Germfree Adolescents

STOP YELLING AT ME

Sax punk rock. Vocals are hit-or-miss but better than most of the punk albums so far. Kinda indifferent on this one.

I totally didn’t know what I was pressing play on here but… female punk with saxophones?! I did nothing to deserve this gift. I've circled back to this one a few times in the last week because it's so fun and novel and I can't believe I don't hear it get talked about more. We saw a lot of "girl bands" in the 80s (The Bangels, The Go-Go's, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, etc), and it feels like Poly Styrene and the gang could have really hit it big if they weren't 4-5 years ahead of their time. We need more saxophones in punk rock (that ISN'T ska).

I’ve never heard of X-Ray Spex before, but this is quite a cool album cover, and a very interesting album title as well. I don’t really know what to expect from this album, but I’m curious to see what’s in store. Germfree Adolescents was a really fun surprise. X-Ray Spex built a concrete foundation of punk rock, then plopped a neon house of new wave on top, creating a really unique and enjoyable album. The band’s punk energy oozed from Poly Styrene’s Johnny Rotten inspired vocals, and in the lyrics filled with critiques of culture and class in late seventies England. But on top of that, the band filled this album with some great new wave guitar tones and saxophone playing. The highs on this album really soared, and I enjoyed the quick pace of the album. The album’s lead-off track, “Art-I-Ficial” hooked me in from the start, and while not every track was a winner to me, I had a great time with these songs. My favorite songs on the album were “Identity,” “Genetic Engineering,” and “Germfree Adolescents,” with the title track being my favorite of the bunch. “Germfree Adolescents” had an excellent bass groove, and great guitar effects too. The guitar playing just got better and better as the song went on. Germfree Adolescents was a really fun album, and it’s something that I could see myself coming back to.

Really fun album. I only knew Germfree Adolescents and Oh Bondage going in, but there some other great songs on here as well. It's nice to hear a classic punk album that hasn't been played to death, it sounds pretty fresh and ahead of its time. Singer sounds quite like Johnny Rotten, but over all I think these songs are much better than the Sex Pistols. It is a but repetitive, and maybe there are a few songs too many. But I think some of the ones toward the end were bonus tracks. No other notes really.

So, I had two punk albums before this, and I'm not a big fan of punk. It's alright. It has its place. But this was quite delightful. Female punk for a change. And what drive. Two issues for me... the singer's voice gets a bit hard to take whenever she has longer sections of straining to to reach heights her voice isn't well-suited to. Also, the album is a tad too long.

Quite focused on teenyboppers.

Feminist punk rock from the late 70s? Already a positive for me. Very aggressive and fun to boot. Proto-Riot Grrrl? I think so.

Excellent album!! Classic Sinatra. Smooth, clean and fresh. Could listen to this music for hours.

Better than Coldplay

Punk B52s? It’s ok. 2.5

It's a real punk rock

Not my style

Love the sax in the raw punk sound.

Did not enjoy

A fun, high-energy album bursting with personality. A great listen all around.

I can’t believe I’d never heard of this band until now! I love Poly Styrene’s voice — that sharp, punky high tone feels so direct and powerful. It’s amazing that they created this kind of sound while still in their late teens and early twenties. The saxophone gives the music a unique looseness that makes it even more interesting.

Not bad - punky, interesting listen, but won’t be revisiting

This is my brother-in-law’s kind of music. Not for me. Mainly girls yelling. No thanks!

Love the saxophone. Lyrics are great on a few songs and I enjoy her voice when she doesn’t scream her lyrics.

too rowdy for me

110/1001 :: X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 6 Listen before you die: Yes Punk mixed with a little bit of ska. Especially for 1978, my guess is this was fairly influential landing it on the list. That said, while interesting it feels like there’s something missing. More bite maybe or more catchy hooks? Not sure but probably won’t ever return to this.

Two stars for a quirky album from a group I’ve never heard of. Gotta laugh at the sax mixed with heavy guitars.

I don’t know if this just hit me at the right time or what because I really enjoyed it.

This was the musical, female-led side if Punk. The saxophone is brilliant, Germ free adolescents was one if the best punk songs ever and Poly Styrene is an absolute legend. Love it.

Listening to Siouxsie not long ago emphasizes what makes that so interesting and limits this to novelty. The songwriting and melodies were repetitive, the performances... what's the point of specifics. I didn't much like anything about this.

I remember hearing Plastic Bag on Princeton University radio once and the song made such an impact I headed straight over to the Record Exchange to track down the album. I love their humor and I love that saxophone. Great energy and great punk. Is it truly a 5? Maybe not, but it gets a bonus point for nostalgia.

This album creates a very specific ambience. It's sound is both familiar and novel at the same time. The blend of African, French and American is striking. It's a lovely farewell from a very talented musician. Loved it

Favorite Track: Warrior in Woolworths

Added quite a few songs to my Liked Songs playlist

Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as i did. Fun album. Favorite track: identity other picks: warrior in woolworths, i am a poseur, germfree adolescence

hmm, very loud, and not vibing

At a time when not that many punk bands sounded like punk bands, X-Ray Spex breaks the mold. Fast hard, and with plenty of attitude, the Spex perform a blistering set, with saxophone inclusions!

What a fun album. Saxophone!!

I love girl punk

I liked the "don't care" attitude YEAH I, HIT HIM BACK WITH MY, PET, RRRRAT

Wacky and interesting. It's always fun when the saxophones come out to play.

A version of punk rock that's early enough it still feels like rock to me (and not punk). The liked the vocals OK, and the music OK, and really got into a couple of tracks. Anytime saxophone pops up on a rock record it's hard for me to be too upset.

Fun

This one is really fun. I'm a sucker for saxy songs, so already I'm interested. Love the energy, and the sound is fantastic. New to me, I will definitely be coming back to this one. Great album.

First time listening to X-Ray Spex, and I love it! Very good, simple, raw, and even better: a female-fronted group. Very vocal, very political. They don’t have many albums, which is sad, but it’s probably one of those discoveries that will become part of my regular listening.

loved the saxophone and the lyrics were cool! the lead singers voice was not my cup of tea

Weird one this. One of the original punk bands, a one hit wonder. But surprisingly listenable. Would have expected them to be bigger, perhaps they were and I just missed it, I never have been into punk per se. Basically this was ok, and the title track is a classic. Got to be a 3.

A fifth 1 star rating on the trot. A new personal best (worst). But this was better than I expected, but not by much.

This was one of the original Punk movement's better efforts, not quite up there with the Damned or The Clash, but certainly not down n the bottom of the barrel with The Lurkers (thank goodness). I've not listened to this lot for decades, as the simplistic style of Punk just does not have enough to keep be interested for too long, but when one is in the mood for a bit of energy the genre is a good place to go. That said, sorry Polly but this hasn't been, but that could change as I did enjoy it more than I thought i would - caught me on the right day!

Know of the band or rather Poly as they always pop up for 30 seconds in the punk documentaries though never heard a whole album before today. Obviously part of the sex pistols scene, direct linage from garage and golden age rock and roll, that sax, with undertones of reggae influences, the I can start a band and do that my way. As if prog never happened ( smiling emoji). Yeah fun listen 4 Star

I enjoyed the piledriving rock, especially the use of the sax, but the vocals are awful and the pace and sound are relentlessly consistent.

Amazing! I love when women make better music than men (exactly, all the time). The saxophone in this is great

Something on this list that while I have not actually checked out, I have been aware of for a decent chunk of my life and would have inevitably checked out. Honestly? Pretty decent! Not entirely my thing but it was nice actually listening to it after hearing about it all these years. RIP Poly Styrene!

Really enjoyed this one. The saxophone is an unusual choice for a punk-rock band, but it added a cool twist to the straight-ahead punk guitars and drums. If it hadn't been for the saxophone, I would have thought the band came from the 90s Riot Grrrl scene.

Not my thing at all, however, as punk goes a female lead is different to the norm. The 2nd half of the album is also noticeably better than the first. Still punk but far more memorable and catchy. Fave Track = I Live Off You

Great lyrics, pretty decent tunes, the walking wailing turned to go overboard at times. Very respectable punk album.

Bad punk with saxophones and horrible singing

Pleasantly surprised by this one, not a punk fan but found myself enjoying this. Really good guitar and sax and interesting vocals and lyrics. It won't convert me to punk but I enjoyed it.

I prefer punk this way, but it still isn't my preferred vibe! Enjoyed it all the same.

Listened to the band before : No Songs I already knew: none Favourite Songs: Plastic Bag, Warrior In Woolworths Punkish. Some good hooks, pulsating rhythms and decent melodies. The vocals are disconcerting at times although they suit the genre, style and the album as a whole. There is enough variety in this album to make it interesting. Simple songs and moves along.

Proof that punk was attitude more than music. At the heart of this are three minute pop songs. The use of sax sets them apart from the rest of the movement. Overall a fun album. (A great band to use in 6 degrees of separation given their later projects)

Solid punk

There's nothing special about this album. However, I get why people like "Germfree Adolescents". It just isn't for me, a guy who doesn't like 70s British Punk. "Plastic Bag" is a really good song. If only the rest of the album were like that. 2 stars for "Germfree Adolescents".

I liked the saxophone in this, I thought that was an interesting addition. The singing reminded me a little of the B-52s, but a bit more in your face. The song that gave me the biggest eyerolls was "I Am A Poseur" and "Plastic Bag". But the rest is pretty solid punk. Top tracks: "Art-I-Ficial," "I Can't Do Anything," "The Day The World Turned Day-Glo"

For a punk album, it's pretty slick with more melody and chords and not the same DIY basicness of other punk acts. It also includes a lot of sax, which brings another unique element to it. The vocal delivery and lyrics are definitely punkish, but it feels more like Siouxsie and the Banshees post-punk than pure punk. Even though it's hard to put my finger on their sound I can hear it in a lot of 80's punk, post-punk, and new wave and I think that's probably an indication of their influence. I have never heard of them but I still get the impression they were influential. And the whole album is pretty catchy even if not totally my thing or I can't point to specific songs that stand out above the rest (maybe the title track and The Day the World Turned Day-Glo?). Feels like a 3.5 but I'm rounding up for their uniqueness.

Catchy punk tunes with slightly off-key (but energetic) singing and somewhat amateurish sax playing - I want to say the sax sounds "flat" - not in an out-of-tune way, but just lacking energy, despite the speed of the playing. Supporting this impression, when I heard Identity I thought, "Hey, the sax sounds a lot better now!"...and then saw it was a different sax player. Still, the sax is a nice touch and the whole album has a ton of energy. Poly Styrene's singing style grew on me, even the occasional off-key moments, and she was clearly influential so credit where credit's due. Finally, I've got to imagine the live shows were a lot of fun. Favorite tracks: Warrior in the Woolworths, Let's Submerge, Germ Free Adolescents, The Day the World Turned Day-Glo.

punksax, aningen sexigt

Helt okej, men blev ärligt talat lite trött på saxofonen och repetitionen? Vissa låtar är A+B i typ 100 repetitioner och jag orkar inte hahah

Enjoyable 3.5

This album was so fun to listen to!!! Definitely up my alley.

great album!!

Great album, would listen again. Loved to hear where the punk and riot grrrl queens got their screams and styles. Also, I love a saxophone.

Surprised to find out how much depth this band had in their sound and songwriting. I had only heard a few singles before this and was excited to spend my morning with this first wave punk band. The fact that they were so young at the time makes their craftsmanship that much more incredible. On the flip side, one would think a band like KISS would make a powerful statement with their comeback disappointment, 1998’s “Psycho Circus”, specifically because of their age and expertise. Turns out a majority of THAT atrocity was played by underpaid, uncredited studio musicians. “Germ Free Adolescents” on the other hand, is performed and written by the band themselves. A young group of British punks on the edge of a burgeoning and powerful scene, with something to say and an original sound to back it up. Raise a glass for Poly Styrene, the original princess of punk.

75

I usually say this about punk rock and its that the closer it is to hardcore or post-punk the better it is, mainly because it adds actual variety to a very meat and potatoes genre. Germfree Adolescents IS very innovative and varied in the way I enjoy, the addition of sax, the weird effects, the more repetitive songs, and even somw songs that border on Thrash. If you added some more angular chords this would be early post-punk to-a-tee like PIL or Magazine. Now, do I enjoy it? Eh, I remember a ton of people loving it and saying it was the best punk album ever, I do appreciate how weird it gets but its also just a thing where I have listened to other stuff in post-punk so much I just prefer listening to that. But I do strongly recommend it for a better, more varied experienced with punk for starters along with Wire's Pink Flag and the Damned's debut

Awesome. Punk can be such a stuffy boys club, and this is a welcome gust of fresh air. Catchy, creative and fun.

Really enjoyed this more than i expected to on rolling it. Really great punk music with really great horns is always appreciated. Didn’t love every song but for this to exist in 1978 is beautiful and I have no idea how I’ve never heard of any of this.

Punk is cool again?

Music is pretty good, I'm all ready to rock out. And then the singer starts....singing? Yelling? I don't know. She's unintelligible 90% of the time. I have no idea what she's saying. The saxophone is a really nice touch. Best song: Warrior in Woolworths

Nigel enjoyed this.

Riktigt roligt, full fart punk-energi. Kanske blir lite mycket med en hel LP, men kul och ösigt!

Late 70s English punk comprises far too much of this list.

I think it's a good album and I liked a lot of songs from it. Let's Submerge, I Can't Do Anything, Identity, Genetic Engineering, Germfree Adolescence, Age (Bonus Track) 4/5

I LOVE the music. But I hate the karaoke.

Ten minutes (i.e., three songs) in, I feel like I'm not going to hear anything that's going to change my mind about this album. It's, well, 1978 punk. Perfectly good 1978 punk, but still. I can practically hear everyone they've influenced in their music, which is also (a) to their credit and (b) a reason I'm not feeling blown away. Well, OK, a few surprises--I appreciate the warping of the 50s-girl-group sound on "I Can't Do Anything", and the title track does stand out. But still.

Great!

Late 70s Brit punk. Rebellious and rude without being cynical or nihilistic. Like most early punk it’s specific qualities are the attraction more than the quality of it’s presentation or technique, and that is clearly evident in this low fi recording with monotonous vocals. You have to work to get anything from it.

Different

Classic punk where Poly Styrene's energetic vocals separates this from the others. Whoever invented the use of saxophone in punk deserves at statue!

Relatively boring album that leaves me empty of words. No good things and in the same time nothing really bad to say, except the boredom.

Well, this sounded like 70's punkrock. Not very good, but not very bad either.

Awesome, finally another band I know almost nothing about but the name. 70's new wave-ish punkrock is usually not something I'm all that into, but it appears "The Specs" have additional instrumentation and raunchy attitude, which pleases me immesely. It got a bit tiresome towards the end, but quite fine specimen, none the less.

2.64

4/10 - it was kind of strange

Cool how early something like this came out, but unfortunately pretty average in terms of quality

9/15/25. Great discovery! Sounds like the source of a lot of later punk bands I like, notably Sleater-Kinney. Fun songs and great vocals.

The world needs more female lead punk rock bands!

Fun punk, really enjoyed the inclusion of the saxophone.

Enjoyable punk, saxophone is a good add

Deceptively clever. Really takes off from Identity.

X-Ray specs bring a great atmosphere. I particularly liked the extra melodic push provided by the saxophone, which was always welcome. Some songs are more punk than others but it’s certainly a nice counterbalance to the more celebrated punk acts of the era. There is a uniformly fun and exciting sound but I think it’s missing a couple of killer singles that push it into that next category for me.

Unsurprisingly this album is too punk for me, the almost title track is easily my favourite and I love this direction but 2/3 of it doesn’t jump out from the punk crowd to my biased ears. Some of the lyrics add interest for me, as does the sax and the band being fronted by a woman. Overall though still not in my wheelhouse, low 3 for me!

Girl pink with a sax is fun, but not enough to get a 4th star from me

Obsessed. This is so good. Immeasurably disappointed at how small their discography is. :( Favs: Germfree Adolescence, Art-I-Ficial, Identity, The Day the World Turned Day-Glo

It's Ska ya slag

now that's punk

Trying to find some redeeming qualities, but this is so grating. Some of the sax instrumentation is nice. Guitar too. The vocalist though, ugh…

On second listen - really good. And the sax is so nice. R LOVED hearing Warrior in Woolworths.

Fuck yeah this kicks ass. Absolutely electric lead vox, and unapologetically loud and blaring sax, what more could you want in an early UK punk album (with a hint of ska??)

This was ok. A couple songs were good, one wasn't my jam at all. It gave off the vibe of "background YouTube" album

A recent (late August 2025) review says, in its entirety: “This kinda sounds like the Go-Gos on a coke bender with the Clash as the backing band” Absolutely. So why the fuck did you only give it a three? That album’s a six. And this one’s a five. V enjoyable. Ticks all my boxes from the opening chords. Great cover, the right length, love the vocals. Yes please.

not a big fan of the vocals and the quirky saxophone(s).

Amazing punk record, this is the force that was starting the movement and made it what it is today. The aggressiveness, the screams, the sound in general was excellent and roaring through the speakers. Will keep it in rotation. Very good!

Honestly a lot more fun than expected, i can easily see a lot of the riot grrl bands being inspired by this band here. The lyrics are often a bit hard to understand due to the way they sing/processed her vocals but it doesn't take away much of the quality of the album.

I liked the instrumentals. I didn't care for the vocals.

A bit harsh for more than a couple of tracks at a time.

I think as a whole album it's pretty good. There's a few tracks that I really enjoyed and were real iconic 70s punk. There were also a few tracks that I think took me out of the mood a little. Not bad per se, but didn't keep me in the same mode. It's worth a listen

One of my all time favorites 😍

I find this kind of punk quite boring

Poly Styrene, une précurseure.

Quand j'ai vu le nom et l'album cover je me suisndit c'est British! Un peu irritiant et quelconque en général. J'aime les thèmes anticonsuméristes et l'énergie en général, mais je pense pas réécouter.

Bon early punk avec des cuivres!

Just like its name, wtf

Brutal to listen to. Some hints of good listens, but rare and few between.

This album is great if you like being yelled at while listening to punk rock/new wave instrumentals in the background with quite possibly the worst sounding saxophone ever. That sounds harsh but I did enjoy it. This is one of those listen to once every few years type of albums. Warrior in Woolworths was my fave song mostly because the vocals were toned down and actually enjoyable

Didn't thrill me.

I thought I would like this more, but it didn't really hit with me. Sounds good, might throw on in the background, or maybe it needs another listen to crack it?

Not bad, but a lot of shouting.

This kinda sounds like the Go-Gos on a coke bender with the Clash as the backing band.

I was not super impressed for most of this, but the end really came together, very solid.

It started off great .. I was like heck yeah a female lead punk band ... Awesome ... But maybe it just went on way too long ...

I had never listened to this album before, although i saw loads of copies when I briefly worked part time in a second hand record shop in Sunderland. Indeed the only things i knew about the band were the single 'Identity', and that Poly Styrene came from Kent (always a good thing!) ;-) Listening to this, i couldn't help but be reminded of my thoughts when listening to The Who's Live At Leeds last weekend. The latter lacked energy, whereas Germfree Adolescents positively fizzes with it. My favourite tracks are; Genetic Engineering, Germfree Adolescence and I Can't Do Anything... but in all honesty there's only three track Plastic Bag that i struggled with. On Genetic Engineering, I thought the worries about science replacing humans had interesting parallels with current concerns about AI... nearly half a century later! But the main thing that lifts this above many other punk albums, was the inclusion of saxophone! What a winner!! Although this is not an album I will return to regularly, i loved it.

ez

I loved this high energy masterpiece. Identity is in my top 10.

mid 4 im aint no punk, but when i am im germfree. unless fungus is a germ of course

Not a huge punk fan, but will always give an extra star for saxophones.

Just okay

Not my style or preference. 1.5/5

Nicely played, the only thing I didn't enjoy were the vocals.

Garbage album. Couldn’t make it through 2 songs.

some songs were more punk, others were more new wave. the saxophone was a nice touch. unique female vocals. different, but good. i had heard of the band and the vocalist poly styrene before and now i can definitely hear how influential they were.

Tight, fast, fun, honest, unique. Loved it. 4.5/5

É bom, mas não me prendeu. Ao todo, achei meio entediante. Há outras bandas com a mesma pegada que gosto bem mais. O saxofone é legal.

UK punk has always been a tough sell for me. Once they learned to play their instruments and - if they hadn’t already broken up - write slightly different songs, that keeps my attention. But the appeal of Spex, the Pistols, Sham, etc...just not my deal.

proto riot grrrl?

This album comes out of the gates swinging and never lets up the pressure, to combine some metaphors. It's an already solid punk album even before the sax comes out, which gives it a new level of character that sets X-Ray Spex apart. There's just the right amount of British silliness throughout that it has to be taken seriously. "Germfree Adolescence" is really the track that brings everything together, taking a moment to slow down and make sure the message gets through. This is everything I want to hear in a punk album.

+ points for saxophones.

I like anything from this era. I appreciate some of the differences between X-Ray Spex and other punk bands of the era like keeping the saxophone in there. It can be difficult here almost a half century later seeing that the world these bands were lashing out and rebelling against won out. I will reappraise in 2078

Girl punk, kooky sax - super fun and stands apart from other punk acts of the time.

This was a fun album. I enjoyed it more then I expected.

Einzigartige Mischung aus britischem Punk und Saxophon, mit kraftvoller Botschaft und der charismatischen Poly Styrene. Leider etwas eintönig und klanglich unausgewogen. Wichtig für die Punk-Geschichte, aber kein musikalisches Meisterwerk. Man sollte dem Werk eine zweite Chance geben.

I've never really listened to these guys. Good stuff from a really great time in punk rock.

Another fantastic early punk album I likely would have never heard of without this list. Super fun.

Nah, the British invasion isn't really for me.

Super fun. I'll probably return to this one

Never heard this before, I can see how it got lost in the mix during that time. Not bad overall though.

Different to what i would normally listen to, admit there is some good tunes on this album

85% Best: Art-I-Ficial; Let’s Submerge; Identity; I Am a Poseur; The Day the World Turned Day-Glo Must-Hear? Sure

Fantastic! I can hear hints of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones 1st album here. Love Poly Styrene!

Bloody crap this

I only know a couple of the singles. This is really good new wave/post punk (I don't know) The playing is accomplished and the vocals are very distinctive.

Pretty damn exciting and energetic. Tasteful sax, bitchin' riffs and grooves. Cool multi tracked vocals. I really enjoyed it! Looking forward to spinning some of the live stuff.

No thanks.

Not a fan. Found this kinda annoying and was just ready for it to be over by the end. Not my thing

A female Sex Pistols. Terrific.

Not for me

Wow! Brilliant album good call!

What a fun album to listen to, punk at it's best. The horns make it sound like the band really had a blast putting this together. The album isn't really more than a collection of lots of their singles, but it doesn't really need to be. It's the perfect length with the 2 bonus tracks on streaming, I'll listen to it again for sure.

Good energy. I like the inclusion of the saxophone. I don't think I had heard that in punk before.

4/10

Not big into punk but pop off

Not that impressive. Lead singer yells all the lyrics but the sax was good. 2/5

3.5 I've never heard of X-Ray Spex, but will continue to listen to this album. I didn't hate it. Kind of liked it.

Hmmm I kind of liked it

Bernard - 7 Lucky - 6

Sax = 4/5 Everything else = -2/5 So 2/5 I guess

Noen kule sanger innimellom, gøy med litt punkete sound.

Råfrekt. Skittent, catchy og med sax?! What da hell. Gøy!

Not digging the vocals, the instruments are good, very Sex-Pistols type vibes

I like the energy and the sax was a pleasant surprise. The shout-y vocals and general vocal style are quickly fatiguing if not outright annoying. It doesn't take very long before the songs start sounding the same. Maybe OK in very small doses.

Dece

I really liked this, a real surprise for me.

Cool

I liked the energy, the message, the sax and the punky sensibilities. Some good pop tracks and some rubbish. I did not enjoy her shouty delivery.

Angry girl punk. But there are a bunch of cool horns. There is also a real sense of melody amongst the aggression. I quite liked it.

Actually not all that bad, love the sax!

Surprising, simplistic and pretty solid. Just too many songs!

no

Standout Songs: Art-I-Ficial Let’s Submerge I Am A Poseur Not really much to say, a very average female-led punk album. Could do without the saxophone(?) in the background of most songs.

Fun and enjoyable, until it felt repetitive. A little X-Ray Spex goes a long way. 2 5 stars

I've never listened to X-Ray Spex before. "Art-I-Ficial" is rocking pretty hard right away. I'm not sure I've ever listened a 70s punk bank with a frontwoman. I like the spin she's putting on it. "Warrior in Woolworths" is a funny song. I love it. I'm liking the sax on "Genetic Engineering". "The Day the World Turned Day-Glo" also has great saxophone. This was a great album filled with consumable punk. I liked her voice a lot. The instrumentation has a fun variety in it, but keeps it simple. 7/10

Much punk.

Cannot believe this is from 1978. Sounds like it could have come out this week. Not really my jam but great nonetheless.

Very out of the box and interesting listen. Sax added a different twist. Probably won’t revisit but it was fun.

A surprisingly enjoyable listen. This was a band I never paid much attention to in my teen punk days, but I kinda regret that now. Definitely hearing some feels that remind me of early Blondie, Siouxsie, and X all mixed in Sex Pistols blender. And although short-lived, they clearly had downstream influence on the riot grrrl movement of the 90s and arguably even some ska stuff of the 80s thanks to the sax inclusion. I usually run the other direction when a saxophone gets pulled out, but I think it works here. It’s quirky, dirty, used appropriately and far from perfect. Which is to say it’s perfect for punk rock.

Huh. I could usually see myself liking something like this but for some reason it just didn’t land with me. After a few songs the vocals did not sound nice to my ears…very screechy. I didn’t much enjoy the saxamaphone. 2.25

Another reviewer mentioned they enjoyed the crappy sax. I disagree. But still think this is pretty fun. 2.75/5

Didnt know what to expect here and it was great, garage punk is always going to score high. Amazing it was released in 1978 though, sounds really high energy for early punk. First half was better, second half dipped a bit but that can be forgiven. Singing was great, think it would have got on my nerves a few years ago but this list has helped a bit with this type of vocals. Put the start on again just to refresh my mind and it's staying on, 4.5.

Initially quite exciting, but quickly tiresome. Very much punk - lots of shouting and angry guitars. However, Identity was ironically the only song that stood out, the rest merged into one. I'm probably not discerning enough to appreciate this music. Really cool for a forerunner of the genre, but showing its age.

Know of them but not sure I've ever heard them. Thought this was pretty great. Punk check, female vocalist check, trumpet/sax check. Pretty up my street. Think my favourites were: The day the world turned day glo I am a poseur Genetic engineering Let's submerge Basically the ones with the trumpets! 4.5, I'll be back

Ganske nice punk. gøy

fun rhythm and beats but scritchy scratchy vocals kill the buzz

British punk rock with female vocals that really gives you insight on the origins of the genre.

I just can’t get past that punk vocal style, at lest there was some cool horns on this one. 2 stars

BEST SONGS: - Art-I-Ficial - I Live Off You

Poly Styrene is on the Mount Rushmore of punk women. What an icon.

I'm amazed I've never heard this before, though I have heard of Poly Styrene and her activism. This album was great, though. Brilliant, brave, and a lot of beauty. The saxophone really elevates it in a fun way, but Poly's voice is also just perfect and sets it apart from so much punk and post-punk. I definitely will be returning to this album. I'd give it a 4.5, but I'm rounding up!

Day554 - what a hidden gem. it’s ranked in all the greatest albums of all time lists and i’ve never heard it. great listen

This album is like a visit to an overseas whiskey bar where English isn’t the first language. The bar is catered to foreigners, including a band that performs in English. The bar is on a main road and the lighting is too bright in an effort to lure in passers by.

It was alright. I like what they did with the Sax. But a bit too repetitive after awhile.

I love a good surprise. Just a joyous album, crunchy and rockin.

One of the best punk albums I've heard, and the sax makes it very fresh and unique. I loved it to be honest. This was another of the great discoveries that this project has afforded me.

Kick ass.

Love late 70s British punk and this one is great. The album artwork is fantastic. It's aggressive and raw in the best way possible. The incorporation of horns was unexpected but works incredibly well. Poly Styrene is an incredible front woman.

5/5

I have been waiting from the beginning to get this one. And, despite having a rating in the low 3’s I was heartened to see how many 5 star reviews it got from people just discovering Poly for the first time. The first time I heard the dreamy guitar of the title track I was hooked. You know from the vocals that Poly put it all into every performance. If I had a Time Machine this is who I’d go see live in some dive bar in England.

I had hear most of this record but not all at one. I mean, really, you had me at woman-fronted punk band. People seem to hate punk music for some reason, especially if you're reading some of the reviews on this site. I don't get why. The music is generally simple and repetitive, yes. But it's raw, it's emotional, and more often than not it has a lot to say. This is a great record that is all of those things. I get it if punk isn't for you, that's fine. I love this album. 5/5

Pretty crazy album. Feel like this album could be fun with anyone else singing, but the album is way too long, and I was waiting for it to end at some point

A fun album that is kinda dumb with one of the single most annoying singers I've ever heard.

The saxophone and some of the guitar work make this more interesting than other punk bands, especially older ones. You can hear how this influenced later groups like Sleater-Kinney, and it's cool that this created the Riot Grrrl movement and genre but I don't love the style of music and many songs grated.

I guess my 9th grade punk phase really was just a phase. And why so much saxophone?!?

I feel like on paper this should have checked all my boxes, but in reality I was underwhelmed. Good energy, but didn't leave much of an impression.

That saxophone though!! Add this to the ever growing list of bands I’ve never heard of before, as well as the “debut album” list. And just for good measure, even the list of UK albums. It’s pretty good, some of the songs are annoying and I would likely skip a few of them, but the saxophone ties everything together and truly adds to the experience. It’s Punk with a sax, which is truly the most Punk thing of all. I love their most popular song “I Am a Poseur”, but my favorite song on the album is actually “Let’s Submerge”, as it does an excellent job of letting every member of the band display their talents and really just lets them all fit together perfectly, like a puzzle. Love the goofy album art as well, tremendously 70’s.

wasn't expecting this, but kinda punky-pop

The worst vocals I've heard on this list, and that's saying a lot

'I wanna be dehydrated in a consumer society'; 'Sensationalism for the feed'; 'Scrub away, scrub away, scrub away.' Not only are Poly Styrene and the rest of 'em convincingly anti-capitalist, not only are they true punks w/ saxophonic suavity, not only do they foreshadow riot grrrl, not only does Poly exist somewhere between Patti Smith and David Johansen, tho in some ways, she outclasses both, as punks, X-Ray Spex understood the assignment: The Sex Pistols merely completed it. Their societal anxieties are well-founded, indeed are ahead of their time, but their songs never lag under the weight of didacticism. It's more prescient than a whole lot out there, but it's also far more fun, quirky, variegated, inventive, raucous.

Nothing very memorable

That´s the way Rock´n´Roll had to sound in 1978!

Wait, what? No, really? It can't be, can it? Is this really a punk album with good musicianship?? I didn't believe such a thing exists, but it really does seem to be true. Maybe I don't actually hate punk, but rather I hate the genre convention that you don't need to know how to play your instrument, to play in a punk band (if you have the right energy, bla bla). These guys break that mold and the result is actually pretty good. It's a fun and accomplished album and the saxophone adds a lot of personality to their sound. 4 stars for the music, the 5th star is for challenging my musical prejudice in a positive manner.

Fucking awesome. She took the Sex Pistols aa inspiration and made it way better. Fun lyrics, good performances, and just a good time.

Not my style

Fun album with a saxophone that fits well even if a bit unexpected. Sadly not entirely my genre.

Hodne bavilo

All those 5 star reviews, you guys are wrong. I'd rather Freddy Krueger come get me instead of listening to this album again. Acceptable track: Plastic Bag 1/5

This blew me away. Super fun, super high energy. Vocalist comes off like a female Johnny Rotten. Enjoyed this way more than expected, will be on the lookout for a vinyl copy.

ne znam bil slušala ali cool as hell

Wow. Really good.

Ein paar unerwartete Banger auf einem Album das mich hauptsächlich bicht überzeugt hat. Identity u. Warrior in Woolworth.

Absolute banger of an album. 100% an all timer.

with my! Pet! Rat!

Never heard of, but thrilled to know now. Love the energy, feels ahead of the game and I was surprised to see '78.

First time experiencing this band and it was great!

Some really interesting things musically, especially the horns, but can't give it more than three stars with those vocals.

Classic punk that still hits. Loved this one.

Punk is not my thing. And girl punk is less my thing than punk. That being said, the energy and vibe are fun, and I actually liked about half the songs. Her voice is tiring over the long pull of a double album though.

Meh

# Playlist Track - Germfree Adolescence # Notes - Kind of interesting post-punk, but bad vocals are distracting. I know. Punk. But also, English. - Enjoyed the crappy sax, here and there.

Man, what a surprise. I had no idea what to expect from this and can’t believe I never heard of it before. Awesome punk album, it rocks. Plain and simple. Sharp lyrics, loud guitars, great vocals, and blaring saxophone that really makes this one memorable.

Punky high energy from some one I've been heard of, and would have thought was from the 90's. I guess that makes it ahead of its time

Way more fun than I expected it to be. Good energy.

Music quite nice but vocals were difficult to listen to

Germfree Adolescents was a pretty fun album. I always am in the mood for a good fun punk album and this album seemed to scratch that itch pretty well. The main stars of the show on this album were the guitars and the saxophones which were what made the album as enjoyable as it is. There was also that classic 70s cheese in the vocals, lyrics and even some of the general melodies and i did enjoy all of that and i never found it too annoying. This album is a short one but thankfully, it's not a case as to where the album felt like it was going far too fast. I had a good time with this one and found it to be a worthy entry to this list. Best Song: I Am a Poseur Worst Song: I Can't Do Anything

Very good. This is such a great type of punk plus the saxophone!

It was alright.

Can honestly say I haven’t listened to any punk music before but I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Possibly I’m biased as a saxophonist but the inclusion of saxophone was genius. I also really enjoying the vocals (again, never expected that from a punk album). I’m looking forward to generating more punk albums on the 1001 list to see whether this is an outlier due to the sax and the band having a female singer or whether I unexpectedly quite like the genre.

If someone had given this album to me for my 15th birthday, their timing would have been impeccable! That's the day it was released in the U.S. and it sounds like the neighboring Joan, Blondie, Pat, and Martha grooves spun daily on my turntable. This takes me back to my not-so-germ-free adolesence.

I've never heard of these guys. Right off the bat I really liked the guitar, but strongly, strongly disliked the vocalist and sax. There are some catchy riffs in places, like "Warrior in Woolworths" (which might be one of the dumbest song names I've heard) but all of it mostly sounds like a bunch of kids' first punk album, which I suppose it was. I'm not against what they're about, by the way, I just think it all sounds kind of cringy. Standouts were "Warrior in Woolworths," and "I Live Off You" - I guess had some better parts. Overall, this wasn't doing a whole lot for me. The lyrics were almost indecipherable and hard to listen to. Like physically painful. "Germfree Adolescence," the song, was alllmost good melodically but damn, the lyrics and breaking vocals just hurt. The guitarist is the only redeemable aspect of this record for me, and for him it gets 2 stars.

Different and not bad.

Germy

Fav: Identity; I Live Off You; I Am a Poseur; The Day the World Turned Day-Glo

I like all the songs, but I don’t love them. Favorite song: identity

Not quite as good as its reputation makes it out to be, unfortunately.

Some really good female led punk 7/10 Favourite: Art-I-Ficial Least Favourite: The Day the World Turned Dayglo

I really like the guitar tone, just feel really warm. The sax feels like a surprisingly perfect fit for music like this I wonder why more people haven't tried it, especially when multiple parts are layered on top of each other to make chords and stuff. I feels quite fitting going from listening to Sleater-Kinney right before this, as I think the singer's vocal style in this band heavily inspired hers, which I think fits this type of raw instrumentals very well. The more slow-tempo songs are also good, the lyrics and general attitude are also very good. Favourite songs: all except I can't do anything, the day the world turned Day-Glo, highly inflammable. Overall around 8/10

Very original and cool. I love the way the production complements the instrumentation, especially the guitars in "Obsessed With You". The fact that it was made in 1978 is really impressive. Lyrical content was wonderful, vocals were everything they needed to be to sell what they were saying. As for all punk albums, a little more range would have been nice, but for early punk, they did really very well. Very punk rock. Enjoyed it a lot. 4/5

I’m reserving true 5 stars for the albums that are really special, but this would be 4 1/2 - the first one that will stay in my library and I like it more than my previous 4 stars. Had only vaguely maybe heard of this band, but this record is right up my alley - punk with a female lead + grimy sax? Sign me up.

This was a hard listen. I did enjoy moments of the sax but wow, very annoying.

Perfect response to the pomposity of Clapton

Rock and roll babes

Honestly a pretty good punk album, but those saxophone parts have gotta go I'm all for a sax, but fuck me was that bad

Upon listening to Germfree Adolescents by X-Ray Spex, one comes across many things at once. The neon dayglo attires that predicts the colorful decade ahead, the music that reflects the outgrowing that was defining punk rock at that time and the voice blaring out of the arrangements that would serve as a blueprint for the riot grrl of the 90s. In short order, X-Ray Spex were not just a band of its time but a band of the future, being both timely and timeless as their unconventional approach to what would become post-punk and beyond soon became the norm. One of those records that's perfectly fine to become obsessed with in due time.

The saxophone takes a bit of getting used to for me, but the punk is GOOD. Excellent vocals as well, this is wild! Great bass sound, great songwriting. Yep, I really like this.

Ehh, very British British rock

This was punk but somewhat musical, with horns and such. I mostly enjoyed it. Words were hard to understand and her voice was good but got a little nasally at times. Maybe on purpose as it's kind of a punk sound.

Spex brought the horn and made me angry \m/.

Never heard of this before and ended up really liking it a lot!

a woman-led punk album?? let's fucking gooooo to be totally honest, this isn't my favorite kind of music and i'm not even sure i liked this entire album. but i really, deeply love that it exists, and i love that it's on this list even more. it really does feel important! based 1001 albums W

damn this is a cool album! it's late 70s classic british punk and new wave, but foreshadows the 80s ska revival and 90s riot grrrl movements. covers all the ground you'd expect from a punk album and more, including a lot on gender and identity. plus the album creds list THREE saxophonists??? how did i not know about this before? great stuff. also shoutout to the random two lines of the chorus in the day the world turned day-glo that are in 5/4 instead of 4/4 for some reason. hell yeah. favorites: art-i-ficial, obsessed with you, warrior in woolworths, identity, i am a poseur, germfree adolescence, the day the world turned day-glo

9/10 A great punk album. Tunes, energy, funny lyrics. Even the Devil Horn saxophone doesn't spoil the tracks it appears on.

I did not expect this to be the first album in this list I'd heard before. I listened to this one a couple years ago, and have no memory of it but hey, here's to second chances. So this is loud and has a bad mix, welcome back punk. Is this riot grrrl before riot grrrl? I feel like I would like these songs if they... sounded better? I think the songs are good and catchy, but the mixing is awful, every second is killing my ears. This album is really just going by. Again, in theory I like a lot of what's happening, but the sound quality is keeping me from actually enjoying it. Yeah, I just finished the album and my mind didn't change. This was tough to get through. Not bad, so I won't give it an awful rating, but yeah, can't say I enjoyed this experience... bye

brit girl punk

Was this ok. It grew on me

I really liked what I heard. Listening tobit made me realize I know almost nothing about OG Punk Music. And that is a crying shame. This album will be my stepping stone to it. Genre Impact: unk. Decade (Relative) Impact: unk. Absolute Impact: unk. Listenability: High Re-listenability: High

LOVE THIS ALBUM

Love the music. Unfortunately, I can’t take that voice. Something about it bores into me and makes me feel physically ill. It’s a shame.

With just about every song on this album, I enjoyed the instrumental introductions, but then the vocalist started singing and ruined it for me. Clearly, this genre isn’t my thing. Two stars.

Pleasant surprise. There’s quite a lot of punk on this list. This was one of the better ones.

One hit is good but I generally prefer at least two.

punk chicks

When my kids misbehave I’m making them listen to this

Great punk

This is punk as fuck. And some of the best saxophone use in rock music.

Fuck yeah. Some female-led punk rock I can pop my pussy to. Fun for a few songs, but this has never been and never will be my genre.

2 - fun rock

Fun!

divertido, apesar de eu detestar punk rock.

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

Two things this list could use more of 1) Women 2) Energy

A pretty solid punk album. They have a great energy, and I like the singer and the sax. Mid 4.

Sorti en 1978, "Germfree Adolescents" est le premier et unique album de la formation originelle du groupe punk rock/new wave londonien X-Ray Spex. "Germfree Adolescents" se distingue par une signature sonore immédiatement reconnaissable, fusionnant l'urgence brute du punk rock avec des sensibilités new wave et une instrumentation audacieuse. Des guitares incisives et nerveuses, souvent avec des riffs simples mais efficaces, le tout propulsé par une section rythmique solide et dynamique. L'élément le plus frappant et le plus commenté de la musique de X-Ray Spex est l'utilisation du saxophone qui n'est pas un simple ornement. Il est une voix à part entière, tissant des lignes mélodiques parfois dissonantes, parfois étonnamment accrocheuses, qui contrepointent ou renforcent les riffs de guitare et la voix de Poly Styrene et qui confère au groupe une texture unique dans le paysage punk, le rapprochant parfois d'une sensibilité plus pop ou même free jazz par moments, tout en conservant une agressivité typiquement punk. Au centre de cet univers sonore se trouve la voix de Poly Styrene. Loin des canons esthétiques traditionnels, sa voix est puissante, stridente, parfois criarde, mais toujours chargée d'émotion et d'une conviction désarmante. Son style vocal distinctif, oscillant entre le chant scandé, le cri perçant et des lignes mélodiques plus affirmées, est l'outil parfait pour véhiculer l'urgence et la critique contenues dans ses paroles. Elle ne cherche pas à séduire par la douceur, mais à interpeller par la force et l'authenticité de son expression. Cette approche vocale non conventionnelle, combinée à son image anti-glamour (elle portait un appareil dentaire et des vêtements fluo criards), a fait d'elle une figure emblématique et profondément originale. Au-delà de sa musique distinctive, "Germfree Adolescents" tire sa force de ses paroles incisives et thématiquement riches. Poly Styrene y déploie une critique virulente et souvent visionnaire de la société moderne, s'attaquant principalement au consumérisme naissant, à l'artificialité et à la construction de l'identité. D'ailleurs, dès le premier morceau, "Art-I-Ficial", le ton est donné : "I know I'm artificial / But don't put the blame on me / I was reared with appliances / In a consumer society". La chanson critique la pression exercée sur les individus, en particulier les femmes, pour se conformer à des normes de beauté artificielles ("When I put on my makeup / The pretty little mask not me / That's the way a girl should be / In a consumer society") et dépeint un monde où tout devient produit, standardisé et déshumanisé ("I wanna be Instamatic / I wanna be a frozen pea"). L'album explore également la difficulté de forger et de maintenir une identité authentique dans une société qui pousse à la conformité. La chanson "Identity" est emblématique de ce thème. Inspirée par un incident réel où Poly Styrene a vu une jeune femme s'automutiler dans les toilettes du club The Roxy, la chanson dénonce la pression sociale et médiatique qui enferme les individus dans des stéréotypes ("Identity is the crisis, can't you see? / Identity! Identity!"). Elle met en lumière le désespoir engendré par l'incapacité à correspondre aux modèles imposés. Bien que Poly Styrene ait parfois nuancé la portée féministe de ses textes, insistant sur une critique plus large du capitalisme et de l'esclavage sous toutes ses formes, "Germfree Adolescents" est traversé par une forte conscience des oppressions spécifiques vécues par les femmes. À sa sortie en novembre 1978, l'album fut bien accueilli par la presse musicale britannique, bien que certaines réserves aient été exprimées. Elles ont reconnue unanimement les paroles géniales, les mélodies astucieuses, l'énergie et l'innocence savante et gagnante. Avec le recul, l'appréciation de "Germfree Adolescents" n'a fait que croître, le consacrant comme un pilier essentiel de l'histoire du punk. Un 3 sur 5 pour un album précurseur du mouvement Riot Grrrl qui apparaitra au début des années 1990.

it was fun! not my fav

Incredibly annoying sound and borderline unintelligible vocal performance. Particularly disappointed with the drums, as there were multiple moments of them just not being correctly in time? Even managed to make a saxophone sound shrieky and unappealing.

Mjög skemmtilegt, annað meira.

Superb record that did so much for punk. Particularly effective at waking almost anyone up.