Wild Gift

I don’t understand the cult status of the band with the short name X within punk circles. Social Distortion wears their merch, Dave Grohl plays covers of their songs at concerts, and critics have fawned over every one of their albums — including those from their recent reunion. They released their debut when punk was on its last legs; yet, on this list, they’re represented not by that record, but by their follow-up — an album that seems to embody every possible flaw. First of all, it’s not really punk rock — it’s more of a strange take on rockabilly. Secondly, while both the male and female vocalists might enjoy singing, they simply don’t know how to do it well. Thirdly, the record sounds like it was recorded inside a bucket; perhaps Ray Manzarek of The Doors wasn’t such a great producer after all. In the context of "true" punk, these things might actually be considered assets, but listening to the album was simply uninteresting. At first, I thought about giving it two stars, but then I remembered that another band named X — one I actually like — had to change their name to X Japan because of these guys. One star is enough.

Some of Bobby Dimery’s inclusions in the book are baffling. We’ve got our like 300th punk album, for starters. Sometimes he’ll put a band’s debut album over a later more popular and important album, because 🤷🏻‍♂️ but that’s not the case here! Because the debut album for X is the more popular one, yeah this was included instead. Why? The world may never know. (That said, I enjoyed this more than most of the punk albums on the list)

I REALLY must be tired, cause this album, for some fucking reason, was a nail in the coffin as far as my tolerance of 400 punk rock albums on this list goes. It isn't even bad, in a vacuum I'd likely put it above many of the other punk albums we've gotten on here. I think I'm just finally starting to reach the end of my rope. Only 500 something albums to go, to reach the new final total of 1102...

3/5. Really wanted to like this more as I’m a pretty big punk fan, but the songs don’t go anywhere and it’s not very the memorable. The energy is fun, and angry for sure, but it’s not my favorite.

A pretty fun punk group, gets a little less fun when you realize they do the same couple of things every song

I'm very surprised their first album isn't on this list as it's better than like 95% of what I've heard

No private session used for Spotify. I think I have listened to this album before. It's high energy and fun, the different vocalists make a nice switch up, though at 33 minutes not much of switch up is required.

Where the ethos of punk rock was genuine, passionate expression regardless of technical ability, so much of the first wave of post punk sounds like technically able musicians striving to be unmusical. P.I.L., the Stranglers, and X, to my ears, sound inauthentic, hammy, and even cynical, which turns me off completely. They did, however, succeed in cranking out unmusical tracks.

This falls into the same bucket as many of the obsure punk or punk adjacent albums on this list does for me. It's just not my jam. This wasn't as objectionable as some. But I just can't relate, and I can't have this music on when my wife is home. So it's a pass.

TL;DR: Fearless, essential punk which pays homage to old school rock and roll. BEFORE: I know X by reputation but I've never listened to them. Love these shorter albums for mid-week listening. Interesting to see Ray Manzarek on production. AFTER: I love this kind of genre-hopping with a punk foundation. The songs, musicianship and vocals are all strong, and Exene has a haunting tone to her voice. The guitar work from Billy Zoom is especially impressive, covering a lot of ground stylistically with some great melodic leads. HIGHLIGHTS: The Once Over Twice is a fun mix of punk and rockabilly. We're Desperate, I'm Coming Over and Back 2 the Base are slices of raw punk that don't fuck around. Adult Books draws on early rock and roll and doo-wop with a great solo. The House That I Call Home and Year 1 are frenetic with similar call-backs to early rock and roll. White Girl is closer to post-punk with a great dual vocal. LOWLIGHTS: None to speak of. No bad tracks or bloat here. VERDICT: Loved it. 5 stars.

Is it special? Not really Is it enjoyable? Absolutely

Hey, an album where I’ve heard one of the songs before! Well, it was a cover, but pretty faithful. Anyway, LA seems like it was a rough place for a decade or two. I would have enjoyed this album more as a young punk, but still good energy.

Enjoyed it. But not sure how I feel about punk songs with a pop vibe. Sounded too clean and well-produced! Will definitely listen again. Jury is still out.

This was a letdown for me because their debut album Los Angeles was a surprise favorite of mine off the Rolling Stone list. This does not live up to that one. There are some good riffs on here, but not a whole lot of variety.

music for a sk8r boy movie (complementary)

Punk rock has always been one of my favorite genres but only by a handful of bands. These guys should have been more successful than they were. They are up there with the Ramones and The Clash. I didn't say they were as good but they can be mentioned in the same conversation. Not every song did it for me but enough of them did.

While browsing the website, I saw that there are no fewer than 106!! Punk albums on the list. With those numbers, it is no surprise that some inclusions are as uninspired as this one. Despite Ray Manzarek's production being a clear highlight, I still think their debut might have been a much stronger contender for a spot on the list. 7/10 [SWAP]

Hardly original to say this, but yeah this has nothing on the far superior debut. Just not enough energy remaining in this, were they like trying to sand down the edges enough to get a hit or something?

Joan Jett meets Sex Bob-omb

I'm actually digging this one, but I left the room during Adult Books and it sounded like my neighbors were fighting. Overall, pretty cool mix of punk and new wave sounds.

1. 4 2. 4.5 3. 4.5 4. 4.5 5. 3.5 6. 3 1. 4 2. 4 3. 4.5 4. 3.5 5. 3.5 6. 3 7. 4

I actually can around in this a bit. 3.5 but on the three side. Seems like a bit of a precursor to the call and response bands of the 2000s

A quick hit of a punk album with a little more to offer than the average. The duet/alternating leads works here and takes the mostly simple backup band to another level. I was intrigued from the get go but did get a little bored of the repetitiveness. That's punk rock though and I think the X broke the mold a bit. I suspect we get their debut as well. 2.35 stars for this gift, not too wild but fun.

I enjoyed a couple of X's rockabilly punk songs, but the shtick quickly wore thin. There is little variety between tracks as they all seem to follow a pretty similar formula. If I was 20 and at an underground punk club I'm sure it would be fun. As it stands now, I wouldn't mind an X song now and then, but I didn't need 30 minutes of it. Equal parts fun and annoying I guess. Odd that Raz Manzarek opted to throw his weight behind this band of all potential choices. Seems like he stuck with them for a handful of albums as a producer and even turned in a couple organ performances so he must have had an LA connection with them. 2.11 stars

Kinda fun, kinda rock and roll, does not feel like an 80s album.

Onvervalste 80s punk rock. Maar niet heel bijzonder. **

Punk ok

Quite enjoyable.

I was first exposed to X through their debut album, Los Angeles, and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. X is punk, but they are certainly not just a punk band. They give strong punk Fleetwood Mac vibes, just from the reliance on male/female harmonies. I think I prefer Los Angeles to this album and I'm a little surprised the band was not represented in the book by Los Angeles and we got Wild Gift instead. I think this is a really fun album, and though it may not vary from the other punk-ish albums in this book, I am glad it was included. I can see how others may not like the vocals and find them abrasive to the ears. My favorite tracks: The Once over Twice We're Desperate Adult Books Universal Corner In This House I Call Come White Girl Back 2 the Base

Otra banda de punk medio pelo

Interesting punk music in transition, but ultimately, forgettable

Meh... Aburrido

Not bad.

800+ albums reviewed and I still do t get the appeal of punk. It was not painfully annoying at least, but not worth my time

This is actually a pretty great album, so energetic and with a very rock-ish kind of punk. It sure is so fun to listen to, so enjoyable. And, although it is not an album I would highlight, it is such a good one. I've loved how punk converges with other genres in some pretty decent and well-done combinations in this album, being also a very playful record.

an average 3 rating of 3 is exactly how I feel

I thought this album was going to kick ass and it decidedly did not. It was fine but I think I built them up as some scary Stooges level band and this was almost pop. Not their fault for my misconception but not that great either.

Ummm I've heard worse but not really my thing. 2.4 rounded down

Pretty decent rock ‘n’ roll

Los Angeles is the album. This is very unnecessary. 2/5

This came off the back of London calling, which you vibes on. Had never heard of this band, and was pleasantly surprised. Was a great vibe, but probably not a memorable one. Worth a shot if not just for the algorithm

Meh

Do they know music notes exist?

Punk is not my fave

I’d not heard of ‘X’ before and immediately the energy of the songs. The dual male/female vocals are both the strength and weakness of this album, as they begin to grate quite quickly. ‘Adult Books’ caught me by surprise with a very different style both musically and vocally. If this had been the first track i’m not sure i would have liked it as much as i did following the fast paced first couple of tracks. The rest of the album follows the rhythm of the opening two tracks and all feels fairly formulated. There’s nothing outstanding about this album and it joins the pile that has me firmly scratching my head for why it deserves its place on this list

Another day, another punk album. Nothing much really to see here that I haven’t said before: however, “Adult Books” offered a different feel that I appreciated. Not keen on the vocals, and still largely wondering what’s meant to be so wonderful about this.

That album cover looks surprisingly modern to me - it could be an indie band's new album and doesn't look like something from 1981 at all. This does however sound quite a lot like something from 1981. The occasional Ramones-adjacent bits I liked, but I wasn't a massive fan of the vocals on record for the most part. I get the feeling I would have probably loved seeing X live though. I really liked Adult Books (which sound very sus) which was a bit 80s does 50s at the beginning and the female vocals reminded me of The Last Dinner Party. Yesterday's album was proto-punk, this is more melodic-punk, and I like it a lot more... although yesterday's album got 1 star. I ended up listening to this twice, as I didn't write my review after the first listen, and I really did like it a lot more the second time round. 3/5

Interesting punk album that was melodic, while also sounding very hectic. The vocals and mood sound like The Ramones being fronted by a female singer. 2.5 could round to 3

for american punk, i really liked this and i thought her voice was very cool and unique

This is where the 5 star rating shows its weakness. It’s better than a 3 but is it a 4?? 🤔 A solid album with good tracks but nothing that blows you away, it’s like the germs and talking heads had a baby that was secretly into Rockabilly and showed just the right amount of restraint to create a very listenable album with some hooks….. actually now I have read my own description it’s a 4. 3.9

This is cool. I only really new of them through The Bronx covering them. Good quality punk with lots of melodies and hooks.

You know what punk needs? Energy. You know what X lacks (hehe)? Energy. As a highly complex man, I of course am looking for more emotion. Namely, anger. Punk cannot be this unbothered musically for me. I understand that most bands that utilized guitars in the late 70's were mislabelled as punk outfits, but I'd like to et a little more granular than that. Call it new wave or no wave or hardstep or goosestep or whatever the hell you want, but lets leave punk to the punks. Listen, of COURSE I played the living bejeezus out of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 as a child and heard "Los Angeles" 357,000 times. It took until I revisited the song as an adult that I realized it had several slurs in it. While I think the slurs were said from the perspective of a lousy person in the narrative of the song, still, music does its damndest to forbid me from enjoying it. What differentiates this album from that slur-laden effort the year previous is that aforementioned energy. This album feels like a strung-out, lazy punk band who have a contract to fulfil. It's fine, but I just wanted so much more. Much like your humble reviewer, I too have signed up for a 1000+ album contract, and about 500 deep, I'm really starting to phone it in. 2-2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Secretariat! Take a note. I don't know. Pick the pen up with your teeth. YOU DON'T HAVE TEETH? I knew I should've looked this gift horse in the mouth.

#48 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ This is the post-punk sound to me, US punk is too poppy and light, it's missing all the edge I assosiate with punk rock. The music reminds me of Blondie, and some of the stuff I associate with Debbie Harry, but also The B-52s in some weird way. I prefer my punk straight up, not in a pop outfit with a streak of punk here and there, this is what it feel like. It's watered down punk light, with other things doing the heavy lifting and punk is mostly just in the name. As rock music it's too 80's alt, which feels like its all weird voices and random music styles mixed up, what ever it is there is a vibe that I don't care for (hence the The B-52s reference). But it was interesting to learn that the singer married Viggo Mortensen. Feels like 2/5 to me.

To be honest, Wild Gift is pretty much the definition of mid. There’s some cool energy with those gritty, rootsy punk riffs, and the way John Doe and Exene trade vocals definitely gives it a distinct vibe. Tracks like "Adult Books" and "White Girl" are catchy enough and don't drag on forever, so the musicianship is definitely there. That said, once the initial novelty wears off, it’s hard not to just zone out. Everything starts to blend into this repetitive, thin-sounding blur, and those strained harmonies get old fast. It’s not a bad album, but it’s honestly pretty forgettable and definitely doesn’t live up to the massive hype it usually gets. It’s fine as background noise, but not much more than that.

Decent.

Me agrada, es muy ligero pero bueno!

I had never heard of this album or band before, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Rock music that didn't excite me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

For some reason I listened to their first album Los Angeles a lot but never went further. I think I was afraid the quality would fall off (like many sophomore albums) so I never bothered. Well, I’m now I’m bummed I didn’t spend more time with this one. I know it probably shouldn’t because it’s not punk but the production on this sounds so good. The music is undeniably punk but it also dips into some rockabilly, blues and maybe R’n’B. The classic harmonized singing is here and I love it.

Punk rock with a bit of a rockabilly flair. There were a handful of really good songs; really liked the interplay of the two lead singers (one female, one male), and you can tell these guys knew how to play good rock music. The bulk of the album, however, is a bit forgettable, a bunch of mediocre 2 minute punk tunes. Overall, I’ll give it a 3/5, not bad but could have been so much better.

Happy to have an excuse to revisit this ragged and raw beacon of early ‘80s college rock. The vocal interplay between Exene and Doe is glorious. This presages so much of what followed in the decade’s underground.

I like. X is def a band I should invest in more. Doesn't quite hit a 5 for me, though.

Great album. I don't know if they invented country punk, but they were definitely at the forefront. And Exene's howling just makes me happy. Doesn't quite rise to a 5, but this is a fantastic four.

I bought the double album reissue of this and Los Angeles on a recommendation nearly 30 years ago. I'm a fan of the rough edges and girl/boy vocals. They hit the same punk bassline a couple too many times, but when they get to White Girl I swoon.

This is great stuff. I have a feeling it might be a 5 on repeat listening. Before this the main thing I knew about X (and still my favorite X-related performance) was Exene's appearance on the Old 97's Four Leaf Clover. I should dig into the rest of their work.

3/5 - I should probably like X more than I do, but the doubled vocals on virtually every song drives me nuts. Decent riffs, though.

This was enjoyable although maybe I'm too dumb to appreciate the subtleties that make people say it's fantastic.

...

Det är skränigt och vilt på nästan rätt sätt, men den lilla skillnaden mot musik jag älskar (Buzzcocks) skär lite i mig. Samtidigt är vissa saker så bra att man kan bli kär. Basen i The Once Over Twice <3 En fyra

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

Decent album nothing too crazy but not terrible

A pretty good version of not so good punk.

"My whole fucking life is a wreck - we’re desperate! Get used to it!" That line feels very appropriate for the (waves hands around at everything) right now. Which is probably a lot of why I’ve started listening to music like this all the time in recent years. But when this record first came out, I thought it sounded too much like country music or early rock ’n roll, and I didn’t like it at all. I’ve thought for a while that I should go back in time to tell pretentious little 20-something me that she’s being an idiot about X. So: this is a fantastic record. I love Exene Cervenka’s voice, which somehow manages to be both deadpan and exciting at the same time. The vocal harmonies (anti-harmonies?) are so interesting and work so well with the speedy rockabilly-ish music.

Kinda forgettable for me

A fun post punk album

Another cheeky little surprise. I don't think there have been many genuinely "I've never heard this before but I love it" albums from the list but this would be added to that pile. Kinda punky, kinda riot grrrl, there's some B52s & Beach Boys in there............ Awesomeness

2.5

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.

This album has loads of nostalgia for me as I listened to this (and Los Angeles) a ton as a teen. Pretty-sure there'll ever be another band like X.

Lots of Punky fun. I almost dismissed it as rough proto-indie new wave type stuff, of a specific kind that I can't get into. This has some really cool punk feel to it though. The guitar work and drumming is certainly not fugazi style, but there's a certain factor in common to the progression style that I love. That lazy vocal delivery style that nearly put me off kind of works once you're dialed in

B52ish

Fun surf-punk vibe

This album really turned my mood around today and had me dancing. It's a little repetitive, but I tend to expect that from this style of music. I already enjoy it, and I can see it continuing to grow on me in the future.

It was fun enough. Nothing really stood out for me though. Probably could use a couple more listens, but I need to catch up!

now that's a punk record.

2,5

There two vocalists have like, a drawl going on that kind of works. Bass is kind of fun. Some background instrumental moments that caught my ear. Fun listen. Feels kind of cool. I wonder if there was more I didn't find. Woah this was a bit earlier than I thought.

Never heard of this. A rockabilly vibe, like punk for people older than 30. "White Girl" was sonically pretty cool sounding. It was a fine listen, doesn't go on too long, but I don't think it was memorable.

Too loud. Not for me

FINALMENTE POSSO TORNARE A DARE UNA BELLA MERITATA STELLA. 1/5.

I think 1001 albums might be too many

Amazingly, I’ve never come across this band previously. I can only give this album a 3 star rating as it’s the first time I’ve heard anything by them. Has the capacity to be at least a 4 star band

Quite enjoyable. I can see how the B-52s were inspired by them

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.

I just felt like this was another merely passable punk release. Solid, but I can’t get excited about it. 1 listen Favorite Track: White Girl

This is fun and I'm guessing that it inspired future artists. I feel that this band and album won't be all that memorable for me.

nice punk

Mix of punk and rockabilly. I like it lore than expected. 4 stars

I always like the combination of punk and rockabilly and X is one of the best at it. I really like how John and Exene's vocals work together on these albums -- it's super cool and it just feels loose and effortless. Favorite tracks are "The Once Over Twice", "We're Desperate", "Adult Books", "In This House That I Call Home" and "White Girl". 4.5 stars.