Germfree Adolescents

meh

You know, I can't say I was ever expecting to listen to a female-fronted punk album featuring saxophone solos in it. Anyway, this one's okay. I was quite intrigued when doing research and also when I started the album. It's definitely an interesting album to say the least. The sound is pretty good, with the saxophone solos being a great touch. The lyrics and writing touch on subject that remain relevant to this day. However, I have two main problems with this album. First off, I'm not the biggest fan of the singing at times. It just doesn't really resonate with me all that much. Secondly, and this is the big one, is that after a few songs, this album became quite repetitive and samey. Each of the songs just kind of blended into each other. Overall, not a bad album, but not the greatest thing in the world. I do think that another rock album with saxophones from another band could be an interesting idea though. light 3/5.

I enjoyed "Germ Free Adolescents" and "Warrior in Woolworths". X-Ray Spex is punk shot through with wry humour rather than raw (and tedious) aggression. Some of tracks approached SKA with its use of back up brass instrumentation. Unfortunately there was not a lot of variation between songs so the entire album sounds rather same-y. 3.2 rounded down.

New album, new band for me. Wikipedia suggests it wasn’t released in the US, so that may be the reason. The album has a bright, clear sound that I really enjoy (especially the brass!), though I’m not a fan of all of the songs. The title track, Identity, Poseur, Let’s Submerge, and Warrior in Woolworths are great, though possibly a little much for an early morning listen.

Guitars played with an urgency and female vocals howling words of frustration and despair: I love this kind of music. I’d imagine that most people who are not contemporaries of X-Ray Spex found the band from listening to the fantastic “Oh! Bondage Up Yours!” This was definitely my case, although I can’t remember when I first heard it. This song is undoubtedly the highlight of this album, but there are enough good songs that make this a cohesive and interesting record (like “Plastic Bag” and “Art-I-Ficial,” for example), if not a brilliant one. If possible, I’d give it a 3.5 - 3 for the album and another notch for the stepping stone that this was for all the riot grrrls that came after it.

Great punk vibe, some interesting odd time? Cool counterculture feel

love some girly punk! cool blend of feels, more dynamic than i know of this genre

British rock, didn't vibe with the yelling ??? probably a lot better live

It’s fun. Reminds me of no doubt somewhat as well. Not sure I’d come back

Some called this album a hidden gem, but I think there's a reason why it was lost to the ages. The vocals are shrill and unintelligible. This is another example of the indisputable UK bias in this compellation of albums. Despite the incomprehensible vocals, the rest of the album is pretty fantastic. The instrumentals are phenomenal. The punk rock drumming is energetic, fun, and the fills are clean. The saxophone rips and is admittingly my favorite feature of this album. The instrumentals could easily be an inspiration to punk, rock, ska, etc. I would love to hear this album with a completely different vocal track.

Bien punk bien entretenido pero no se si volvería a escucharlo

Pleasing to the ear at times and a supreme lead vocalist, but incongruous as a whole album.

Quasi-New Wave-Punk-Post Punk that is actually not too bad. A 41 minute punk album is a bit long and X-Ray Spex do not try to fill it with variety. Change the lyrics to any song to be insulting, questioning, funny, angry or just infantilistic humor and you have X-Ray Spex gist. 3/5.

This is good sloppy punk, but it just isn't for me. I think if you like vintage punk you'll enjoy this!

Engelsk 70’er punk rock, fyldt med horn, mærkeligt, men fungerer på en måde

More sax in punk pls

Punk rock new wave. Chulo.

I was a teenager through the punk explosion, but X-Ray Spex sort of passed me by. Listening to this now, doesn't make me want to hark back to those days, and they didnt have the extra edge that bands like The Clash and The Jam had. But this is good stuff, a drummer whos on fire and a singer in Poly Styrene, who was all attitude and angst. Interesting use of the sax on some numbers must have been quite novel for the time.

Woman yelling over great music.

Fun punk!

Surprisingly "soft" and not-raw punk album

I really liked the first song, but I feel like it never really advanced from there

Punk rock

Fun, raw, high energy album. For me it is a little repetitive but I think that is a common critique for me on a lot of punk type albums, when songs are noisy and fast like this there’s just not much you can do to change things up

Good honest punk

Spunky punky! Screechy vocals start to grate, but forgivable as interesting to read up about Poly Styrene's life.

After hearing that stupid "Bondage, Up Yours" song on every punk comp forever, I wrote this band off as a complete waste of space. Then I watched the Poly Styrene documentary and was a bit more interested in hearing more. Now, after listening to the entire album, I realize I was wrong - About half of this is pretty good...and the Bondage song is nowhere to be seen 7/10

It's punk music. It was short. It was tolerable. Probably no need to revisit, but it wasn't bad. I'll round up

Never really listened to the album before, but it’s good and Poly Styrene really does sing like a female Johnny Rotten.

кричащий панк не воспринимаю)

AJ: Age is my favorite song. Duh. Fucking rock band. Band goes hard and lead vox lady rips it. Getting a 3 from me but they’re cool.

Energetic, poppy, catchy 1978 punk record. Standard off key wailing vocals, but enjoyable overall. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Art-I-Ficial Date listened: 30/06/23

I love the use of horns, but can't stand this woman's voice

Pretty good.

I don't know about this.

Once I got past the interesting voice and strange saxophone, it became a quite pleasant punk album

'Germfree Adolescence' was a highlight, just a standard 1970s punk album, not bad, not good

Pretty raw, lot of energy but those vocals were hard work sometimes

I wish more punk songs started with someone shouting the title at you.

Low effort review here but enjoyed the listen. It’s easy to be won over by Poly Styrene’s energy. Not sure all of the saxophone was needed as heavily as it was. Three and a half. Fave track: Plastic Bag

This album opens great. Noisy and full of puss and vinegar. It doesn't hold however. By the end of the record, you can hear new wave sneaking in. Still a fun one though.

Actually pretty good although I don't like punk

Good! I especially enjoyed the instrumentals.

Strong tunes supported by Poly’s fantastic voice. But, who thought this needed saxophone?

I loved the music and lyrics but the singer has the most obnoxious voice!!

Fantastic instrumentals ruined by an AWFUL singer. I want to hear these songs sung by someone who can actually carry a tune.

Punk with sax - who knew? Not me anyway. Enjoyable up to a point, being the point when Poly Styrene’s voice went from impressive to irritating.

5.5/10 saved by the sax

This was alright! It was kind of repetitive and I didn’t really find any song that stood out more than the others. Didn’t hate but wouldn’t listen to it again.

Might give it a second listen. Interesting. Prob influential to a number of Oughts bands; Hot Hot Heat, Hives…

16th March 2023 Listened all throughout the rest of the week as we had ben and Nilisha’s wedding on Thursday which threw everything off. In the best way. This album is sex-bob-omb and it’s here to kick your ass!

Good in small doses.

I liked this, I'll listen to it again. A 3.5 for me (rounded down)

Bit late to this one, but the Spotify link takes you to a weird remaster rather than the original, with the tracks out of order and some missing. I really liked this - it's not super original, but it's catchy, doesn't overstay its welcome, and it's got bags of energy and is full of fun. The R rolling a la Sex Pistols is funny, the lyrics are really quirky but quite clever and I enjoyed it. Not quite good enough for a 4 though, so still stuck in my rut of 3s.

First time I've ever heard of X-Ray Spex. Apparently they are a female punk band from Britain. Upon listening, that is exactly what they are! Good old 70's punk! The lead singer, Poly Styrene, can really belt out the lyrics, but there's something about her voice...I can't understand what she's singing most of the time. Musically, this is right down the alley of the Sex Pistols, or the Damned. The strong female lead gives me vibes of B-52s, Blondie, and Garbage. One thing that caught me off guard was the inclusion of a saxophone (not something I'd ever heard used in punk music before). Oddly enough, it worked really well with the fast punk, and gave it their own flavour. Overall, not a bad record at all. Spotify links to the bands Anthology, but I just listened to the original record, as an additional hour of live tracks and shitty B sides didn't interest me, and would have probably hurt the bands overall score. Favourite songs: Let's Submerge, I Am a Poseur, The Day the World Turned Dayglo, Identity, Genetic Engineering Least favourite songs : Germ-Free Adolescents, Plastic Bag 3/5

Had only heard "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" before - never listened to a whole album. It's decent punk, but nothing that gets me too excited.

Definitely an interesting album, however in the light of my all-contemporary sensibility a bit too homogeneous, but that is the least of the problems, I did not connect with any of the songs, they just seem to me to be well thought out songs but otherwise leave me with little. I clarify that in my critical evaluations I also take into account the strictly subjective aspect of mirroring or perceiving a connection with the songs. I found the vocal performance and the inclusion of the horns interesting.

Didnt hate it

Not to bad.

The sax added an interesting twist to a solid album. The vocalist is the star here.

3/5. A fun collection of punk pop but a little repetitive and the vocals are unintelligible at best. Catchy though.

Digging the punk sax.

Weird af

Прослушано! Яркий и заводной альбом, очень неплохо.

The opening track is a little listless but Identity puts the album on a firmer footing. The album is a punk classic and has that proto-second wave ska sound that still manages to bring it. Some of the songs feel pretty worn out on me, but i suppose thats more me than the recording. I see their influence on Mustard Plug and hear a lot of similarities to the British two tone bands.

Liked it. Will probably never listen to it agian mind

Setting the stage for a generation of female punk groups to come, X-Ray Spex finds a unique tone that doesn't rely on quick thrash tracks. The next evolution of Runaways, but with the British tinge.

3.5 Grows on you quickly

Die sax is wel vet. Leuk album

girl punk

Good album but a one and done. I can see how this album could have influenced a lot of other artist.

Female vocalist led punk with anti-consumerism sentiment. Standout is "Art-I-Ficial."

Didn't like the vocals much but the music was great and energetic.

Somehow missed this interesting gem from my knowledge of the early punk canon. They are an interesting point of view of punk in 1978 - screaming saxophones and pristine production - with an intense voice at the helm of it. There are some great songs here but overall as a record it a too much I feel - the pace is a bit haphazard and the record of a bit too long for the intensity at which it plays.

This was, I found it to be enjoyable but at times the vocals hurt my ears

Very fun, it sounds awesome to be young in 1978! Songs are very dated though, as they are very of their time. Hard to pick a favourite, since they all sound basically the same, but the first three tracks are definitely a very strong start to the album.

Good woman punk

Dans le genre punk on a vu pire

Fun album. Instrumentals kicked ass, but the lead singer's voice was hard to listen to at some points. Favorite track: Identity

Overall liked it as I like punkish female lead groups but by the end of the album it all sounded the same.

Kind of a bop

Mixed. Love the vocals and sax, but like with most 70’s punk I get pretty bored and worn out during the second half.

Oikein jees punkkii. Aika varhaisindierock fibat. 3,5/5

Varsin hyvä torvirock-levy! 3/5

i thought it was okay i believe

An extremely precise punk backing band fronted by explosive, raw and untamed vocals. It makes for a solid album that I'm sure was influential to countless artists over the years. This sounds like a group that would've been really fun to see live. I appreciate the break from the norm that the track 'Plastic Bag' provided, and it makes me curious for what could've been if they explored outside of their punk structure a bit more.

Raw, wild, fluorescent riot-grrl pre-cursor punk. The energy is undeniable, but the awfully obnoxious, 5-minute "Plastic Bag" at the midway point of the record really brings the fatigue on early.

Not the best of the era. Lead singer wasn't to my tastes. Interesting background music for drive time

Second time listening to this one. There are quite a few songs that catch my attention. Still getting to know this, but I like it. 3/5

Fun, dance-y punk album. Kind-of sort-of 1970s pop punk? Vocals remind me of Blondie, lyrics are more junkie/garage-inspired though. A solid listen, I am surprised this group was a one-and-done in terms of albums, I feel like there's a lot of potential here. I really enjoy the double-tracked guitars in certain areas throughout the album. Noteworthy record, glad to have discovered it. Fave tracks: Germfree Adolescence, Plastic Bag, Age

Don't really have much to note other than that there have been a lot of ska/punk albums on this list. More than one would expect. Definitely not my favorite genre, but I can get behind some of it.

moshpit punk with saxophones. good.

It was ok. I’ve heard a hell of a lot worse, but no really memorable tracks.

punk with spunk

I liked this one in small doses -- 2-3 songs at a time was fun but I couldn't do the whole album in one sitting.

Banging

Honestly fire, need more women led punk. Wish it was on Spotify

Mittelgut. Geht teilweise ab. Stimme nervt manchmal bisschen, genauso wie das Sax.

This punk rock album is OK, but apart from the fact that some of the songs feature saxophone, it's nothing special. 3/5.

I really like Poly Styrene's voice; the punk energy and sound are definitely enjoyable. The main knock is that it does sound very samey across 40 minutes of music. A good listen.

I don’t think it's possible to have germ-free adolescents. They may not be as gross and germy as elementary schoolers, but they’re pretty nasty in their own right. I doubt that Poly Styrene and the X-Ray Spex were germ-free either, despite no longer being adolescents. It wasn’t the germs that did them in, but the X-Ray Spex didn’t last after this album, and then Poly Styrene joined the Hare Krishnas.

This is the second album not on AppleMusic, but I did find in on YouTube. I’m stuck on the saxophone is this punk band. It is so unusual and still unexpected even on the last few tracks. It’s a refreshing addition to the Spex punk sound. I would listen to this again, but I probably won’t because I won’t think to search YouTube.

45 years late on this one; yet another revelation to me. I wish I knew more cool kids who could have made a mention. Listening to this for the first time, going in cold, literally, I didn't know if this was Cyndi Lauper's pre-Cyndi Lauper band, Kathleen Hanna's pre-Bikini Kill band, or even early Romeo Void. Who knew there was an early new-wave/punk, with saxophone, full throttle ironic siren that pre-dated all of that. Can anyone just give me a list of bands and records that I really should encounter before my end of days to catch me up on all I missed? You're saying there is a list of hundreds of such records right here? Very well then.

Ca dememage,du bon punk 3.5

Today I learned about Poly Styrene!

Very energetic but not really my style I guess.

I didn't hate this, but boy did it get old quickly. Best track: Obsessed with You

This was a fine listen old punk album. Not crazy good but not bad. 6/10.

Punchy, energetic, squonky fun. Fave Songs: Warrior in Woolworths, I Can't Do Anything, Identity, Let's Submerge, Germ Free Adolescents, The Day the World Turned Day-Glo

Album cover cracks me up. Overall, I thought it was fun. It just oozes character. worth the listen.

All in all great punk album! I also have a serious soft spot for punk female singers. Great stuff

3.5 | De ver la portada esperaba algo medio pop finales 70s llegando al new wave, quiza algo hacia los B52s que acaban de tocar... Resulta que no, son punk... Ok pensé, un disco más de punk que supongo será decente. Afortunadamente supera las expectativas y es más que eso, se siente fresco y de hecho bastante de avanzada para ser del 78. Termina siendo un punk inglés bastante bastante sólido y con un saxofón que se cuela una y otra vez y que afortunadamente no se empieza a llevar hacia el ska sino que da toques bastante frescos a la música. En cierto modo dieron el ciclo completo y terminaron con un dejo de esas bandas pop rock sesenteras pero con un sentido del humor un poco más oscuro. Los aspectos más destacados para mí aquí son fácilmente "Warrior in Woolworths", "I Can't Do Anything" y "Plastic Bag", que muestran cómo habría sonado Blondie si hubieran sido digamos menos cosmopolitas y más crudos (sin queja alguna hacia Blondie, solo como una comparación) . Sobra mencionar que todo esto aplica para la versión original del disco, en Spotify hay una versión que dura casi dos horas y en ese caso si llega el punto en que comienza a sonar ya cansado y sin duda sobrepasa la buena impresión de entrada.

Qué rara cosa me pusieron a oír. Siento que mezcla ondas de Sleeter Kinney (que de hecho me gustó mucho) con jaladas como de Las Ultrasónicas o algo así como más de bromita. No es malo, tiene momentos de buena música y de letras que me hacen prestar atención… pero no es un disco que DEBES de oír antes de morir. Luego con tiempo leo un poco la historia a ver si hay algo ahí que me explique qué razón hay.

2.5

I feel like I need to make a disclaimer that I honestly don't dislike all punk. But I sure didn't like this. I'll give it points for the inventive (but scattershot competence) use of horns and for sheer earnestness. But I found the singing - near monotone yelling too far out of their effective register to be anything but dissonant - just intolerable. Delivering lyrics not half as clever as they're making themselves out to be.

-I liked the instrumentals, but not the singer -"Let's Submerge" was probably my favorite song

It started off a little weird but ended up being good background music

I generally really like punk rock but this one didn’t really do it for me

This album begs the question: Is Poly  Steve Jones' or Johnny Rotten's sister? lol  It is kinda neat to see a female fronted band banging out this genre with conviction. While the Sex Pistols' LP  will get top marks, it will not be because of Steve's guitar playing or Johnny's vocal range. So how do we rate the influencee as opposed to the influencer? 

A few great songs and I like their sound, but in the end not enough variety - by the end the songs just sound the same.

Not bad, does everything a punk album is supposed to do, probably won’t come back tho

Love Poly Styrene’s voice and I can appreciate that she paved the way for riot grrls in the 90s. Some of the songs I love and others were just okay.

A nice surprise. Couldn’t believe it was 2009.

Quirky punk album. It was fun, not my favorite.

Shit rocks!

Exactly like I expected it to sound. Not really to my taste, but got through to the end

Punk rock from across the pond! I enjoyed this album while working.

foundation for punk rock

Interesting album… Reminded me of punk bands like Devo …..was OK Boy that Polly Styrene can scream!!

Fun album

was cool

Jäklar va kul ändå, riktigt punkigt. Lite väl skrikigt för min smak tho... men vi får se. Riktigt bra när man ska typ tagga eller när man är arg men inte annars...

Punk with sax. BT: Art-I-Ficial, Warrior in Woolworth, Identity

Didn’t mind this half as much as I thought I would and actually knew a couple of the tracks.

I quite liked this, reminded me of a lot of bands like Snuff, early AFI, NOFX, etc, although there wasn't much info on Wiki about their influence or legacy to know if there was a direct influence. Also, too many versions/formats with different running orders and different bonus tracks. That was annoying. 6/10

Enjoyed it more than I expected. 2.5 rounded up.

OK. But shouty

Good fun energetic punk album. Probably better in smaller doses but some excellent songs on there.

Pretty good. Liked the punk with sax

Empieza muy bien, pero enseguida se vuelve repetitivo

Great punk with a definitive edge. Like the sound, but as an album a little exhausting

Ni idea de quién era este grupo. No está mal, sonido punk de los que sabían tocar instrumentos. Me gusta la voz de la cantante. Los volveré a escuchar.

Nice

Fine

decent

Good stuff! I had only heard a couple of these songs before. Good, listenable alternative/punk. 3 stars.

fun early punk

Bijzonder alternatief album

Enjoyable riot grrl LP with some unexpectedly deep songwriting and arrangements along the way. Need to give this another listen to fully appreciate it.

Quite enjoyed this album

Has it's moments of good, moments of odd. More like 3.5 to me.

Cool, really love the title track

Love the punk and jazzy mix. And I like the female singer. It's a little frenetic for me to listen to while I'm working or driving but I could see it being good during a workout or something like that.

It was ok! Early punk rock

i wouldnt say great but its listenable and decent

Meh, pretty primitive riot grl punk. Wasn't particularly good.

Uninventive guitar "riffs", shouted non-melodies, every song sounds the same... I guess that's punk? Unfortunately not my cup of tea. 1.5/5 - weak

This gives me a bit of a B-52’s vibe :-) So it’s not too bad. Two stars...

eh

She was just yelling the whole time

It's like a female UK version of the Ramones. Fairly fast, angsty punk music. I'm not sure I need to hear a lot of this, but it's different.

2/5

This is just so not for me. I don't even hate any of the songs, and I can see other artists I love in this. It's just not resonating whatsoever on its own.

Not very good

Instrumentally I like this, catchy punk tunes sometimes given an extra layer of interest by the inclusion on sax…. But my god does the singing hurt my ears, get its punk but it’s not so much that it’s bad singing it’s the tone of voice that really pulls this down for me, I could only listen to 1 or 2 tracks at a time 2.3

The sax gives it something a bit different but they are a bit of a one trick pony. The singing is pretty shit too and some of the songs sound like a high school band that have just started to learn how to write their own music.

This is like a combination of the Shags and Hole along with someone who knows how to play the saxophone. Don't totally hate it, but just a quirky aside IMO.

One more very brief review due to holidays: the X-Ray Specs are another early New Wave / Post Punk group. Their debut album ""Germfree Adolescents" is not as annoying as the B-52's but still far from good. Do we really need more of this? I don't think so.

Little more than shouty, off-key and distorted Stock Aitken Waterman

There is no such thing(especially the males).

😐

No soporto a la vocalista tbh

This is quite an old album, but it wasn't too bad leaving it in the background while I was doing other stuff. At some point, it got a bit repetitive and yes, I agree that all songs are pretty similar because it's the same band singing them and it's also in the same album but yes, a bit repetitive overall, I think.

A voice like eating glass. Heard track one? Then you’ve heard all there is to offer on this abomination.

Not good /5 Someone tell the author I didn’t need whiny Brit punk in my life. DNF

It was equally hard to determine why this was included on the list as it was to finish the album. Wasn't able to do either

Well, it certainly is punk. I want to like this more, but I can't bring myself to enjoy the vocals. It's pretty rare for me to ding a female vocalist, but hey: if men can be shitty vocalists then WOMEN CAN TOO. #notallwomen #thisiswhatafeministlookslike

Best Track - "Germfree Adolescence"

Based on the sound, this has gotta be the most influential band/album for the Riot Grrl movement. Unfortunately, I’m a Little Rascal and a member of the He-Man Women Hater Club so I’m not allowed to like this

Skere

Shouty shouty

The singer made me think of “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen.

Great title. Germ Free Adolescents. Music for that age group me thinks.

Need X-Ray Specs and Beer Googles for this to look good. The mute button helps as well. You have Roxy Music sax smeared all across this along with gnawing Kath & Kim vocals which means every song sounds much the terrible same. I’d just leave Roxy Music and Sex Pistols on the list and add Amyl & The Sniffers as a more modern better version of this.

Was this necessary?

Don't care for punk

A decent 70s all female punk album. Obviously, the sax is what stands out the most here and it is nice to branch out to some lesser known punk acts. Nothing higher than a 3 stars for me though.

Had some cool ear-worms, but all in all...yeesh. Liked Warrior in Woolworths and Germfree Adolescents best

Some songs are good but there is just better punk music out there

This was very blah.

According to Apple Music, this is one of the most original bands of 70s British new wave. That may well be, and the sax is an unexpected touch. But it just didn’t really excite any of my neurons, so my rating is forced to reflect that.

They definitely had a unique style and sound, but I don't know if I loved it so much. I would say that they were ahead of their time, but no, I think at 1978 they were perfectly on time.

*1978 *This sounds just like the B52s. *Didn't care for this much, but it wasn't horrible either. Just not my thing. RATING - 5.5/10

Debated between 2 and 3. There are some ok songs and the sax is fun, but there aren’t any tracks that really grabbed me. I want a catchy hook from punk songs and this didn’t have any. I can see the influence this has had though; Amyl and the sniffers have a similar sound now (but better hooks).

Not for me

I could just barely listen to one song on this album.

The creator of this list really likes punk.

It reminds me of the B-52s if the B-52s were a punk band. Not for me, but I can appreciate why others love it.

eh bit bored

meh

Not available

There were some bright spots, and I think the saxophone is a fun choice for a 70s punk album. But overall I thought it was a little boring and didn't really stand out from other older British punk.

Probably influential to countless punk rock bands over the next 40 years, but this album specifically was very annoying. The vocals were annoying, and the weird sax horn stuff was somehow even more annoying 3.5/10

Punk-delen var fin og catchy nok, men puh, der var meget saxofon.

Really doesn't do anything for me

Noisy (duh its punk) and bad vocals. Did not enjoy. 2/5

✅✅ Identity – horns!! Lil' yelly on the whole

This is a new to me band and album. I love a good punk album, and this one is pretty solid. I like that they used some different sounds, including the saxophone. But, the lead singer's - Poly Styrene - voice could definitely be a little grinding at times. On a couple of the songs, it was just too much for me. Solid album, but not one I'd add to my regular listening rotation.

That became tiresome quickly

2.2 Rough. It's as though someone went to see the Sex Pistols live and thought "I could probably do that?". Bonus points for deciding to add horns to make it even more fucking annoying.

I get it but wouldn’t listen again

The songs are polluted by the piercing voice of an adolescent version Blondie. Plastic bag as the most painful song

I will drink heavily and shout at you album samo što se ovo ne bi svidjelo ni Bernardu Blacku imam osjećaj.

Yell-y vocals that sound like the singer is going to lose her voice? Check. Energetic electric guitars? Check. Another British punk/alternative album (how many of these have I had in the first 10% of the 1001 albums?). Good energy and semi-listenable, but I would turn it off if I could.

Ananas en pizza is ok, punk en sax nooit een goeie combi. Text, boodschap en energie ok. maar die tering sax...

When you’re in your late 20s but you still watch cartoons for kids aged between 5-10.

I imagine this album is what Helena Bonham Carter playing Bellatrix Lestrange playing Helena Bonham Carter as a lead singer of a punk rock band would sound like.

Annoying punky singing shouting screaming whatever it is ruins everything

I can appreciate it but I just don’t like punk. 2

This is not my favorite genre of punk

I appreciate why its on the list. Just not my jive man.

Just hooting and hollering, buncha noise for no reason. Only reason why this isn’t a 1/5 is bc #girlpower

I don’t like how they announce the name of the song at the start of each song

I usually like when women yell but I didn’t like this one very much. Cool cover art. Favorite- I can’t do anything (I love when she says “I hit him back with my pet rrrrat”)

If I was to record a studio album I would simply tune my saxophone 2/5

I do like the characteristic brass of the late 70's. The album cover is fun too. It's just so much shouting. It might just be that I'm not a huge fan of punk. From the lyrics I caught, I enjoy their message, but unfortunately with bad hearing to begin with, I had no idea what she was on about for the majority of the album. Nice short album though, I'll give them that.

Not a massive fan of punk, wouldn’t listen again

I like the angry energy of punk. But as with HipHop I don’t empathise. Not really into the Spex but like the use of sax. A change from most punk. Hence the rating.

Like the music but the voice is very off putting :(

Didn't like as the vocals ruined it for me.

Punk.

The namesake stood out but the sound overall isn’t for me. Fun hearing some trumpet in this kind of music, though!

I can’t do girl punk. I sincerely apologize.

Without knowing anything about the band or album, I’m gonna guess it’s influential because it was punk fronted by a woman. If I liked punk, I suppose I’d like this. But I don’t and I don’t. It’s not that it’s bad at all, just not my taste. And it didn’t grow on me as I listened. I just wanted it to be over with.

pop-rock de los 70, grupo de mujeres adolescentes, nada que volver a visitar, toques de hard rock o punk

If nothing else, it's not a boring album; just an annoying, whiny mess that overstays its welcome. Favorite Track" "Germ Free Adolescents".

Ihan kivaa uuden aallon räminää, mutta biisit itsessään oli kyllä tosi mitäänsanomattomia. Ei tästä oikeastaan jäänyt mitään käteen, vaikka kuuntelin kahteen kertaan.

Punk, 1978 -> 2

No standouts

Did not like the lead singer

Many songs are quite annoying

Es un albúm que al principio me recordaba a mecano si haber esuchado nada, pero al escucharlo es un punk asi que me recuerdo MUCHO todas las canciones a deceptacon de le tigre creo, la cantante canta como el que imita a hugh jackman de GIVE ME A LOAF OF BREEAAAAAAD y me hace mucha gracia, tiene la voz muy aguda y las canciones suelen repetir el título mucho, incluso prefije como iba a empezar una. Las que son más tranquilas y sin menls griterío me gustan más pero tampoco tanto, mucho saxofón sorprendentemente también. Le doy un 4 sinceramente, si no me hubiera roto los tímpanos la voz de la vocalista hubiera tenido un 6.

Not bad but nothing distinguished this album for me and I don't anticipate revisiting any of it. 2/5.

I want to like this. There are a few catchy noises but overall I couldn't get into it. 2.5/5

Hated this, sounded like nails on a chalkboard

Sounds like some teenage girls doing karaoke in their rooms. Adding the sax in gave the tunes a little more depth but I wasn't really into it. This is some early girl punk so I guess that gets them on the list. Not terrible, just mediocre and pretty skippable in my opinion. I won't be exploring any more from the Spex or revisiting this one. 2.04 stars.

Nice to be exposed to some alternate punk with a female vocalists. She brings a lot of enthusiasm to the affair which is otherwise pretty basic. I was enjoying this for a bit but I didn't expect the novelty to wear off so quickly though. Within 20 minutes I had consumed pretty much all the X-Ray Spex I think I need. It's not bad, but the formula is so consistent that it almost feels like you listened to the same song for 10 of the 12 tracks. Glad to be exposed to them, but not anything I'll spend more time with. 1.98 stars

This might be the least bad punk album I've heard. It actually sounded good until the singing started. I liked the youthful energy, the refreshingly (for punk) un-amateurish instrument playing, and the use of saxophone. It's also not overly long. But even a short album with shrieky singing becomes hard to bear pretty quickly

Schwierig. Ich schwanke zwischen Kunst und Abfall. Die negativen Aspekte überwiegen.

STOP YELLING AT ME

Not my style

Did not enjoy

too rowdy for me

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

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".

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Just like its name, wtf

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

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

Just okay

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.

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

Bloody crap this

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

4/10

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

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

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.

no

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

Much punk.

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

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

Ganske nice punk. gøy

fun rhythm and beats but scritchy scratchy vocals kill the buzz

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

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.

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.

Nothing very memorable

Not my style

Music quite nice but vocals were difficult to listen to

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.

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

Ehh, very British British rock