Wild Gift

Wow. Impressed. Heard of X, I think, but never listened before. It’s catchy, pared down, good variety, not too one note. I hear ramones, pixies, misfits, Jefferson airplane, sonic youth, iggy and the stooges, that says it all. Saved the album to my library.

Had never heard this before - awesome - right up there on the list with the Clash, the Femmes, and other angry punk/post-punk bands of the era.

Maybe it’s the pop-punk loving side of me, but I really enjoyed this album, especially the first and last tracks sung by the female vocalist. I liked the blend of 50s rock with the driving pace of punk. This is the more palatable version of what The Cramps were trying to achieve. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars and ended at 4 because I want to look up more music by X.

If the Ramones hopped into a Cadillac, put Johnny B Goode on the 8 track, and drove straight into the B-52's love shack, it might sound like this. Thanks, X, for pushing punk in new directions. The rockabilly stuff is not my cuppa tea, but the rest was solid. I have a feeling their lyrics deserve more attention. Perfect soundtrack to Tony Hawk Pro Skater II. B+

1981! Really? Wow. Straight into the favourite albums list.

I loved this. It was my first time hearing of this band. What a find!

alright but a bit boring. Superb bass playing though, and bonus points for being short and sharp

It's not even Punk as it's far too clean around the edges and perhaps 5-6 years too late. There are bands that did this far better in New York, London and Manchester so I fail to see what makes this so special. It's not horrible to listen to, just bland and uninspiring.

Punk, but the band has skill.

I prefer Los Angeles, but this a great album too.

Pleasantly surprised to see this here. Very underrated.

I really enjoyed this album - it feels like a perfect segue between rock from the previous two decades and the two to come. You can hear rockabilly sounds like Elvis (who they likely were inspired by) and post-punk / alternative sounds like Sonic Youth too (who they likely inspired) plus some of their contemporaries like the Sex Pistols. Lots of different sounds really; this is not one-dimensional punk. Highlights were the Once over Twice (more brooding Ramones), We're Desperate (like frenetic Talking Heads), Adult Books (my favorite - Elvis meets the Velvet Underground meets Marty Robbins), Universal Corner (can't put my finger on it, but feels ahead of it's time), It's Who You Know (Motorhead with more depth), White Girl (Sonic Youth meets the Velvet Underground), and Beyond and Back (Dead Kennedys meet Elvis Costello).

well, this is another one that was over too soon. i knew about X, of course, being a punkity-rock kid back in the day - but they were a little before my time, and i didn't really come to them until later. i love the aggressive attack on the guitar, the almost brutal uncaring in exene's voice...just great punk rock.

What's not to love about X?

Punk music doesn’t do it for me

Great band. Great album. Fringe, outspoken leadership may soon change band name to Twitter.

I like X but this kinda fades into early 80s american punk white noise in my brain. Los Angeles I think has the more memorable tracks.

Pretty generic 80s punk

Wild Gift isn't for me, it's another one where every song sounds mostly the same, several shades of a palette that's too similar, and I've never really liked the lo-fi punk sound anyway. Shouldn't be on the list, 2.

One word review Crap

Wow, that was very unexpected! I have heard of X but never listened to their music. This was obviously a mistake because this is awesome!

Very rock n roll

Bloody brilliant... Surprised me totally. Five stars and it's going in my Tidal library.

Never heard of this. Wow, these have just released a new album this year, and it sounds great! I really like it. Melodic early 80s US punk. Hints of early REM and The Replacements etc. It's bass driven as well. Therefore I'm gonna love it. One of the better new discoveries on this trip.

yes

Amazing. Another underrated band.

Hell yeah

I love X. That is all.

I love this album — been a staple since high school, and this isn't even my favorite X album (More Fun In The New World!). Call this punk if you gotta, but there's a lot of musicality going on, and intelligent commentary too. They shoot for an aesthetic and hit it — between the bizarre harmonies (there was one album where Exene thanked her vocal coach in the liner notes and I just found that hilarious), rockabilly shuffle, excellent guitar playing, and great tunes... turn it up.

4-5

Excellent! The blend of male and female vox works really well.

Great punk rock album!

Great discovery! Really enjoyed listening!

Wild Gift by X is a visceral and intense punk rock album that captures the raw energy of the band's live performances. From the opening track to the last, the album delivers a relentless barrage of powerful riffs and impassioned vocals. The songwriting on Wild Gift is sharp and incisive, tackling themes of love, politics, and rebellion with a fierce authenticity. Tracks like We're Desperate and White Girl showcase the band's ability to blend punk aggression with melodic hooks, creating memorable anthems that stick with you long after the album ends. The production on Wild Gift is gritty and unpolished, perfectly complementing the band's DIY ethos and punk aesthetic. Each track on the album feels urgent and vital, making Wild Gift a timeless classic in the punk genre. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 9 STAND OUT TRACK - Year 1

This album really hits a spot in my mind. Punk music with a bit of riot girls is everything I want when I wake up and open this site.

rockabilly punk rock.. You can't go wrong.

Nobody has sounded like X before or since. Punk? Rockabilly? Yes and yes! We’re Desperate is pure punk rock but they can follow that with Adult Books which is… what? It’s another great track is what it is and don’t put X in too small a box. And Billy Zoom is a killer guitarist.

Great band, Great album. I've listened to this before and will again. I'd have a hard time picking between this and Los Angeles.

I'm much less familiar with this as I was Los Angeles. And I still think L.A. is better, but this is still excellent and I will listen to it a lot.

WHITE GIIIIIIIIIRL

Yep. Dear to my punk loving heart.

Brilliant, and one I would probably never have heard otherwise! Sounds like an influence on loads of bands I love, especially suede and the Manics, but also on pretty much every punk band since. I didn't know "West Coast punk" was a thing, and it kind of wasn't really - except these guys - but I'm glad to know someone was trying to make it happen.

A band I've never heard of, a genre that I'd generally avoid, and I loved it. Just loved it! What a happy discovery!

I had a roommate in college who liked X and wanted us to go hear them when they played in the gym on campus. But none of the rest of us knew them and wouldn't buy tickets so we compromised and eavesdropped on the show from outside, on the grassy mound known as The Hump. That's not that interesting a story but it's a nice memory. Anyhow, I didn't take the opportunity to become an X fan --- they were a little too "alternative" for my tastes at the time. That's ok because they fit into my tastes just perfectly now. This album is great!

This was a fun rock album - really good punk rock that was a lot of fun to listen to. Catchy songs that kept me in it for the duration.

How have I never heard these guys before?! This is very much my jam and exactly what I wanted from this silly project. Songs added to Spotify: 5

X had a great run of must-hear albums in the early-mid 80's with music that was smart, intelligent punk combining styles of rockabilly, country, blues, R & B and roots rock and put on energetic live shows. The first album, Los Angeles was groundbreaking and added California to the punk rock map. Their second album, Wild Gift was just as good, it was rawer and less over-produced than the first and the songs were a continuation in style and intensity of Los Angeles. In some ways, I prefer Wild Gift, it was maybe a bit overlooked and underrated in the overall X catalog, but it was an important record and lasting punk masterpiece, before the band signed to the Majors and smoothed out (and quieted) their sound. Solid and essential, if you can find it!

Such a fun album with a unique sound! Yes, it’s punk, but there’s actually some really interesting rockabilly in there too. The hooks are catchy, the lyrics are enigmatic, the guitar riffs are rocking. It’s a punk rock collection of love songs. But it’s the vague harmonizing and shout-sung vocals from Exene Cervenka and John Doe that really makes the album sparkle. I’ll definitely be coming back to this album—one of my favorite discoveries from this project!

Great punk with a bit of blues or country or folk to some of it. Not too heavy and not too repetitive.

Sooo good. Straightforward and tight with great musicianship and melodies. Those baselines! And the rockabilly vibes! It’s also super accessible but so varied in styles, which I can’t imagine is an easy feat. Such an awesome discovery! Tucked away safely for future listens.

I like the X - Lost Angeles album and have listened to it a lot over the years. This album I was less familiar with but still really enjoyed it.

The female vocalist (Exene) really makes this album for me. Her singing is terrible, but that’s exactly what this kind of music needs. John Doe can sing, and the combination of the two voices is just perfect. The lyrics are wonderfully clever/stupid. Great fun.

So fierce

9/10 super wild, super fun really love this one

Between 1981 and 1984, X released 4 albums - an album a year. My favorite is their 4th one, "More Fun In The New World." (This is probably due to me seeing them for the first time...and three times on that album). In total, I've probably seen them about 10 time and they are still pretty great live...albeit older. It was great to listen to this one again and remind myself why I fell in love with the band. When we had a wild night, a friend used to say, "Last night everything broke." - A line from "We're Desperate" the best song here. (Not to be confused with the Australian bad of the same name, who formed about the same time or the Japanese band, who were force to change their name to X Japan).

Fuck if I don't love music like this. Never knew about X before but now I need more!

Growing up in LA & its 80-90s punk/alternative scene, this is a foundational band for me… they have an edge, an urgency, (“We’re Desperate, get used to it!” Amirite?!) to them, unlike some of the middling bands on the list that sold way more records (Steely Dan, Coldplay, Boston), the sort of edge Rock ‘n’ roll always was supposed to have going back to Chuck Berry (who’s obviously an influence on Billy Zoom) & Little Richard (influenced Exene & to a lesser degree John Doe)… plus as Anthony Kiedis once said John Doe’s “voice is made of gold…” Whenever I listen to X I think about “Decline of Western Civilization”’s performances by the band, or where they’re drunk & Exene gives herself a homemade tattoo… those other bands above would never do those things… nor would they make music like this.

This is one of the greatest punk albums of all time. X takes the raw edge of punk and much like the Clash, brings in more thoughtful arrangements to create a form of punk that is more musically literate despite its destructive and deconstructive elements. This album is clearly influenced by hard rock, 50s rock, and emergent post-punk. The hallmarks of where punk inspired music was headed are all still here, increased musicality, acrobatic bass, incorporation of different genres etc.

they're awsome

This is amazing! Had never heard it before, but instant fan. It's so believable, it's so straight ahead in some ways but with a punk soul and elements of many other genres. Sounds so fresh and original.

Best American rock band from the first half of the 80s when they made five 5* albums. Probably their LA album is even a bit better but it is always a hard choice. Wild Gift contains songs like Adult Books and Universal Corner etc.

very cool

I'd never heard of this band before... I wish I had! I loved this. Short and catchy which satisfies that craving I have. Will be exploring the rest of their discography based on this.

white girl and tals

This album is tight. It's full of ramshackle, energetic rockers from one of the most unique bands in music. X's punk bona fides are on full display, sweetened with a rockabilly undertone and a hint of a twang, which would become more pronounced on future albums. Billy Zoom's guitars burn brilliantly. D.J. Bonebrake's drums set an urgent pace that propels everything forward without distracting from the true stars of this show, John and Exene. The chaotic harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka are imperfectly perfect. They're languid and messy and totally endearing. Their lyrics are incredibly poetic, blurring the gritty with the romantic. They sing about the dysfunctional side of life and of love, and you can feel it. Fave Songs: The Once Over Twice, Adult Books, In This House That I Call Home, I'm Coming Over

Awesome!

Solid punk album. Good sound, songs are happily 3 minutes. Songs are happily 75 seconds. Good melodies, fun listen.

favorite songs: The Once Over Twice, Universal Corner, In This House That I Call Home, When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch. a really good album, only a couple songs that I thought were meh

Wild Girl is the second studio album from X, the LA based punk band. X made a unique version of punk; their work has a basis in rockabilly, in part from guitarist Billy Zoom's (Ty Kindell) previous work. X's distinct sound came, in part, from their two lead vocalists; John Doe (John Duchec) and Exene Cervenka (Christine Cervenkova) shared the role, and the dynamic between them was a distinct part of the band's song. Wild Gift and the band's debut album, Los Angeles, were well known around LA, and made them regionally famous. After this album, X got a major-label contract, and much broader exposure. Wild Gift is a snapshot of the band in a raw, early stage as an influential punk band.

Another band I should’ve been into, I just couldn’t squeeze ‘em in…I like this album a lot and like I said above…

I've always really liked X and their brand of punkabilly. I don't especially love their songs or albums, but no one quite sounds like them. There's just something in their formula that works for me.

80's punk/alt rock with folk/rockabilly/Americana influences. It's interesting. Kinda similar in a way to The Damned or Minutemen. Favourite songs: It's Who You Know, Universal Corner, Back 2 The Base, In This House That I Call Home, Beyond and Back, When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch, The Once Over Twice Least favourite songs: Adult Books, I'm Coming Over 4/5

Solid earlyish punk.

Fun and a pleasingly short album. But I think it sounds very much of its time - no bad thing for 1981!

Fun.

Though X come from the hardcore scene this album feels more like post punk before post punk really began. Flashes of country, straight up rock and R&B make appearances too. The guitar licks and hooks are just that little bit special. Best Tracks: We're Desperate; It's You Who Know; In This House That I Call Home

80s kid here myself. An 80s classic album I never knew existed. Feels like I heard something from an alternate universe.

80's punk is always solid. this one was a little more than solid. 8/10

This has to be one of the more masterful punk rock albums I have ever heard. It’s a great 33 minutes that never comes across as repetitive or grating. There’s something about X that gives off a different energy than other punk bands. I kind of get a Sonic Youth / Violent Femmes vibe, probably due to the female vocalist. It’s easy to see why they are considered so influential to the scene. Favorite track: White Girl Other hits: In This House I Call Home, When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch, We’re Desperate, Back 2 The Base

Enjoyed this rather a lot. A new band on me, even though I’m familiar with a decent amount of punk. I enjoyed the rockabilly influence, too.

Pretty good

This one was pretty fun. I'd never heard of X before, I'll have to look into them more.

American punk rock group - early 80s. Co female/male lead vocals. Cool sound, sounds a bit similar to the B-52s 3.5

This is cool. The rockabilly influences much more pronounced than say - the cramps, and the singing and lyrics are far and away better than the rest of the LA crew who were just yelling about depression and aggression. I only know this cause I just watched the decline of western civilizaiton on Prime. Anyway, some real poetryand harmony to be had.

I’m not going to get on my soapbox today; this is a great punk rock record.

Really enjoyed this. The punky, Blondie-esque tone of much of the album is a big plus. Some tracks are less punk, but more Rockabilly. I'd rather they kept up the punkiness throughout, but this is still a great album. I'd rather listen to them doing rockabilly than listen to an embarrassingly poor imitation of punk such as The Fall produced.

good LA punk. Warum habe ich so eine gute Album streak momentan?

Hadn’t listened to this band before or known they covered “Wild Thing” for the movie Major League. I like the dissonant harmonies.

I’d honestly never heard of X, but I really really enjoyed this.

would be ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ if they had stuck with the production from the first record but i think they got scared

Enjoyed this record. I love songs with male and female voices in them. It’s said that I think something like this wouldn’t see the light of day in current times. Rough vocals and not tightest playing all would have be autotuned and you’d lose the soul of what makes this record great.

A fun pop-punk album! Kind of a unique mix of sounds/styles here, and I think it worked. Good energy, albeit a little more on the polished side than the raw side. I especially liked the female vocalist.

You know what, this was a lot of fun. I liked the rockabilly influence. Sometimes you want some radio friendly rocking

Loved this album! The punk vibes were fantastic and reminded me a bit of Sweet.

This is an extremely fun record that was clearly very influential on subsequent post-punk.

Really fun!

Yep. Your whole fucking life might be a wreck, but you are able to make (and enjoy) music. Wild gift? Wild ride. Punk can often be just as fun as snarling and to me this as fun as it gets. The psychobilly aesthetic is perfect Zoom and Doe. Exene and Doe somehow get off the couch.

I wouldn’t call this punk - I could hear so many styles and kept thinking they were more like the B-52s. Fun!!

I think X may be my favorite punk band. I love their harmonies, lyrics, and gift for melodies. The energy is high but the songs are more varied than you find on most punk albums. (Honestly, they may be the least punk of the punk bands, which may be why I love them so much. I bought this as a two-fer (with their debut Los Angeles), so until today, I wasn't sure which songs were on which album. And although I love this one, I think it's the weakest of their first four albums. Still, it's at least a 4. Unfortunately, this is the only X album on this list. I would have chosen Los Angeles or Under the Big Black Sun.

Another band I had never heard of before. I was halfway through the first listen through before it started to click for me. It got better with each listen. Punk with a wide array of styles thrown into the mix.