Wild Gift

A delightfully polymorphic punk album that leans more towards the cerebral/art-house vibe.

It’s a little punky, a bit grindy and sort of rock revivalist, but for all those reasons, it’s lost a little bite and energy.

good punk

Has alot going for it, particularly when they go hard, but I think it gets bogged down when they do the old timey thing. Do love the male female vocal mix though.

I like the style but beyond that is was just okay. Competent punk but nothing stood out.

x - wild gift (1981) notes: - post punk band with shared lead vocals - really like the artwork! - i like the album “los angeles” by x but i’d never gone deeper in their discography fav - were desperate - i like the energy and dissonant guitar in the chorus least fav - year 1 - i like the vocals but the rest of the song didn’t match to me to me los angeles does everything this album does but better

Cet album s'écoute assez calmement même si tout au long du projet, notre oreille nous suggère que quelque chose ne tourne pas rond. En voici l'explication : il a été produit par l'ignoble Ray Manzarek.

Surprisingly good but nothing I was crazy about

Punk's not really my jam but this wasn't a horrible listen - I'd give it 3.5 if I could. Fave track - "The Once Over Twice", maybe, or "In This House That I Call Home"

I have not heard of "X" before, but I'm interested to find out what they are about. So far nothing jumps out as hey I really like this sound, but it's inoffensive and is decent. May check it out again but overall meh its alright.

Never quite understood the appeal X had on the early LA punk scene (along with the one it had on rock critics such as Christgau and the likes). Guess you had to be there at the time to get what's special about them. They're a more-than-decent act *objectively speaking*, but to me their overall sound and aesthetics are still too tame for bona fide punk--and not nearly intense enough compared to what was done in that genre at the time--while their melodies and unimaginative chord changes often lack the inventivity and/or catchiness that's required for more regular (indie-)rock bands. It's sort of a lose-lose situation for me. I suspect those 50s rockabilly influences, so endearing to X's fans, are also to blame here. They make the whole thing sound as a very derivative exercise, even though you never feel that the latter was at least *fun* to play (like it was for The Cramps or The B-52s). Or maybe Ray Manzarek's somewhat bland and linear production is at fault here. An ex-Door producing punk albums is an idea that has always sounded a little suspicious to my ears. I swear that I didn't know about that when I explored X's back catalogue and listened to that string of records he produced for them, always finding the whole thing a little too generic for me. But I have a sneaking suspicion he was not the best choice for the band... I have to say that X is far from being a ridiculous band, however. And browsing through their early discography, it's easy to see why singling out this particular record (along with the debut released before it) is a no-brainer. There are some nice cuts on "Wild Gift" ("White Girl", "We're Desperate", "In This House That I Call Home", "When our Love Passed Out on The Couch"), even if there's nothing in it that relatively similar acts such as The B-52s and The Violent Femmes haven't said more convincingly. One of the assets of this album is clearly the charming vocal harmonies between Exene and John Doe--"perfectly imperfect", as someone *perfectly* stated in this group. For some listeners, 80% of what makes an album good is related to the vocal performances (and they *are* very good here). My own percentage is certainly lower than that. Conversely, it might be higher than other listeners when it comes to songwriting, catchy melodies, instrumentation, arrangements, production and intensity. Those "gifts" can be "wild", too. Even for punk rock. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 852 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 81 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 37 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 31

The was a group that is new to me. At just over 30 minutes it has the perfect album running time. Some of the riffs strangely reminded me of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. It's a little low on melody, but it makes up for this on attitude.

I enjoyed that punky country sound from the early 80’s.

Suena muy moderno a pesar de ya tener más de 40 años.

Punkzinho e pa

Some Other Time is a cool song. pretty bland punk sound.

I checked to see if X's much more notable debut album Los Angeles is in the list and it is not, so do yourself a favor and good listen to that right now. X makes generally good punk. By 1981 we would start to see hardcore punk take over so for X to stick to what they know is a safe call. X's style of punk is more rooted rockabilly sound, which allows them to standout. They excel most when the songs are fast and driving, full of energy. Wild Gift is a good showing from X but I find it more underwhelming than not.

A real bare bones garage band type feel to this...At one point it started to wear me down and then the last few tracks White Girl, When Oour Love Passed Out on the Couch and Year 1 got me back in.

Fun, punk album

This album didn’t make a great first impression but it grew on me after a while. Still not great and not good canvassing music but oh well

I enjoyed this while I listened, but it didn't really seem to have anything particularly memorable

Nice proto punk guitar.

Punk rock nordamericà de primer nivell. No arriba a ser tan memorable com el seu primer disc, l'anterior 'Los Angeles', però no baixen gaire el llistó. Temes ràpids, precisos i tot i que no compte amb singles que destaquin és un bon i consistent treball

Not really my jam. Kinda rocker punk vibe.

Not really my cuppa, but it's pretty catchy. Not bad.

Pretty good. Prefer Los Angeles. 6-7/10

3-, not bad punk album but kinda repeatable

It's alright. Nothing special. None of the songs left a lasting impression.

Listened to on 3/2/22 3.5/5 Favorite song: Back 2 The Base Great - very big hair 80s party vibes

Hadn't heard of X. Enjoyed it, pretty good.

Pretty good.

"Wild Gift" is the musical equivalent of being woken in the middle of the night by two cats having sex outside your bedroom window. There's a lot of confusion and some truly horrible noise going on and you just want it to stop. I generally give punk and punk-adjacent music a pass where vocals are concerned but, in no key are these vocals hitting actual harmonies. They're just wailing. Which is a shame because the lyrics are legitimately poetic and the backing music is pretty decent. The wailing, though. Dang.

Kim Gordon vibes Wipers vibes Really good

I dig it

Solid punk, I guess. Not exactly for me.

אלבום בסדר

It is a punk rock album. It is good. I did not know any of the songs.

The first album I've got where I had genuinely NEVER heard of them before. Grungy and crunchy and surprisingly enjoyable.

If it was released between 77-80 it would have been more interesting, but it wasn't so it's just some generic punk by numbers. Not bad to listen to, just uninteresting.

Better than Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.

It sounds like a band trying to leave behind the '77 punk sound of Los Angeles (which is fine) but not really hitting on anything new of note. Punk was splintering in a million different directions by 1981, this probably wasn't one of the more exciting ones.

Spunky. 5/10

Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did! As with all punk it's best enjoyed in small doses

Not my style. Not terrible

3rd song in, strong start so far but wont seek out

very lorelai/jess punk rock style but i think i'm too young to really feel it

I was only familiar with the Australian band of the same name. This one rocks nuts much harder though.

Has some interesting parts...I enjoy the more rockabilly side of things. I didn't remember X having that type of sound. Overall the early 80s punk sound isn't my favorite...prefer more post punk. 2.5/5

decent punk album. doesn't blow my socks off but don't hate it either. sounds pretty much like what I'd expect an early 80s punk album to sound like.

Not my thing but better than expected

Pretty alright. I didn’t hate listening to it. Nothing to write home about though.

It was fine. The first two tracks rock then it gets a bit middle of the road after that.

Got a Pat Benatar meets the Ramones vibe. Never heard of this band, but they can rock! This is definitely punk, but a little more refined. Ramones is really a good comparison. I also love just the fast-rock 2-minute jam and done tracks. Adult Books sounds so much like a Talking Heads song, I have to know if they collaborated or were just fans. Boom: from John Doe: "But he cites his live introduction to punk rock, a gig by the Talking Heads early in their career, which took place at New York City’s CBGB, appropriately enough, as a true life-changing event. “Their music was an elixir,” he recalls. “It filled the space and affected everybody who was there. The band played Psycho Killer, and at the end, David Byrne took off his guitar and just walked out the door. I thought to myself, This could be his last performance." Clearly an influence there. This was pretty good. They carved out a style and it mostly works. I don't know how memorable it was, but I think I would listen to some of this again, and i can see how it can get its hooks into you. Definitely an album about having fun - no bummers in here.

Certainly the best thing I've heard from John Doe. I think I last heard X over 40 years ago - this has aged well.

A bit energetic

"4th Of July" by X is one of my all time favorite songs. I got into it after hearing it used at the end of an episode of The Sopranos. It's from the latter stage of X's career, and it's one of only a handful of their songs not written by John Doe and Exene Cervenka. There's really nothing here that resembles "4th of July" (but you should listen to it, 4th Of July is a 5). It's still a great listen. I don't necessarily side with all of the critics who seemingly fell all over themselves to over praise it back when it was initially released. But 1981 was a bizarre year all around.

Neat punk album. Fairly high quality production, a bit more polished than your traditional punk. Not all the tracks were winners.

Enjoyable for what it is, and can see the influence it had on later bands, but doesn't stand out as much anymore

3/5 okeyish

Can't tell why this one is here. Sounds like most rock albums and didn't blow me away. It's good punk, but I wouldn't say I needed to hear it before I died.

Nice garage rock album. I like the raw production and the combined vocals of the female and male singer.

Not bad but punk is not my thing 3*

Yeah ok. Raucous.

80. Tudo isto não é uma fábula. A quantidade gigantesca de dados que ELES têm armazenados sobre nós pode efetivamente impacto muito reais na nossa vida, na nossa saúde... No acesso a produtos financeiros, no acesso a produtos de seguro que é um dos casos... Pá, que é mais conhecido. Todos estes dados podem efetivamente virar-se contra nós, man. Eu posso saber que uma pessoa cuja mãe tenha tido cancro do pulmão, que fume e que tem um conjunto de atividades na sua vida XYZ*##%, com muita probabilidade se tiver uma doença oncológica, amanhã lhe pegar aquele tratamento, aquele tratamento não vai ser eficaz em 70% das dos casos. Faz sentido que nós possamos tomar essas decisões sobre as pessoas? Na minha perspetiva não faz. Mas é nesse caminho que nós estamos. É deste tipo de situações que nós estamos a falar, meu. MotA: When Our Love Passed out on the Couch "I just heard the sad song by another band sung. By another man he gave me the once over twice"

Classic punk, some great works in there.

Decent early punk, good vocal harmonies between the male and female lead. Songwriting was pretty straightforward but catchy.

I thought this one was aight. Didn't jump out at me though!

Kinda punk, kinda ok, kinda whatever

Seems good. I need more listens. Solid 3/5.

I have to give it to them for the cohesive performance, sounds like a band playing together live instead of multiple takes on-top of one another.

Not bad. I liked Adult Books and White Girl.

Too much rock for my taste, but was some great riffs there!

There are some solid, rocking songs on here. I’m iffy on the vocals. Some tracks they are good while on other tracks not so much. I’m more in favor of the music.

Pretty good

Boring

Sounds a lot like Auntie Christ. Pretty enjoyable, would listen again.

listened to half. It was fine.

3

Probably better live.

never heard of these before - better than expected but not one I can imagine getting really into

De eerste paar nummers had ik de indruk dat die met tegenzin waren opgenomen en vond ik nogal vervelend. Naar het verder verloop van het album toe begon het iets dragelijker te worden

Gillar själva musiken men sången är nääääee

Fairly consistently good punk, a bit of rockabilly that was eh so so

Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 12/20 Innovation: 11/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 10/20 =51 Yeah was alright bit boring but hey ho

New to me, quite liked it - going to have a listen to their other stuff 👍

In one ear and out the other. forgettable rockabilly punk vibes. It's fine

6

Great energy out of this album, which is what you would expect.

I was originally down on this album but it grew on me and as the album played through spotify took me to some very cool punk bands with a similar sound that I enjoyed. Pretty neat.

Hard rock with punk vibes, not my jam but it was ok

Generic late punk album

punk rockabilly love songs

Such a 3/5 I can tell it’s early punk and why it’s on this list

X sounds best when John and Exene are singing together. It's a little off kilter, but the energy is gives off is fantastic. Pretty consistently good album, though nothing that is amazing.

Wasn't really familiar with this band before, I liked it.

oddly wild

Not too shabby.

This was some ok punk rock. Some songs were more aggressive than others ("the once over twice" and " desperate Los Angeles"), While some seem more country("adult books" - has a more punk Elvis vibe.), some just didn't work at all for me as it seems the 2 singers weren't so harmonious(but that could be what they were going for)"I'm coming over". But for me there were some great songs "it's who you know" and "in this house that I call home"has the right about of everything above mixed together. Overall a decent album.

du punk brut

Fun, energetic, and catchy rock.

Needs another listen

Not my thing but better than expected

Fun, I’d forgotten how much

Right around the middle on this one. Preferred LA

A bit rough around the edges but definitely an interesting sound

It was okay. The album was definitely consistent, but nothing amazing.

This album was ok for early punk, but not raw enough to really connect with me.

Look, I always have time for punky stuff and I've never heard of this or have a clue why it's here. It's pretty good but I listened a few times over a few days and nothing really grabbed me in a meaningful way. It's ok but unremarkable and very samey.

2,5

Even after listening twice through this album, I don't think I could differentiate one song from another. The music isn't terrible, but the singing is.

A case where X doesn’t mark the spot. No buried treasure here. Move on. The mix of punk n rockabilly makes it sound like a Hee Haw Sex Pistols or rather Hee Haw Sucks Pistols because it sucks. If I got this CD as a gift it would make a ‘wild regift’ for someone or some drain or gutter that I drop it down.

Generally tiresome. (If their previous album was on the list, that would be a 4)

eh, boring

Not for me. But mercifully quick! For that alone, 2 stars.

Mid as hell, early punk isn't my taste. 2 stars firm, it was listenable.

Rapid and sometimes interesting but I don’t know if it was me, my mood, or the music but it never seemed to develop into anything lasting that I could grab onto, so it hasn’t stayed with me.

Could just never get with X

Nothing about this was good. The real gift was when it ended

Great sound, but the singing duo wasn't amazing

Punk + singing out of tune with each other = no please

Что здесь примечательного? Почему именно эта группа? Лёгкий панк без особого таланта в музыке.

This was boring. It's Punk, a genre I don't particularly love, but it's also really same-y throughout. 'White Girl' was a great track, but I really don't think there's anything else to write about it. It has some catchier tracks, however, if I was wanting Punk music of high-quality, I would look elsewhere. Ray Manzarek produced it as well, what a fall-off! From playing keyboard in one of the greatest bands of all-time to producing a weak Punk album!

4/10 - when I saw punk, I thought this would be another awful album but it's surprisngly not harcore and is quite pleasant to listen to

It’s not quite a 1 star but it’s close to…

Too polite for me, although that being said I have no idea how it took me 56 years of stumbling through life before I became aware of this… Just about 2 stars for “I’m Coming Over”. Tom.

It’s ok, but nothing special.

Bit too rough and ready for me. 2.5

No idea why this is on here. I zoned out immediately.

One of the most boring albums on this list yet

This is the current frontrunner for shortest artist name in 1001albumsgenerator - excited to see if this encourages anyone to go even shorter. I think I like X except I hate their 50s rock'n'roll guitar and I kinda hate her voice and I think all their lyrics are dumb. They seem like they're cool. When she's singing lead and he harmonizes over her in the chorus it's really good.

A: Skulle kunna göra en gröt av alla "rockiga-åttiotals-bland-mjeh-album" som smakar gröt (men bland sådan). Denhär faller för det mesta dit. Gillade låtnamnen och uppskattar faktumet att dom har en kvinnlig solist, tyvärr också en manlig så den glädjen var kortvarig. Gillar starkt artistens namn. 2/5 *-score skulle bli typ låg B eller hög-mid C D: Kändes som att den försökte springa mot alla riktningar samtidigt. Ganska goofy men blev oklart vad den försökte göra. Gillar visionen och förstår nog vad den gör här. Ogillar starkt artistens namn. 2/5

Ahh… Punk rock.

Meh, I like punk, but this is not my type of punk.

another instantly forgettable album. .who is picking this shit ?????

Gritty punk but mediocre

Not one of their better albums. They need to stick to a lane. The rockabilly just did not do it for me

This reminded me of others I've heard... the B-52s a little, Heart a little, I don't know what else... but it was milder and not as good as any of those others. I find this vocal style extremely grating and that strongly influences my rating.

If they were my friends I would go to their gigs and buy their CD. But they are not my friends so I will probably never listen to this again.

In and out within a shave and shower I respect that.

This started and I thought "ah yes. This is a bit of me" even though I had not heard it before. I'm afraid it wasn't really a bit of me, I couldn't find the heart in it. It's like Punk mixed with the beach boys, which sounds fun but ends up not being poppy enough or edgy enough.

Punk sound, its ok, not missing anything.

Pretty weak album overall. 2/5

rock ne

Only managed one play through, it started doing my head in. On another day I may have enjoyed this

Bezveze album, ne znam šta drugo komentirati. 2/5, 4/10

It didn’t really make a even a slight dent on my mind

They rocked on this album for about 19 seconds - I never liked X

Not that much in the mood for another punk rock album a few days after I had another one generated. These aren't that special but shoutout Ray Manzarak producing this.

hoot!

Kinda punk like.

This must have been what all the other kids who were into "alternative" music were listening to while I was in high school. I guess I was more into the new wave to have discovered this then. If I had my life may have been different, or I would have just tuned it out?

I love Punk Rock but never got into X

2 Stars (5/15)

Me irrito un pozo, aunque tambien tenia algo que me gustaba. Nose raro el sentimiento

LA punk is so overrated. It doesn’t hold a candle to the hardcore scene in DC.

Forgettable punk. I had to strain my brain to remember if I listened to this album already or not. I did, but it wasn’t memorable.

X are so lucky this album picks up quickly, because the first third of this album always has me questioning why I even liked them in the first place.

I’m no fan of punk. I don’t wanna listen to any more.

Sort of a punk album that doesn’t grate on my soul too much.

It's ok, not really alternative, more rock.

found this to be pretty boring

Sounds a bit crude, but that’s the appeal.

Although completely random in order, this is a tough response to the Pretenders and fails greatly on every comparative measure. I had great hopes for the first five seconds and then was let down by repetitive bass work and difficult to swallow vocals.

It really feels like they know only one riff because every song on this is almost identical. Doesn't help that they're paired with some of the cringiest lyrics I've heard. A 13 year old can write better than this.

Da hani viel z wenig ufpasst. Sicher ned schlecht. Aber lose dunnis ned nomal. 2 gschänkte pferd is muul luege

Interessant punkgroepje altijd. Direct herkenbaar aan het vrouw-man duo achter de microfoon, en echt een vreemde eend in de bijt als je het vergelijkt met andere punk-bands uit de omgeving van LA begin jaren 80. En dan doel ik vooral op dat ze veel meer inspiratie lijken te halen uit 50s rock & roll, met hier en daar zelfs een vleugje country, terwijl veel andere West Coast bands de agressieve afslag naar hardcore namen. In het geval van 'Wild Gift' levert dat een aandoenlijk en vermakelijk album op, met een uitstekende chemie tussen leadzanger en zangeres. Maar lijdt het ook wel een beetje onder het tekort aan de fellere punkenergie waar ik zo op kick bij tijdsgenoten, en vervelen de wat meer klassieke rock & roll tonen een beetje. 'White Girl', wat ook al meer de link tussen punk en indie rock lijkt te leggen, is wel een fijne ontdekking. 6/10 Highlights: White Girl

⭐⭐ Ganska polerad punk som låter modernare än 1981. Initialt så har jag höga förhoppningar då det känns melodiöst och som jag uppfattar det skickligare musiker än många andra punkband. Men... det är för monotont och inga låtar som sticker ut. Dessutom blir jag rätt trött på Exene Cervenkas monotona gälla röst. Det är inte hemskt men jag kommer inte lyssna på det igen så det blir en 2a. Bäst är Adult Books.

Punk, entretenido, pero no tan memorable

They are not Blondie.

There are so many similar sounding punk albums from the 70s and 80s they can’t ALL be innovative. This one has little in the way of memorable or redeeming features.

That was a weird ride. So many different influences and sounds. At times I could hear rock, punk, rockabilly, country even a bit of soul. It wasn't really my cup of tea at all though. Thankfully it was quite a short album in terms of running time.

Da wird mir sehr viel gebabied und das holt mich alles nicht ab.

Another forgotten punk band. When half the introduction to the wiki article is about a small sample used by a bigger band you have to wonder. And when I listened there’s nothing to be excited about. Blah

Wild Gift erschien 1981 als zweites Album der US-amerikanischen Punkband X aus Los Angeles. Die Aufnahmen entstanden im März 1981 bei Clover Recorders in Hollywood, produziert von Ray Manzarek. Die Band verbindet hier den rauen Charakter der frühen L.A.-Punkszene mit klarer strukturierten Songs und markanten Gesangsduetten von Exene Cervenka und John Doe. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album zwischen Punk Rock, Rockabilly-Einflüssen und knapp gehaltenem Gitarrenrock. Stücke wie „White Girl“, „We’re Desperate“, „In This House That I Call Home“, „Beyond and Back“ oder „Adult Books“ zeigen die Mischung aus kurzen, energischen Nummern und leicht melodischeren Momenten. Die Texte wirken direkt und städtisch geprägt, während Billy Zooms Gitarrenspiel dem Sound eine präzise, teilweise fast rockabillyhafte Note gibt. Wild Gift wirkt kompakt und konzentriert. Für mich gehört es zu den überzeugendsten Dokumenten des frühen amerikanischen Punk, weil Energie und Songstruktur hier in einem guten Gleichgewicht stehen.

repulsive but short

This record was very hit-or-miss. There are a couple of tracks where I thought the lyrics were written by a 4-year-old. A couple of the tracks were pretty good instrumentally. Favourite Track(s): We're Desperate, Universal Corner Least Favourite Track(s) Adult Books, The Once Over Twice

3/10

Someone put too much rockabilly in my punk now I want to return it to the kitchen. It's fine, not as good as their debut or See How We Are. Despite its short length, it's too repetive for me. The closing track was really good which was a nice bonus and I didn't hate any song in particular but I won't be listening to this again. Highlights: Year 1

Ok but quite dated

Solid punk album

I think this is cool due the obvious variety of influences it has and how it clearly inspired bands like sonic youth, but I just found it a bit bland and not very fun to listen to, most likely because of the rockabilly touch.

2.5 Stars - not a bad album, but dreadfully boring.

Not a big fan of the vocals. Overall not terrible, but not great

2.4 2x decent but nothing special

It was probably great at the time, but not now

Not my cup of tea. Didn’t like the vocals

I want to like X more than I do. They're very just alright and there's more than a bit I really don't care for.

Don't know where one song ended and the other began The Once over Twice was a saving grace

Just not that good.

Not my kind of music, but at least it was short.

Its not that bad I just didnt add any

very punky very angry

OK.

As a native Angeleno, the music of X (and Van Halen, Oingo Boingo and The Doors) is in my blood. So it pains me to say that this is a subpar effort - it's a classic sophomore slump record. (You can tell when a band re-records both sides of their debut single for their second album that they are woefully short of material.) The great harmonies between Exene and John Doe are there but the underlying songs are mostly dull and unimaginative, lacking the radical punk vision of their debut album. There are some bright spots ("Beyond And Back", "White Girl" and "We're Desperate" / "Adult Books" combo from their debut 7") but for the most potent version of this band, look elsewhere.

Another tough one to get through. At least it was only half an hour long though... The woman's voice reminded me of Gillian Anderson's Blanche in the modern streetcar remake and that was NOT a good thing.

An alright rock album.

Not good. The best bit is the album is not too long. Vocals are very bad. Arrangement is bad. Intro all sound the same. Production is ok considering it was realised in the 90s. But not a pleasant listen. I have to tell myself don’t skip don’t skip..

Not my favorite. Listened on Friday and can’t really remember it, but I recall just kinda waiting for it to be over I remember I liked the female vocalist more than the male, and the songs where it was just her singing was more enjoyable.

Not really a fan of LA punk, or to be honest punk in general and this failed to excite me and dare I say, I found it a bit unforgettable overall. Glad I got the chance to hear it but probably won’t again.

Annoying music

i love 80’s music but this wasn’t really my thing

Good workout album, but not a "must listen" for me.

afraid this did absolutely nothing for me

𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 may be well-regarded within punk history, but as a listening experience it feels surprisingly tame. The songs are tight and competent, yet they rarely generate urgency or danger — two qualities that usually give punk its edge. Instead of raw intensity, the album often settles into mid-tempo grooves that come across as restrained rather than confrontational. For a genre built on friction and momentum, 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 feels too comfortable, making it more respectable than exciting.

A bit of punk, a bit of rockabilly. Very competent but not really for me.

To be honest, this was more noise than other thing. Why this is a great album?

Not a genre for me.

Good energy, but punk isn't really my thing. 2*

no idea why this is on the list lol, their first album was better (not by much) but this is just boring

Fun fact: X was the first band I ever remember hearing live, when my sister snuck me into the back of a bar where they were playing. I'm surprised X's first album Los Angeles didn't make the 1,001 albums cut because I think it's at least as critically valued as Wild Gift, but I'm not going to complain too much because I don't really care for either album. The main issue has always been the John Doe/Exene Cervenka harmonies. I just don't like listening to them all that much, and the musicianship on the album isn't enough to make up for it. I actually prefer their third album, Under The Big Black Sun to their first two. The songwriting is better and while the vocals are still not too my taste, they're more suited to the new material and less of an impediment to my enjoyment.

43/1001 First listen. Never heard of this band before. Nothing caught my ear in the five plays I gave it. Another album where the band is okay but the singer is shit. 3/10

Meh

"Adult books" was weak. It was like a dodgy country and western moderate punk song. I find the male vocal slightly pathetic and most of the songs are just about saying things slightly louder and doesnt appeal to me as a punk item. Its not very interesting or revolutionary. Nothing particularly wrong with it but as a package its less for being punk rather than more.

I don’t know what it is about X, but they have never really clicked for me as someone who grew up in the punk community. Los Angeles is a certified banger but not much on this album got me excited. Pretty corny throughout aside from a few bright moments. 4/10 tracks- “We’re Desperate” “I’m Coming Over”

Competent but forgettable punk-adjacent shout-rock. Gotta love the gumption of the punk ethos: I can't sing and can't write but fuck you I'm gonna yell out these trite lyrics anyway.

Muy dinamico, esta guay si tienes que hacer las tareas de casa o te has metido dos rayas y un poco de speed. Al cabo de un rato, parece mas una cancion larga que un album.

een moderne remake zou wel goed kunnen zijn

I am punked out.

it was ok not that amazing

Not my thing

No standouts

Nothing of interest for me. I was surprised that this was just 32 minutes long, as it felt longer.

This was a classic example of an album that started off sounding amazing but quickly became grating over an album’s length

A high 2 it was ok but after I listened to it nothing was memorable to it no stand out tracks

Respect.

repetitive and forgettable

It just didn't catch me. I didn't hate dislike it, but I did find that my attention kept wandering away from it.

Reviewing this the day after listening to it, I honestly don’t remember anything about it. Glimpsed through the album again, and it’s a very generic sound. There’s not much to write home about.

Best Song: I'm Coming Over. This is the kind of short, punchy track that the whole album should have been. Any more than 90 seconds and each other song has worn out its welcome. Worst Song: White Girl. Who wants to listen to a bunch of white people singing about getting a white girl? Overall: Meh rock. There's a lot better music available that makes the inclusion of this album a strange decision.

Not my thing. Guess I’m not much of an LA punk kind of guy. Made it through the first two songs and tapped out.

Not bad not bad

Вообще не впечатлило. Обычный ранний панк, да еще и без агрессии, чето тренькает слегка да и все, с невероятно нестройным пением

This is another album where I like the musical sound they got going for them but my goodness the vocals are just painful. It is kinda short though so that's nice

dive bar punk. not a fan of vocals, but music was ok.

Not a fan of the LA punk scene. some of this was decidedly rockabilly.

I’ve tried to get into punk… I like some, Ramones, Psychedelic Furs and The Stranglers. But I just can’t get into this album. To me, it’s lacking something. I don’t know if I’m expecting too much. But it just doesn’t seem as punchy and in your face as I’d expect a punk record to be. Probably won’t be listening to this one again, two out of five for me. Standout track - Adult Books

Low fi, low effort, entertaining but not unique enough to stand out. It has rockabilly moments that kinda predate the Brian Setzer 1990s era which was neat. But it doesn't stray far from the norm of post punk new wave. Its all in all good. Just derivative.

The instrumental bits were awesome and I liked the sound of those a lot, but I did not like the singers voice... it was harsh. This music was not made for me but I don't think it was unenjoyable just not entirely.

Not horrible, but a hard listen. Didn't like the vocals at all

Vibes were good, very rock & roll and I liked the female vocal lead. Initial listen I think 2 but would probably grow on me to a 3 if I continued a few more reps

I seem to like X like I like Black Flag: a 7” amount rather than an LP amount.

Eh. Love the singer but nothing I would remember after first listen.

Punk rock meets country. I respect it but can't completely get around it. Whistling reminds me I desperately need to practice for the '25/26 festive season. Favourite lyrics include: "stumbling over tombstone shoes", "I play too hard when I ought to go to sleep", "shut up and smoke", "Presley sucked on doggie dicks", quality stuff. X was formed by a man called John Doe... take from that what you will.

It's very clean punk. Nothing offensive, but, that almost makes it offensive??

I think I would have liked this if I listened to it as a kid. I thought the album cover was the most interesting thing about it.

- never heard of this group before today, but the rockabilly style meshes extremely well with punk tempos and vocals - still, the female singer's favorite note must be A because she hangs out there a lot (and I mean a lot). I think I probably would have enjoyed this more if her vocals were absent - I wouldn't listen to this in my free time or include any song in a playlist to come back to, but I see why it was included in this list

Very Joan Jett adjacent music

It's a short album, nothing to write home about imo. But I think their sound of a classic rock paired with punky vocals is kind of cool.

01) The Once Over Twice - 6,5 02) We're Desperate - 6,0 03) Adult Books - 5,5 04) Universal Corner - 6,5 05) I'm Coming Over - 6,0 06) It's Who You Know - 5,5 07) In This House That I Call Home - 6,5 08) Some Other Time - 6,0 09) White Girl - 6,5 10) Beyond and Back - 5,5 11) Back 2 the Base - 5,5 12) When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch - 5,5 13) Year 1 - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,92 (59/100) Current ranking: 527/655

Not my cuppa...

Wild Gift is undoubtedly energetic and historically important, but for me the intensity gets lost in an expression that becomes whiny and grating over time. The off-kilter vocal interplay and constant nervous tension make the album more stressful than engaging, and even the short song lengths fail to create real variation. An album you can acknowledge for its significance, but one that doesn’t connect musically. 2/5

Usually enjoy this kind of music but felt a lot of the songs didn't have that bite so felt a bit flat for me

70’s soft rock. eh.

I really wanted to like this, but I found it mediocre.

Not a good album. Not even a decent X-Mas album.

Ummmmmm no. I’m not feeling this. It’s very raw sounding. I take no meaning out of these songs nor do I generate any internal feelings from listening to it. That’s the point isn’t it? Having an album that is considered great mean something to you? This sounds like kid friendly punk. Choice cut: universal corner

Felt like soft punk rock, okay but would not listen again

Too arrhythmic for my tastes

O álbum é bastante divertido, com letras espertas e tem uma mulher dividindo o vocal numa banda punk dos anos 80. Super positivo. Gostei da energia do álbum, um punk mais leve e bastante gostoso de ouvir. disco que você coloca em uma tarde em casa para se divertir.

Bissi Punk mäßiger Pop-Rock. Finde ich gar nicht so schlecht.

While the album may have expanded the garage/ punk ethos even further into rockabilly/root, the album's vocals feel like they were tacked on as an afterthought. It is as if the instrumentals were recorded in a nice studio, and the vocals were recorded by two people shouting at a cheap boombox. It makes for an unimpressive vibe. If Robert Chirstgau and Pitchfork worship an album, you can bet your bottom dollar that its probably hipster shite. This album doesn't seem essential or vital to me at all. I'm convinced that if this band had formed anywhere other than Los Angeles then it would have gone nowhere. The only track I've ever found enjoyable from them was their cover of The Troggs' "Wild Thing". One of the most boring garage / punk albums I've heard from the late 70s to the early 80s. The 80s were perhaps the best decade of music ever, but you wouldn't know it based upon the terrible selections this list makes.

2/5

4.5/10

DNF

Instrumentaal prima, ik kan alleen niet wennen aan de zangers.. Zowel de man als de vrouw.. het is niet best. Ook weinig divers door het album heen. 2 reten.

🛻

Didn't like this much. 2.5/5

Aint my style

nix für mich

A record filled with in-your-face anthems with a base of 80's punk and some innovative sounds that clearly was an inspiration for 90's punk/grunge bands. I can see the influence this record had while still acknowledging it's still a little too raw for my taste. I'm glad this list introduced it to me, even though I most likely will not revisit.

Minulla on aamurituaali, joka minun täytyy jakaa. Kutsun sitä "Terminaattoriksi". Ensin kyykistyin suihkussa klassisessa "alaston terminaattori ajassa" -asennossa. Silmät suljettuina kyykistyin siihen hetkeksi visualisoiden joko Arnoldia tai toisen elokuvan tyyppiä (en kolmannen elokuvan naista, koska se oli surkea) ja alan hyräillä Terminaattori-tunnuslaulua. Sitten nousen hitaasti seisomaan ja avaan silmäni. Se auttaa minua jatkamaan päivääni tunteettomana kyborgi-kovana. Ainoa ongelma on, jos suihkuverho tarttuu terminaattorijalkaani. Se pilaa fantasian. Tämä albumi muistuttaa minua eeppisestä Terminaattori-elokuvasta!! im coming over

- unaufgeregt, aber dadurch meist recht entspannt - mal wieder hat kein Track wirklich hervorgestochen 2/5

ok

It was... fine. Could do with better singing but it is punk lol

Good but I don't like punk music genre

Not for me

Impressively managed to make 32 minutes feel like a long album.

After 2 listens all I can say is meh 🤷‍♂️

Adult Books // 2.5/5

So-so

Okay Musik für im Hintergrund laufen lassen

Fast-paced, high energy Kinda soulless though.. 2

Punk rock. X? More like Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

This band sounds good but they lack having actual great songs. It was ultra samey and nothing is there to hook.

not as annoying as other punk bands but still not that good.

Sometimes I feel like I'm too generous with giving out 3s to albums, because I come across underwhelming albums and usually give it a 3 if I'm not a fan, but then I hear albums like Wild Gift and realize that I do know the difference between a 2 and a 3.

Listened before?: No, never This music is mostly just passing me by, feels very background-y. This might be one I need to listen to a few times through to really hear. Could really barely get through this. It's completely fine, even enjoyable in places. I think I'm just not in the mood for punk this morning.

Lisää punkkia, ei ihan post punkkia kuten aikaisempi levy, mutta ei kauhea parannus. Vaikka onkin parempaa ja kappaleet on monipuolisempia, niin jos äsköinen oli 2- niin tämä on ehkä 2+. Tällä bändillä on se Los Angeles kappale, mikä oli American Wastelandissa. Parhaat: When Our Love Passed out on the Couch, Adult Books

Punk... but still could've been worse

4/10/25. First time giving X a try, no-frills punk rock and straight to the point. Decent album but just okay to my ears.

If your in to punk I'm sure you could enjoy this but can't say I was blown away 2.5*

Not bad for early punk. It's just really not for me. I have a really hard time finding early punk menacing or aggressive in any way. Also, I don't think the guy should be singing in this record. That chick has a cool voice so maybe just let her do all the vocals?

I can't give this a 1 because I save that for truly woeful albums I cannot stick but when I tell you this left absolutely NO impression on me... I didn't have a single thought of note during my listen of this. I'm not a fan of punk music, or pop punk, or whatever category of punk this falls into. I just find most of it to be vapid political takes that any 15 year old in sociology could come up with. Oh, the government is bad and we should "question everything?" Is the sky also blue? Anyway, I didn't even get myself to listen to this album close enough to hear if it had any of those lukewarm takes but I'm assuming it did. It wasn't difficult to listen to at the very least but it just made me feel meh more than anything. The guitar was repetitive, the off key vocals grated on me after a while... but it at least didn't give a strong urge to turn it off. I'll give it a safe 2, I think.

This is OK, I didn't hate it, but gotta say not much stood out for me which marks it out as deserving a place in the book so going for 2/5. Don't really understand why it has so many perfect critic reviews either. Oh well, onto the next one

The first song was kind of interesting I guess, but the rest of the album sounded like that first song over and over. Made for a pretty boring listen. Would not seek this one out again.

me aburrio che

Do not remember listening to this

По мнению А: 3/5 По мнению С: 2/5 ИТОГОВАЯ ОЦЕНКА: 2/5 (18.02.2025)

Dit klinkt alsof de cast van Glee in hun punkfase zit. Qua instrumenten is de boel echt goed op orde, die kerel kan prima zingen en qua productie is het ook aardig gelikt voor een punkplaat. Vandaar die Glee opmerking. De muziekinstrumenten en ome John doen het dus leuk, maar we ontkomen er niet aan om het even over de zangmevrouw te hebben, want godverdomme zeg. Wat kan zij een partij irritant zingen. Het is waarschijnlijk de bedoeling, dus in die zin doet ze het goed, maar toch. Ze beheerst het verveelde klaagstemmetje tot in de puntjes. Haar stem is zo aanwezig dat je er niet zomaar omheen kunt. Het is wat streng, maar twee sterren voor mij.

Not a fan of punk rock, its often just noise and meaningless songs. Universal corner for its riff 2.5