Customer Reviews

Germfree Adolescents - Expanded

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The Sex Postols thing was Anarchy, the Clash did politics. The X-Ray Spex were THE punk band to take a big stand on consumerism. And oh how well Poly Styene did just that. Art-I-Ficial, The Day the World Turned DayGlo, and the classic, Oh Bondage! Up Yours! among other greats on this album not only sound fabulous, but rally with passion against the throw-away advertisement filled society that is just that much more relevant today. And if you think chicks jsut can't do punk vocals like the boys can, well Poly Styrene is in a league of her own there... I'd say she's even better than Exene Cervenka of X, and definetly better than Brody Dalle of The Distillers. The sound of the album is very fresh and modern, even though it's from the punk heyday 77 era, the X Ray Spex certainly didn't fall into the trap of so many bands that just tried to rip off the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, but took that punk energy and expressed in a unique, individualistic kind of way... which was the whole point of punk anyway.

So, basically what I'm saying is this is a fabulous album from a fabulous band... no cookie-cutter punk here, but a real gem. No matter what kind of punk you like (I'm usually more into the American stuff than the English myself), This is a must.

X-ray Spex were always one of the bands that got referenced as part of the British punk explosion, but rarely heard. This is a tragedy, because both as part of a broader scene and as a stand-alone CD, I can tell you that this record sounds absolutely amazing, and more than earns its place as a classic must-own record. And unlike some of the bands and albums from that time that sound a little dated now (yes, even the Sex Pistols, though I still love them), this record sounds like it could have been released last month. Poly Styrene's voice is a powerful, shattering thing, and once you hear it you'll know where Kathleen Hanna got all of her style from. The songs are fast, catchy, and truly pioneering of the sound that a thousand imitators have tried to copy ever since. And X-ray Spex were innovative on top of all that, with a saxophone player lending a unique twist to their postmodern punk. Do yourself a favor and get this album now, because it's definitely a need-to-have.

Believe it. The best Brit. Punk Album ever. Better than the Sex Pistols 'Never Mind the Bollocks' & better than the Clash's '1st'. It also boasts my favorite punk song ever 'Germ Free Adolescence' which just beats out 'Identity' & 'Day the World Turned Day-Glo' - This album has it all & was the main reason for me getting interested in the punk scene back in the 70's when I was still a school kid. The best Brit. Punk Album in the best Punk Album Sleeve ever with the best selection of Punk Tracks & the best female Punk Vocalist anywhere. Forget 'Siouxsie', 'Pauline Murray' or any of the others. No-one came close to the urban-decay/Concrete jungle screech of 'Poly Styrene' (Maybe the best Punk Moniker ever!) I know I like saying punk a lot in this review but this album really captured the punk era for me. Quick catchy songs with great guitar riffs complimenting the audio assault of Miss Styrene's completely unique voice. I'm sorry I don't know her real name but she'll always be Miss Styrene to me. I actually get very nostalgic listening to this - the good old school days when punk seemed to offer so much but was actually as hollow as the rest of the music industry. Still, anyone with an interest in British Punk or Classic Punk in general must have this album. By the way did I mention that this was/is the best British Punk album ever. Well believe it. Grab it today

I got this whilst in the US a few years ago. My son was reliving his 'punk' era days and wanted this as a birthday gift. I couldn't find it in the UK, but Amazon came up trumps in the US. He was so delighted (in UK we say 'Chuffed', he was really chuffed).