Germfree Adolescents

My new favorite pastime is reading reviews of punk albums on this site and finding all the reviews that complain about punk records being repetitive and the songs sounding the same. You guys crack me up. Seriously, never change. Maybe one day you’ll find the prog-punk masterpiece you’re after. In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying this X-Ray Spex record. It’s a classic.

Wow! What a kickass album. I love the vocalist and the shitty saxophone. Girl punks > Boy punks

Absolutely fresh as fuck punk. Love it. Can't believe I haven't heard of these guys before!

Are you joking me? How have I not heard this before? A killer woman-led punk album with sax!? Hell yes. I can imagine they had a major influence on the riot grrrl movement! Loved it, but I wonder why the track listing is all cattywampus on Spotify. I took the official track listing from Wikipedia and just put the songs in that order in my queue. Listeners beware!

Simply, one of my favourite albums of any genre. Crackles with energy and possesses a spring and a bounce that is all too rare. Poly Styrene was an electric frontwoman. The saxophone should have featured more in punk. I'd give this six stars if I could

Hidden gem! I've never heard of this group before but this album speaks directly to my musical sensibilities and tastes. It's remarkable how much Poly Styrene's vocals remind me of Kathleen Hanna. I'm digging this so much. Plus, fuck yeah, saxophone!! I am instantly in love with this record and Poly Styrene. She is a punk goddess and badass feminist icon. Oh bondage up yours indeed!

Proto-riot-grrrl English punks, with clear influences from the Sex Pistols and clear influences on 80's ska-punk bands. Catchy, with some inconsistent guitar effects choices.

Touching on themes like capitalism, consumerism, scientific progress, advertising, young people, feminism, aging, fame, identity, and more. The critiques on this album are as sharp and relevant today as they were in 1978. All of that is tied together in a nice little punk/new-wave packaged with wicked saxophone accompaniments. The music has a kitschy theatrical feel to it that drives the message home even further. I honestly couldn't ask for anything more. I am reminded of The Peptides when listening to this. I had never heard of this band or album before, but this is a real gem, really glad to have found it. NOTE: Youtube Music does not have the tracks arranged in the proper release order :( Fav Tracks: Honestly ever track here is great. But if I have to choose: Plastic Bag, I Can't Do Anything, Identity

I love this album, such a great sound. Polysyrene's voice is superb, adding saxophone to this kind of music sounds so good. I think X-Ray Spex aren't shouted about enough, they pop up in a lot of music books I read but they never seem to be front and centre, they are so good!

I love this album. This was one of my favorite albums growing up and remains a favorite today. I’m sure that the combination of sax, nearly operatic screaming, and the punk aesthetic may seem odd at first listen, but part of the point of making a project of this album generator (and the point of listening to new music in general!) is to learn about the multitude of ways music speaks to a multitude of people. The seeming clash of sounds on Germ-Free Adolescents is purposeful. The sax may represent the traditional oldheads in British society, as it often is involved with a sort of mocking call and response to Poly Styrene’s vocals. This album’s primary theme is anti-consumerism — the clash of musical sounds lead to something that is, on its surface, not at all commercialized. It’s new, it’s odd, it’s art, and, yes, it’s punk at its core. Every song is a trip to the sky, where you find yourself looking at the world with a bird’s eye view, exploitative capitalist consumerist systems clearly at play. Musically and in its message, this album taught me so much when I first heard it in high school. There’s still much to be gleaned from it today. An easy 5.

Really enjoyed this one, energetic & driving guitars with sax blended in throughout. Unexpectedly amazing

incredibly consistent woman-fronted punk album with some early new wave stylings (and a radass saxophone!)

Absolutely loved all of it. I've never heard of this band and this album is now one of my favorites. When it ended, I even listened to all the bonus tracks and then wanted to listen to their entire discography back to back... turns out they only made two albums.. and this is their only one on Spotify. That's the first time I've ever done that from what I remember. Whoever's that saxophonist, I hope he's alive and healthy. What a legend.

A classic. Thoughtful, early punk. When so many bands were busy being "weird" or "edgy" for edginess sake, they were the real deal. This album has held up very well throughout the years. Can hear who they've influenced over the years, from Bikini Kill to Rocket From the Crypt. I really need to revisit this one more often.

Not on Spotify but found it on YouTube. Doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Great female fronted punk with a freaking saxophone! So many good melodies - I’m going 5 stars!!

FASCINANTE. Me encantó y no la vi venir. Punk bien punk de pendejos y mujeres que se cansaron del estereotipo de mujercita correcta. La verdad muy muy bueno. Se extiende un poco mas de lo que quisiera, pero no se hace imposible de terminar. Aparentemente es el unico que sacaron, asi que don't know. Me gusta mucho la voz que mezcla Patty Smith con Karen O, es imposible hacer la comparación. Las letras son super juveniles y bordean lo burlesco, para la epoca no era tan normal, pero resalta un monton. Faveadisimo. -El primer tema TIENE que haber sido la inspiracion de Edgar Wright para el opening de Scott Pilgrim.

Ended up really not liking this album. It was a struggle to get through every song. The singing was too much like yelling, the music had that classic same-y punk feel for me. Presence of the saxophone / other unique bits did not save this album for me.

Its not a great album. Its interesting, and punk with a saxophone is different, and the lyrics are smart, but its not great. Or even good. 2/5

Better than Coldplay

You gotta like the energy and relentless screaming. The singer sounds like a female version of Johnny Rotten. The saxophone, though a bit squeaky at times, gives them a bit of a Bowie/glammish feel underneath the punk ranting. It definitely sets their sound apart from their contemporaries. The opening track is a classic and the next five or six really rock. They took their foot off the gas for the title track, which was disappointing.

Germfree Adolescents by X-Ray Spex (1978) It’s the kind of thankfully obscure, coprophagic, and hard-to-find British punk album that justifies the flagging of my interest in this 1001 Albums project. I soldier on. I will simply point out here that (1) it is actually possible to tune a saxophone, and (2) melody (by lead vocalist Poly Styrene [sheesh!]) involves more than belting out mere approximations of the major fifth and the tonic. Beefeater and quinine, anyone? 1/5

Some great tracks. I can only imagine the reaction of parents when teenagers brought this record home, and played it loudly in their bedroom!

The band and the music were new for me. This was an interesting recommendation, with a mix of punk and new wave to the music. It felt like the music could fit in on a playlist with the Talking Heads, the B-52's, and the Pixies, while not being far away from the sounds of more well known punk bands like the Sex Pistols. A punk-ish sound that included saxophone was unexpected. The album was okay, but my individual track ratings started to dip as the album went on. I didn't hear enough variety with my first listen.

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.

Enjoyed this one. Solid punk album. The saxophone adds a neat touch. Visceral, angry all the good stuff that is required in a punk album. Will listen again.

Made me want to drink beer at a packed venue while listening to this. Cool punk album with hints of ska. The vocals are really something special. That said did i even listen to the right album? I just took the one on Spotify but now I see it seems to have quite a few different songs. Anyway, favorite tracks include "I Am a Poseur" and "Identity" with its cool sax. Nice album of a band I have never heard of.

What I really like about this is that the Sex Pistols and The Clash were pretty aggressive, but then X-Ray Spex took the same format and just had fun with it. I can't think of any genre that's so willing to take the piss out of itself so quickly.

Germy

They should change the name of this app to 1,000 albums to listen to before you die.

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

Punk NEEDS more saxophone X-Ray Spex was so real for that

I really love this album. Banger after banger.

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

Kick ass. Never listened to this band before. I really enjoyed the energy of these songs. The vocals were great and the sax was a plus. The generator threw me a solid today.

I had no expectations going in, but this was pretty awesome. Catchy songs, edgy, political lyrics, great singing. Poly Styrene is something else. It feels like it would fit right in 2026.

A good punk album with some musicality. I enjoyed this thoroughly

That was pretty not bad. The recording was mushy, but there was enough punk attitude to get past my completely unfounded gatekeeping about who gets to call themselves “punk.” Additional points for the female-fronted band, the jaunty saxophone solo over the darkest themes on “I Live Off You,” and the very obvious hat tip to the Pistols. Someone is definitely exploiting someone here, I just can’t tell who’s exploiting who. A killer line from GPT while trying to make my grammar here more readable: "Poly Styrene especially feels oddly predictive now. Half the album sounds like she foresaw influencer culture, microplastics, branding as identity, and the psychological effects of fluorescent supermarkets." Now piss off

Who knew saxophone was missing from riot grrl punk? This worked better than I would have thought. It was fun and brash and short

Really fresh fun sounding punk music that parallels Blondie but with distinctly British touches. Poly Styrene's voice is one of my favorites, wish she had recorded more music. There's a direct line from this to Sleater-Kinney right down to the cracking, fractured vocals and heavy sax use. There is a sweet spot for saxophone use in English punk and Germfree Adolescents hits it right before it becomes too ska-like for my liking. I could play Warrior in Woolworths on an endless loop and never get sick of it. So many fun songs on this one. Favorite Tracks: Warrior in Woolworths, Identity, I Am a Poseur, Germfree Adolescents

Still sounds fresh and vital

X-Ray Spex is one of those early punk bands I missed for whatever reason. (Maybe the sax put me off?) That's a shame, because this should be Required Listening for all budding punk rockers. Maybe I have my history wrong, but this feels like a dispatch from the early, wider-open days of punk before orthodoxy took hold. It's a shame X-Ray Spex didn't stick around longer, but it's also kind of perfect that they didn't.

Альбом был бы просто улучшенной версией Ramones, если бы не ебаный саксофон. Как он тут вообще оказался?)) Правда, это уже не важно, потому что он здесь прям как влитой.

I'm not usually into punk, because it's just so noisy and discordant, but as an example of the genre I think this is decent. There's some good grooves and riffs running through this, and it clearly has a lot of typical punk energy. It's way groovier and more musical than other punk albums, with the addition of the sax in particular. 3.5 rounded up.

It’s a shame their best song Oh Bondage Up Yours isn’t on Spotify- check it out on YouTube then listen to the rest of this album. A real punk stepping stone. And maybe Riot Grrl would exist without this, but most likely not. I’d make this 4.5 if I could.

I feel like I’ve come across Germ Free Adolescents somewhere before but I’m not sure where. It’s hard to know if I’ve heard of X-Ray Spex or if I’m just thinking of silly shows from my childhood where x-ray glasses were mentioned. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: I Am A Poseur, Warrior In Woolworths Firstly, I didn’t recognise the track Germ Free Adolescents at all so that topic stopped before it started. For the first few tracks, I was quite unsure about the music. The vocals felt quite grating initially - very British, and somewhat shrill. However, by the end of the album they had completely won me over and I was loving it, and was left wanting more as the closing track finished. It reminded me a bit of Siouxie and the Banshees, but I found this more enjoyable.

Is proto punk good because it’s a little more accessible? To me one of those albums where it just sounds like the band is having fun. The sound is a little less refined, which isn’t shocking for a first album, but it’s not unrefined to the point of disjointed. The band supports itself well with interesting bass/drum lines and the vocals put a bow on every song. And you know what? I’ll just say it. The sax is fun and a great call

Loving the shape of punk that was, dig the singer’s weirdly dreamy and detached energy and the instrument choices. I heard some sax, some other general winds, really fun to hear that mixing in with the usual punk guitar.

One digs the edginess, which feels authentic, if effortful. "Live Off of You" and "Warrior of Woolworths" are quality cuts, the latter's riffs and hooks make it sound like a different band almost, with some hooks that look glamly back to the '70s. The horns make the record. One finds the vocals a bit annoying after a time, but the level of creativity and commitment are legit, solid+.

Cannot believe I've not heard these guys before. Kick ass punk, a saxophone and a great vocalist. You can hear the Sex Pistols but they also have their own undeniable sound and style. Clearly a huge influence on many of the more modern ska/punk bands I grew up listening to.

A terribly under appreciated band, X-Ray Spex deserve much more than their usual odd mention on Punk Documentaries. Poly Styrene should be a poster girl for everyone, a true icon who makes you realise how insane this world is. When you see girls today saying that the likes of walking talking Daily Star advert Rihanna are their idols it makes you wonder what the fuck is going on. Poly strikes a blow here for intelligent females all over the world.

A very unexoted 4. Could this be the answer to my unanswered questions form the film American Beauty? Ah so this is the punk music I missed out on. Better than the sex pistols. Sounds like the sister act. But with better instruments. They took it seriously? Anyway... Yep. She has a kind of a voice and we'll stylaised.... Good brass and the drum kits gets a workout, and telling. it wants to woman does a better job . Funnest songs. THE DAY the world turns dayglo. ( I found my self humming "I am am an ar Christ...." Somehow) . How funny . By the time art-i-ficial came on I think I could like this guys despite it all... Where's my hair gel, safety pin, and tartan? It's fun. "my mind is like a plastic bag" is beautifully dernaged and she goes on to perform a wonderfully unhinged salute. Landmark. It this American beauty explained? She channels Bellatrix Lestrange for a moment ... Is Helena B.H. a time shifter too? What's that, cockney? But yes. Thanks for the Edyukation.

There aren’t that many original British punk albums that I can throw on & listen to from go to whoa these days, but this is definitely one of them. The ex has the vinyl but I have the 1991 Caroline cd, which changed the track listing and added 4 bonus tracks, including the iconic Oh Bondage Up Yours! and the wonderful I Am A Cliche. From the original album, the highlights for me are Identity & especially the title track, which shows how they could be be equally compelling when they slowed things down. Poly was a stunningly great front-person, but even though Lora Logic had been sacked from the band before the album was recorded, they used the sax charts she had drawn up for those songs, so she’s all over it & that horn sound was so influential in the post-punk years. I love this record. It still sounds fresh to me.

Never heard of them before. Wish I had. What a solid band from front to back. Love the horns as well, almost brings an element of ska to the punk. And with a name of Poly Styrene as the lead singer... this is awesome!

It's a great album. Poly Styrene is a great vocalist with a unique style, and the album is mostly thrashy fun. Warrior in Woolworths is such a great song. Even saxophone breaks can't ruin this record for me! A lot of good stuff, but then at the end, Germ Free Adolescent is a beautiful moment of vulnerability. That's a rare trait in punk, and it really works. Beautiful. Finally, I'm listening to the reissue, because to deny myself Oh Bondage Up Yours would be a sin.

Ah, Poly Styrene (RIP) and the gang! Great punk album this, Poly was and still is a feminist Icon, she took the bull by the horns and lead that group of Punk women who changed the face of Rock & Roll in the late 70's. I have this original vinyl in my collection, but first heard the band on the "Live At The Roxy" album where they did "Oh Bondage! Up Yours" a classic of the oeuvre! Highlights for me are "Warrior In Woolworths" (I can't believe there is a whole generation that have no understanding of what Woolworths meant to working class families!)

What an album...one great tune after another and refreshingly different from anything else at the time. My vinyl copy is an early British pressing and doesn't even include their most famous song Oh Bondage Up Yours, but amazingly Germ Free Adolescents does not suffer for its absence. 4.5 🌟

Get's straight to the point. A brilliant and varied selection of little punk gems. Came close to full marks but I still find a couple of tracks difficult to connect with. Germ Free Adolescents is a stone cold classic.

I was really excited to get this album, since I became acquainted with the band through their song "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" earlier this year and really liked it. This whole album is filled with a similar energy and approach to that song. There is something weirdly fun about the combination of punk and saxophones. It's really too bad that this band doesn't get more recognition as a pioneer. The title track stands out a lot as being a sort of proto-post-punk song (whatever that means) 4/5

So much energy! This record speeds by quickly and it's such a shame the band only released one album during their heyday. Every song reminds me of other songs that came later, which shows how important and influential this record was when it was released. An Essential listen for fans of female-fronted bands of all genres!

Had to go to find a playlist on YouTube for this one.

This sounds like something that could've come out last week: hooks and annoyance. That sax! Angry and fun, this was a real surprise. Given that they only released a few singles and one album, seems they didn't fuck about. (I wonder how much of the difficulty in finding this album (it's not complete or available on Spotify or Apple Music locally) is because of Polly Styrene's 2009 beef with Google over royalties?)

Surprised that I enjoyed as much as I did. The saxophone was SICK. This record basically begged me to have a good time, and although I'd typically roll my eyes, I couldn't resist.

Kick ass! Straight raw punk, definitely not for everyone, but this is exactly what it's supposed to sounds like, no over production, no radio hits, no shits given and plenty of sax!

super fun slop rock

If Blondie got together with the Sex Pistols this would be their lovechild. Kudos for their audacity and energy. Poly Styrene is a great front-woman and the cheap sounding sax is a refreshing change.

When this first came on my first thought is that it would be getting 5 stars. I love most punk stuff and the addition of the saxophone was really cool but pretty much every song on this album sounds exactly the same. I need just a little bit more variety to keep me interested for the length of the whole album.

Somewhere between ska, new wave, and the Dead Kennedys. Poly Styrene's vocals take some getting used to, but I eventually got it. The saxophone, however, is a novelty that wears off. Announcing the song title at the beginning of the song does as well. Favorite tracks: "Identity", "Plastic Bag"

As little as I like punk, I do find girl punk fun. Add a sax to the mix and I really wanted to enjoy this album… but the vocals were just too hard on the ears.

Undoubtedly incredibly innovative at the time. Now, I'm not impressed.

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.

Nr. 162/1001 Germfree Adolesance 3/5 Identity 3/5 The Day The World Turned Dayglow 2/5 Genetic Engineering 2/5 Art-I-Ficial 2/5 Plastic Bag 2/5 I Am A Poseur 3/5 I Live Off You 2/5 Let's Submerge 2/5 Obsessed With You 2/5 Warrior in Woolworths 3/5 I Can't Do Anything 3/5 Age 2/5 Highly Inflammable 2/5 Average: 2,36 Didn't really like this.

Better than most of the punk that was kicking around - the sax helps, as you can't just thrash that instrument. I think her voice is also much more interesting that most punk yellers. Still, won't ever listen to any of it again

#184. On the one hand, I suppose shitty punk music is more punk than more well executed punk music, but on the other hand, I still fucking hate this. 2/5: Yeah, I realize the problem may lie with me, but I'm gonna give it a two anyway

Didn’t really care for this and kept thinking, “is this really an album I need to listen to before I die?” It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve listened to on this list, but it was boring and a bit repetitive. The title track and “I Cant Do Anything” were okay, but this is a skip from me.

I get that it’s a style, maybe if an important album to that style but it’s not even slightly enjoyable. The UK-ness of this book is showing.

Some parts reminded me of Yoko

This is really, really rough. I usually use Ramones as my exemplar for unpolished garage-rock by guys (and gals!) who lack traditional musical training. But this CD is even less polished and the musicians even less well-trained, so I probably have to switch to insulting bands by comparing them to Germfree Adolescents (note: I like Ramones). The singer is awful. Aside from the (?!?!) saxophonist, nobody in the band can really play their instrument above an intermediate level. None of the songs are the least bit noteworthy in terms of composition. The best cover for those sorts of deficiencies is to be fast and loud - and they are indeed fast and loud (it gets a little slow towards the end). On that basis I thought about giving them a 2. But I really didn't enjoy the CD at all, it's not very fun, and moreover, I can't even count how many punk CD's I'd have to put on here before this one is worthy of inclusion. 1001 is a lot, but I bet I could get there.

Classic and iconic. Loads of killer tracks. Nostalgic as hell.

Women in punk kind of beat men in punk easily

I must admit, at first I was a bit annoyed about drafting another punk album, but man, this energy! It hooked me right from the first song! I also love how catchy the tracks sound and that it is woman-led. This might become my favorite punk album!

Punk with attitude, female singer, saxophone and very good songs. Simple and I like it like this.

really good! i already like the chaotic vibes of punk, but with saxophones aswell? hell yea! i saw a buncha reviews complaining abt how its 2 loud, like.. yea? kinda the point, isnt it. absolutely luvd it!!

I am liking more and more the female led punk bands. I admit it was not something I really listened to before despite listening to a fair amount of punk. I liked the dichotomy of the voice with the music and wondered if there was not some influence on bands like hole.

I really enjoyed this, when it comes to punk it’s some of the best and most diverse I’ve come across. Interesting use of instruments and the vocals are just sublime. I’ll revisit this one from time to time.

I knew X-Ray Spex was cool...I have a couple of their songs on my punk playlist...but I was not expecting such a great album. Front to back...great punk rock...and saxophone!! 5

This was excellent

If there's anything the world could use more of in the year 2026, it's girl punk with some sax. How has this never floated across my radar?

Frábært pönk. Poly var geggjuð týpa og einstök. Helvítis neysluhyggjan og lífsgæðakapphlaupið.

Pönkið er einfaldlega besta tónlistin og hvar ætli tónlist væri í dag ef það hefði ekki komið fram. Beitiir textar, Poly töff og saxinn kremið á kökunni.

Glorious. Combines the beautiful aggression of the Pistols with some genuine musicality - sax harmonies, extra beats and time changes, and genuine meaning behind snotty brattishness. Maybe a little short of a strong 5, but the variety and day-glo energy is enough to put it up there. Maybe i'm just happy to have something different. Follow a lumpen dad rock album with this and you'll see why punk was so important.

Excellent.

Another classic punk record! This record stands out for me because of the saxophone, and of course Poly Styrene's vocals and lyrics are great. Wonderful album. 10 stars

Loud, shouty, lots of repeated vocals and simple but effective riffs. Love the color that the saxophone brings. A fresh and unique take on the sort of music I like.

I've always thought of this one as possibly my favorite punk album of the first wave. This listen didn't change that, even though it did make me realize how much they kinda drop off in quality after 'Identity". But still, Poly's screaming and that dizzy saxophone are enough to make even the lackluster songs exciting to listen to.

🤘🏾🫶🏾😎🤏🏾🙂❤️❤️❤️

Obsessed! New favourite band unlocked

Gøy gøy gøy!

Sounds really nice, I love it

Oh hell yes! I owned this one, cranked it plenty to piss off my stuffy college roommates. At first blush, her vocals can be unsettling. But damn if she doesn’t grow on you. The band is tight and the sax adds a great twist to the punk sound. Great album. Too bad they couldn’t really hold it together, but such is the life of a punk.