to acoustic. There's a bit of that here.

In fact, the 2xCD greatest hits they just released has too many songs from the latter part of their career for me. It makes that whole second CD not that much of a joy at all. Yes, it's cuz I have a punk rock bent. And when bands I like such as SUPERCHUNK are blazing and then 10 years later start to soften up and, really, I think the song writing then weakens for both bands, well, something like this package gives us the gift of a variety of versions of some of X's finest songs from their strongest period. Who could ask for more? chrisbct@hotmail.com

Still I love it! Would it have nice to have more of the original clean tracks (hits?!?) compiled in one place? Maybe. But I still get a kick out of every low-fi live track, demo alternate version and whatnot. X was that good of a band in their prime. They tailed of quite a bit after MORE FUN IN THE NEW WORLD, but this set manages to mask that by providing the good stuff and masking some others with superior alternate performances.

While X gets lumped in with the LA hardcore scene, they actually had more in common with roots rockers like the Blasters, Los Lobos and the Gun Club. Joe Doe and Exene were salt of the earth poets, John Bonebrake was a powerful drummer and guitarist Billy Zoom was a world class rocker. A great summation of a great band. Get it!!

For years I have been listening to a tape I made back in college that I dubbed "The best of X". When I recieved this album, I put it away in a safe place since this recording will now be my "Best of X". Live cuts, concerts, demos and studio versions are featured on this "must have" recording. John Doe, Billy Zoom, Exene Cervenka and JD Bonebreak rocked in the 80's and this showcases that fury. This one will not leave the tray of my 5 disc changer for quite a while. Xcellent!! X Fans should be Xstatic.

Great rare stuff from X's early days. Demos, in concert, album cuts from all their releases, and even the Knitters side project. Companion booklet gives a real close up of the LA scene while it was happening. Awesome collection from a group that has influenced many of today's bands.