Revisiting Generation X - Generation X (1978)

Generation X - Generation X
Chrysalis
Produced by Martin Rushent
Released 17th March 1978
UK Charts #29


 

Personnel
Generation X
    Billy Idol − vocals
    Tony James − bass and vocals
    Bob "Derwood" Andrews − guitar and vocals
    Mark Laff − drums and vocals

US Version of the Album

Listen, The Insvisible Man and Too Personal were replaced on this edition with:

Gimme Some Truth (John Lennon).

Wild Youth.

Your Generation.

Wild Dub.

Single from the album

 A-Side: Ready Steady Go

B-Side: No No No

Released 7th February 1978

UK Chart #47

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I did a piece on this particular album a few years ago but seeing that a number of links etc were dead on it I thought I would raise it back to life again on the 41st Anniversary of its release.

Generation X were there right there in 1976 when Punk began to explode in the UK. People seem to forget that Tony James, William Broad (Billy Idol) and John Towe were all originally part of Chelsea with Gene October. They jumped the good ship Chelsea after Gene had thought James/Broad were becoming too creatively dominant and so they abandoned October and took John Towe with them for good measure!  Derwood joined on guitar and Broad (who had changed his name to Billy Idol) took vocal duties and they played their debut on the 10th December at Central School of Art and Design in London and then on 14th December 1976 they played their second show at a new venue called The Roxy (the first of the Punk bands to do so). Towe left the band and Mark Laff (ex-Subway Sect) joined on drums in time for their signing to Chrysalis Records.

There always seemed to be a bit of jealousy regarding Generation X, especially among the male world of Punk and I think that had a lot to do with Billy and Co. being a darn sight more handsome than most bands around at the time! I always find it funny that some people don't really regard them as Punk but as some of of Bandwagon Jumpers (clearly forgetting their history!).

I loved the early singles, and the Peel Sessions they did in 1977. The first one in April included Day by Day, Listen!, Youth Youth Youth and Your Generation. John Towe was still drumming for them on that session. The second session from July 1977 included From the Heart, Rock On, Gimmie Some Truth and No No No. Mark Laff was on drums for this session.

As for the album I still think it stands up as great record. Personally I don't think there's a bad track on it. It was basically their live set so I was pretty much aware of most, if not all, of the songs when it was released. It was recorded over the space of a week at the TW Studios in Fulham. All the songs were written by Idol/James (except on the US release where Gimmie Some Truth was a cover of a song by John Lennon).

 

It maybe had a more Punky Pop edge to it that some people didn't like (which is funny because they had ditched Phil Wainman as Producer in favour of Martin Rushent because they felt he made them sound too Pop and they wanted a more harder-edged sound! Not totally sure they got that, but on their second album which is 40 years old this year, Valley of the Dolls - released 26th January 1979 and produced by Ian Hunter they certainly got a wee touch of it). 

 

I loved it the moment it came out and it's an album that still gets an airing in my house to this day.

 

Enjoy.