Sat Apr 10 2021
5
Wow! What a kickass album. I love the vocalist and the shitty saxophone. Girl punks > Boy punks
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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Germfree Adolescents
X-Ray Spex
1978
- Album Summary
Germfree Adolescents is the debut album of English punk rock band X-Ray Spex. It contained the UK hit singles "The Day the World Turned Dayglo" (No. 23 in April 1978), "Identity" (No. 24 in July 1978) and "Germ Free Adolescents" which reached No. 18 in November 1978. Upon release, the critics noted it wasn't all new material: five songs on the twelve tracks had already been released on A Sides and B sides of singles.
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Wed Apr 21 2021
5
Absolutely fresh as fuck punk. Love it. Can't believe I haven't heard of these guys before!
Thu Jul 08 2021
4
Proto-riot-grrrl English punks, with clear influences from the Sex Pistols and clear influences on 80's ska-punk bands. Catchy, with some inconsistent guitar effects choices.
Fri Jul 16 2021
5
Simply, one of my favourite albums of any genre. Crackles with energy and possesses a spring and a bounce that is all too rare. Poly Styrene was an electric frontwoman. The saxophone should have featured more in punk. I'd give this six stars if I could
Fri Dec 17 2021
5
Hidden gem! I've never heard of this group before but this album speaks directly to my musical sensibilities and tastes. It's remarkable how much Poly Styrene's vocals remind me of Kathleen Hanna. I'm digging this so much. Plus, fuck yeah, saxophone!! I am instantly in love with this record and Poly Styrene. She is a punk goddess and badass feminist icon. Oh bondage up yours indeed!
Mon Apr 10 2023
5
My new favorite pastime is reading reviews of punk albums on this site and finding all the reviews that complain about punk records being repetitive and the songs sounding the same. You guys crack me up. Seriously, never change. Maybe one day you’ll find the prog-punk masterpiece you’re after. In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying this X-Ray Spex record. It’s a classic.
Thu Sep 24 2020
4
incredibly consistent woman-fronted punk album with some early new wave stylings (and a radass saxophone!)
Wed Sep 29 2021
1
Ended up really not liking this album. It was a struggle to get through every song. The singing was too much like yelling, the music had that classic same-y punk feel for me. Presence of the saxophone / other unique bits did not save this album for me.
Tue Jun 01 2021
5
FASCINANTE. Me encantó y no la vi venir. Punk bien punk de pendejos y mujeres que se cansaron del estereotipo de mujercita correcta. La verdad muy muy bueno. Se extiende un poco mas de lo que quisiera, pero no se hace imposible de terminar. Aparentemente es el unico que sacaron, asi que don't know. Me gusta mucho la voz que mezcla Patty Smith con Karen O, es imposible hacer la comparación. Las letras son super juveniles y bordean lo burlesco, para la epoca no era tan normal, pero resalta un monton. Faveadisimo. -El primer tema TIENE que haber sido la inspiracion de Edgar Wright para el opening de Scott Pilgrim.
Wed Sep 29 2021
5
Not on Spotify but found it on YouTube. Doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Great female fronted punk with a freaking saxophone! So many good melodies - I’m going 5 stars!!
Fri Mar 12 2021
4
super fun slop rock
Fri Jun 04 2021
4
Kick ass! Straight raw punk, definitely not for everyone, but this is exactly what it's supposed to sounds like, no over production, no radio hits, no shits given and plenty of sax!
Fri Jul 30 2021
4
Surprised that I enjoyed as much as I did. The saxophone was SICK. This record basically begged me to have a good time, and although I'd typically roll my eyes, I couldn't resist.
Fri Oct 15 2021
4
This sounds like something that could've come out last week: hooks and annoyance. That sax! Angry and fun, this was a real surprise. Given that they only released a few singles and one album, seems they didn't fuck about. (I wonder how much of the difficulty in finding this album (it's not complete or available on Spotify or Apple Music locally) is because of Polly Styrene's 2009 beef with Google over royalties?)
Wed Oct 20 2021
4
Had to go to find a playlist on YouTube for this one.
Thu Nov 25 2021
4
So much energy! This record speeds by quickly and it's such a shame the band only released one album during their heyday. Every song reminds me of other songs that came later, which shows how important and influential this record was when it was released. An Essential listen for fans of female-fronted bands of all genres!
Fri Nov 26 2021
4
I was really excited to get this album, since I became acquainted with the band through their song "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" earlier this year and really liked it. This whole album is filled with a similar energy and approach to that song. There is something weirdly fun about the combination of punk and saxophones. It's really too bad that this band doesn't get more recognition as a pioneer. The title track stands out a lot as being a sort of proto-post-punk song (whatever that means) 4/5
Fri Dec 03 2021
4
Get's straight to the point. A brilliant and varied selection of little punk gems. Came close to full marks but I still find a couple of tracks difficult to connect with. Germ Free Adolescents is a stone cold classic.
Thu Dec 09 2021
4
What an album...one great tune after another and refreshingly different from anything else at the time. My vinyl copy is an early British pressing and doesn't even include their most famous song Oh Bondage Up Yours, but amazingly Germ Free Adolescents does not suffer for its absence. 4.5 🌟
Fri Jan 07 2022
4
Ah, Poly Styrene (RIP) and the gang! Great punk album this, Poly was and still is a feminist Icon, she took the bull by the horns and lead that group of Punk women who changed the face of Rock & Roll in the late 70's. I have this original vinyl in my collection, but first heard the band on the "Live At The Roxy" album where they did "Oh Bondage! Up Yours" a classic of the oeuvre! Highlights for me are "Warrior In Woolworths" (I can't believe there is a whole generation that have no understanding of what Woolworths meant to working class families!)
Fri Jan 14 2022
4
It's a great album. Poly Styrene is a great vocalist with a unique style, and the album is mostly thrashy fun. Warrior in Woolworths is such a great song. Even saxophone breaks can't ruin this record for me! A lot of good stuff, but then at the end, Germ Free Adolescent is a beautiful moment of vulnerability. That's a rare trait in punk, and it really works. Beautiful. Finally, I'm listening to the reissue, because to deny myself Oh Bondage Up Yours would be a sin.
Fri Jan 21 2022
4
Never heard of them before. Wish I had. What a solid band from front to back. Love the horns as well, almost brings an element of ska to the punk. And with a name of Poly Styrene as the lead singer... this is awesome!
Thu Feb 11 2021
3
Somewhere between ska, new wave, and the Dead Kennedys. Poly Styrene's vocals take some getting used to, but I eventually got it. The saxophone, however, is a novelty that wears off. Announcing the song title at the beginning of the song does as well. Favorite tracks: "Identity", "Plastic Bag"
Thu Jun 24 2021
3
When this first came on my first thought is that it would be getting 5 stars. I love most punk stuff and the addition of the saxophone was really cool but pretty much every song on this album sounds exactly the same. I need just a little bit more variety to keep me interested for the length of the whole album.
Wed Aug 04 2021
3
If Blondie got together with the Sex Pistols this would be their lovechild. Kudos for their audacity and energy. Poly Styrene is a great front-woman and the cheap sounding sax is a refreshing change.
Wed Aug 04 2021
3
You gotta like the energy and relentless screaming. The singer sounds like a female version of Johnny Rotten. The saxophone, though a bit squeaky at times, gives them a bit of a Bowie/glammish feel underneath the punk ranting. It definitely sets their sound apart from their contemporaries. The opening track is a classic and the next five or six really rock. They took their foot off the gas for the title track, which was disappointing.
Sun Aug 15 2021
3
The band and the music were new for me. This was an interesting recommendation, with a mix of punk and new wave to the music. It felt like the music could fit in on a playlist with the Talking Heads, the B-52's, and the Pixies, while not being far away from the sounds of more well known punk bands like the Sex Pistols. A punk-ish sound that included saxophone was unexpected. The album was okay, but my individual track ratings started to dip as the album went on. I didn't hear enough variety with my first listen.
Fri Mar 10 2023
3
Some great tracks. I can only imagine the reaction of parents when teenagers brought this record home, and played it loudly in their bedroom!
Sun May 23 2021
2
I get that it’s a style, maybe if an important album to that style but it’s not even slightly enjoyable. The UK-ness of this book is showing.
Wed Jul 26 2023
2
Its not a great album. Its interesting, and punk with a saxophone is different, and the lyrics are smart, but its not great. Or even good. 2/5
Sat Jul 29 2023
1
I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS
Thu Aug 12 2021
5
This was great!!! It's so raw and real. I'm devastated for not know this band before. A great album that deserves much more attention. The songs are cool and different during the whole album, this "punk" sax thing is kind of a special thing and the vocalist is a very good example of the best punk singer. I don't have any complaints. Just a great album.
Fri Nov 05 2021
5
yup
Thu Nov 18 2021
5
Sheer brilliance. Pure punk with a charismatic vocalist.
Thu Dec 16 2021
5
I can here where the B-52’s got a lot of inspiration from.
Thu Jan 20 2022
5
Quite simply one of the greatest albums of the punk era.
Sun Jan 23 2022
5
Not on Tidal. Not on Spotty-fry. Not on Hamazon Music. YouTube? Yeah, that's got it. And I'm glad I looked for it, because it's a solid album.
Wed Feb 02 2022
5
A classic. Thoughtful, early punk. When so many bands were busy being "weird" or "edgy" for edginess sake, they were the real deal. This album has held up very well throughout the years. Can hear who they've influenced over the years, from Bikini Kill to Rocket From the Crypt. I really need to revisit this one more often.
Mon Feb 07 2022
5
Just incredible
Thu Feb 10 2022
5
Épico, poderoso, à frente do seu tempo. Riot grrrl at its finest.
Mon Apr 18 2022
5
Oddly overlooked first wave of punk stone cold classic.
Thu May 05 2022
5
Touching on themes like capitalism, consumerism, scientific progress, advertising, young people, feminism, aging, fame, identity, and more. The critiques on this album are as sharp and relevant today as they were in 1978. All of that is tied together in a nice little punk/new-wave packaged with wicked saxophone accompaniments. The music has a kitschy theatrical feel to it that drives the message home even further. I honestly couldn't ask for anything more. I am reminded of The Peptides when listening to this. I had never heard of this band or album before, but this is a real gem, really glad to have found it. NOTE: Youtube Music does not have the tracks arranged in the proper release order :( Fav Tracks: Honestly ever track here is great. But if I have to choose: Plastic Bag, I Can't Do Anything, Identity
Mon May 09 2022
5
Inicios del punk-rock. Vinilo.
Fri Jun 24 2022
5
Absolutely loved all of it. I've never heard of this band and this album is now one of my favorites. When it ended, I even listened to all the bonus tracks and then wanted to listen to their entire discography back to back... turns out they only made two albums.. and this is their only one on Spotify. That's the first time I've ever done that from what I remember. Whoever's that saxophonist, I hope he's alive and healthy. What a legend.
Fri Jul 22 2022
5
Really enjoyed this one, energetic & driving guitars with sax blended in throughout. Unexpectedly amazing
Thu Jul 28 2022
5
I love this album. This was one of my favorite albums growing up and remains a favorite today. I’m sure that the combination of sax, nearly operatic screaming, and the punk aesthetic may seem odd at first listen, but part of the point of making a project of this album generator (and the point of listening to new music in general!) is to learn about the multitude of ways music speaks to a multitude of people. The seeming clash of sounds on Germ-Free Adolescents is purposeful. The sax may represent the traditional oldheads in British society, as it often is involved with a sort of mocking call and response to Poly Styrene’s vocals. This album’s primary theme is anti-consumerism — the clash of musical sounds lead to something that is, on its surface, not at all commercialized. It’s new, it’s odd, it’s art, and, yes, it’s punk at its core. Every song is a trip to the sky, where you find yourself looking at the world with a bird’s eye view, exploitative capitalist consumerist systems clearly at play. Musically and in its message, this album taught me so much when I first heard it in high school. There’s still much to be gleaned from it today. An easy 5.
Wed Aug 10 2022
5
How is this album not even averaging a 3 right now? Looks like y'all don't like a female singer? GTFO
Thu Sep 01 2022
5
Never heard this before yesterday, freaking rocks though. Reminds me of Bikini Kill in a way, love it.
Thu Oct 06 2022
5
Holy crap! This may be my favorite punk album so far, and maybe one of my favorite albums. Poly Styrene was a fucking force of nature! So bright and with an incredibly powerful voice. The sax playing of Lora Logic brings so much melody and texture to the sound of every song. The drive of the fuzzed out guitar and the high speed rhythm section is awesome, but the sax makes the whole thing stand out in a truly unique way. What a great album!
Fri Dec 23 2022
5
cool
Thu Jan 12 2023
5
Been listening to this since 7th grade. The best. So happy to revisit.
Mon Feb 13 2023
5
A standout early punk album. It definitely has its own thing going on and that's a big part of the charm. The only problem I have with the album isn't a problem at all: I though Oh Bondage! Up Yours! was on this album. It was not. It was a single. I just wish it was here. A classic of the genre regardless.
Mon Mar 06 2023
5
honkin good stuff
Sun Mar 12 2023
5
I am huge fan of early, raw 70s punk, Poly Styrene was a queen.
Tue Apr 04 2023
5
Loud, colourful, fun, unapologetic. This is a punk album that still feels relevant. The simultaneous embrace and critique of consumerism feels very contemporary, even 40 years later. It's energetic and fun. I listened to this through four times in a row, and enjoyed it more every time it went through. This is 4.,5 stars; the only failing is that it doesn't have Oh! Bondage Up Yours on it, which would make it perfect. (I know this was corrected on the deluxe CD reissue, but I REALLY want a vinyl version with it on). But I'm rounding up, because I enjoyed this so much. I think "I Am A Poseur" is my new personal; theme song.
Tue Apr 04 2023
5
For me Germ Free is the sound of Double J in the late 70's, timeless, wonderful song, quite a songwriter was Poly. Good use of horns a la The Saints, and young Jak could play an awesome punk guitar. I reckon the intro to Day Glo inspired quite a few bedroom guitarists to get out and to their thing. The other thing to say is Falcon pulled off a great sound here, sounds amazing for the era, the mix of guitars and sax is brilliant, Art I Ficial is huge. Good gosh a mighty, this is a great record, goes beyond the genre and the times, love it.
Thu Apr 13 2023
5
Did music ever move as quickly as it did in the three years from 1977-1980? New Rose by the Damned was October 1976 and barely two years later bands like X-Ray Spex were moving light years beyond the speeded up pub rock punk template. Oh! Bondage Up Yours is one of the classic punk singles - a howl of protest from an extra-ordinary new sort of singer in Poly Styrene, mixed race, wearing braces and with a sandblasting voice. But by their debut album the punk howl was only one of their registers. The title track opens on a hypnotic synth riff and an unfolding rhythm that the new romantics a few years later would kill for. Then there’s Rudi Thompsons er unique sax playing - in fact Laura Logic and even someone called Ted all took a turn at the sax keys. Along with the thrilling sound what impresses in this album forty years on is the strength of the ideas. From OCD cleanliness, genetic engineering, the emptiness of consumerism, personality and identity crises: this is a cumulatively brilliant critique of late seventies society. Though its the student radicalism of the Gang of Four who get the plaudits for injecting post-punk with the overtly political, and the Au Pairs who hold the feminist ring, this album holds its own with both of them in the strength of its ideas. An essential album, one of the albums on the cusp of punk/post-punk that has lasted best. 4.5 stars but surely needs rounding up.
Thu Apr 27 2023
5
X-Ray Spex's messaging is peppy in spades and wouldn't take much to comprehend if it weren't for the slight lack of coherence on their debut. It's from precisely between those things that the joy springs. The album pulls you along, keeps it brief, loses no impact at all. Sax-powered plastic punk is without equal.
Wed May 24 2023
5
A surprisingly strong punk album. Standouts include I Am A Cliche, Identity, Cigarettes, and Germfree Adolescents.
Tue Jun 20 2023
5
Musically very good. Not sure about the singer. Her voice suits the style and the music. Really good, love the quirky nature of it.
Wed Jun 28 2023
5
This is what makes this list worth it. What a great album that predates riot grrrl by almost a decade and a half. Sounds super fresh and unique. Shame I'd never heard of them since they should be more well known.
Sat Jul 29 2023
5
Fucking epic! Oi! 5 stars.
Mon Jul 31 2023
5
Goofy but genuinely good pop-punk. The first track kind of threw me off, but the rest of the album is really energetic and just makes you want to dance. The singer has the right combination of charisma and great vocals. Love the saxophone. And the retro-futuristic theme in some of the songs gives them a cool flare (or futuristic, for the time, I guess).
Tue Aug 22 2023
5
More fantastic energetic punk fun. Loving this!
Thu Aug 31 2023
5
Top to bottom a bratty punk mess and it’s all the better for it Poly Stryene was born to be a punk rocker! You can hear her influence all over the Riot Grrl scene. Snotty and bratty in all the best ways. A classic in its genre!
Mon Sep 11 2023
5
Much more influential than the boys would like you to believe
Wed Nov 01 2023
5
Somewhere between 4 and 5, but giving it a 5 because it’s basically Bikini Kill 10 years before their first album. Plus I love sax
Wed Nov 01 2023
5
Am I giving out too many 5s? Whatever, this deserves it. Top to bottom bangers. Incredible and ahead of its time.
Wed Nov 01 2023
5
It’s all about the sax. This is up there with X for late first wave punk. It’s a shame they never made a follow up, this record is so strong it makes you wish for more
Fri Nov 24 2023
5
Oh Bondage. Up Yours! I didn't come to this album until many years after its release. X-Ray Spex was never much of a thing here in the U.S. That's a pity. Poly Styrene (what a great punk name) and company pack a wallop into a mere 41 minutes of music. Full of political and social commentary, wailing saxophone, and Styrene's screaming vocals, Germfree Adolescents is an iconic British punk album. Granted, this is not for everyone. If you like sweet pop music or headbanger rock, you won't get this album. If you like old school punk - hell, if you like any punk - then this album will grab you.
Fri Dec 01 2023
5
What a fun album! Poly Styrene’s voice has such a forceful character that works perfectly for the music. This is definitely a 4.5 star album for me.
Tue Sep 29 2020
4
Super band de punk garage, j'aime bien ça.
Fri Dec 04 2020
4
Goeie oude punk met vrouwenstem. Eigenlijk een van de beste punkalbums met vrouwenstem moet ik zeggen.
Thu Feb 04 2021
4
A bit different but I like it
Sun Feb 21 2021
4
Straight forward 70’s punk with a hint of saxophone. Lots of fun
Sun Mar 07 2021
4
Amazing
Thu Feb 18 2021
4
Yeah, this was great - love that saxamaphone added to the punk sound. Lyrically this album is so much more relevant than the Sex Pistols' manufactured nihilism. Fave track - "Identity" - mainstream culture is only now (kinda) catching up with what this song is saying!
Fri Jul 16 2021
4
Oh man. This was such a welcome addition to this week’s listening. Really enjoyed it. “Germ Free Adolescents” is so good! Love that vocal performance. Somebody needs to do a playlist of tunes with saxophones in unlikely places.
Wed Mar 10 2021
4
Catchy punk album, as fresh as it was at the day!
Tue Mar 23 2021
4
Love this but can't go as high as a 5
Tue Apr 27 2021
4
"I know you're antiseptic, your deodorant smells nice I'd like to get to know you but you're deep-frozen like the ice" (Germfree adolescence) Obsesionada con las pintas de esta gente, decepcionada con que haya tan pocas fotos en internet.
Mon Apr 19 2021
4
Had a lot of fun with this.
Fri Apr 09 2021
4
Actually really enjoyed this. A lotta fun. Lots of comedy lyrics and track names like Warrior in Woolworths. Will go again
Thu Jun 03 2021
4
i really liked this album!
Thu Jun 03 2021
4
This album is cool! Punk as hell and pretty groovy too. The sax is an interesting touch. Polly Styrene had a cool voice. I definitely hear the influence on someone like Corin Tucker.
Fri May 07 2021
4
The Day the World Turned Day-Glo, Identity, Let's Submerge, Oh Bondage! Up Yours!, Age e Obssessed With You
Fri May 07 2021
4
Great punk rock almost vicious. Loved it!!!
Thu May 13 2021
4
love it, refined lady-sonics.
Tue Jun 01 2021
4
Pufffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff!!! Todo lo que me gusta. Todo.Ese punk-pop con vientos es todo lo que me gusta. Me hace acordar tanto el tono de voz de Bárbara Recanati de Utopians. Escuchen este tema de ellos. "Allá voy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mjx4IHeMg8 En fin. Repito en insisto, el disco es todo lo que está bien en mi cabeza de niño hardocore-ska-punk-fag. ¿Lo voy a volver a escuchar? Pero claro que sí!! 9/10 ludomatics
Thu Jun 24 2021
4
Surprisingly good, honestly quite refreshing to listen to. Dubious sax tuning lmao. Solid, not sure if I would save any of them though.
Mon Jun 14 2021
4
This album is so good. It’s like fire or electricity. Every track is like a straight defibrillator to my brain. Top tracks Obsessed with you Plastic bag Oh bondage up yours
Mon Jul 26 2021
4
A fine nostalgic for me blast from the past. Great songs about consumerism. A favorite of mine
Tue Jul 27 2021
4
There are some really classic brit-punk anthems on this album and Poly Styrene is one of the most iconic female punk singers ever. Punk is my genre and I'm generally here for the riot grrrl thing but I'll admit that, even for me, a whole album of this started to wear me out. 'Oh Bondage, Up Yours" is still one of my favorite punk tracks but I can only take so much. Also saxophone solos can suck it.
Wed Sep 01 2021
4
Punksito alegre, mucha energía, todo suena bien. La voz de la vocalista está suave. Me habría gustado conocer esta banda cuando era adolescente, es lo que pienso. Entre las que más me gustaron: "Art-I-Ficial", "I Can't Do Anything" y "Genetic Engineering". 8.5/10
Thu Sep 02 2021
4
Me gustó mucho en conjunto todo el disco
Thu Sep 16 2021
4
English Punk Rock YESSSSSSSSSSS. Solid 4.5
Wed Sep 22 2021
4
Ja, dit vond ik lekker. Hysterisch maar met de juiste pit
Thu Oct 21 2021
4
Album was awesome. Wish it was on Apple Music. End of the album even better than the top. Meant to be played loud. Really liked Plastic Bag and Dayglo. Good transition time between rock and punk, can see both in this album.
Wed Nov 03 2021
4
Super bon album punk rock, clairement une influence pour plusieurs bands qui ont suivit. À revisiter
Sun Nov 28 2021
4
7/10