X-Ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents
Original Release Date
1978
Release Information
UK LP 1978 (EMI International - INS 3023)
UK CD 2006 (Sanctuary Midline - SMBCD378)
UK 2xCD 2009 (Sanctuary - 1785728) - Deluxe Edition
1 Art-I-Ficial 3:21
2 Obsessed With You 2:26
3 Warriors In Woolworths 3:04
4 Let's Submerge 3:23
5 I Can't Do Anything 2:55
6 Identity 2:22
7 Genetic Engineering 2:45
8 I Live Off You 2:06
9 I Am A Poseur 2:29
10 Germ Free Adolescents 3:09
11 Plastic Bag 4:56
12 The Day The World Turned Dayglo 2:50
Additional Songs on Deluxe Edition:
Singles A & B Sides
13 Oh Bondage, Up Yours! 2:47
14 I Am A Cliche 1:52
15 Age 2:35
16 HIghly Inflammable 2:31
BBC Radio 1 "John Peel" Session 20/02/78
17 Genetic Engineering 2:53
18 Art-I-Ficial 3:27
19 I Am A Poseur 2:30
20 Identity 2:32
BBC Radio 1 "John Peel" Session 6/11/78
21 Germ Free Adolescents 3:17
22 Warrior In Woolworths 3:03
23 Age 2:39
Disc Two
Pre Signing Studio Demos
1 Obsessed With You 1:52
2 Let's Submerge 2:56
3 Plastic Bag 4:18
4 I Live Off You 2:13
5 I Am A Cliche 1:46
6 I Can't Do Anything 2:39
7 The Day The World Turned Day-Glo 2:43
8 Oh Bondage, Up Yours! 2:38
Studio Demos
9 Genetic Engineering 2:55
10 Art-I-Ficial 3:46
11 Germ Free Adolescents 3:22
12 Age 2:42
13 Warrior In Woolworths 3:01
14 Obsessed With You (Alternative Mix with Spoken Intro) 2:32
Rough Mixes
15 The Day The World Turned Day-Glo (Alternative Mix) 2:48
16 I Can't Do Anything (Backing Track) 2:57
Unreleased Backing Tracks
17 Warrior In Woolworths (Backing Track) 3:06
18 Prefabricated Icons 3:30
Chart Placings
UK Chart Hit; 30, 14 wksCredits
LP:
Poly-Styrene - vocals
Jak Airport - guitar
Paul Dean - bass
Rudi Thomson - sax
BP Hurding - drums
Special thanks to Ted Bunting
Produced by Falcon Stuart/X-Ray-Spex
Engineer: John MacKenzie Burns
Assistant Engineer: Andy Pearce
Recorded at Essex Studios
Mastering: Nick Webb
Extra special thanks to Phil Presky
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2xCD:
Reissue Coordinated by Steve Hammonds & James Wilkinson @ SRG
Original album produced by Falcon Stuartand engineered by John MacKenzie Burns
Assistant Engineer Andy Pearce
Remastered by Andy Pearce
Additional Credits
CD1:
1-12: Germfree Adolescents LP, released November 1978
13-14: Oh Bondage Up Yours 7"/12", released October 1977
15: B-Side of Identity, released July 1978
16: HIghly Inflammable 7", released April 1979
17-20: BBC Radio One "John Peel" Session 20/02/1978
21-23: BBC Radio One "John Peel" Session 6/11/1978
CD2:
1-8: Pre Signing Studio Demo
9-13: Studio Demo
14-18: Previously unreleased
Reviews & Opinions
CHRIS HALL, SMASH HITS, DECEMBER 1978: Good though it is, approach the debut X-Ray Spex album with caution if you've already got all the singles. Most of 'em, with 'B' sides, are on the LP. If you don't mind duplicating, and you've got the readies, then this sort of glorified Greatest Hits collection is a must for fans of the Frantic Five.
ROLLING STONE WEBSITE: Teenage multiracial London girl Poly Styrene had braces on her teeth and wore Day-Glo rags, screeching anthems like "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" over saxophone blasts, and chanting, "I am a poseur and I don't care! I like to make people stare!" X-Ray Spex's explosive debut went criminally unreleased in the U.S., but it became a word-of-mouth cult classic, influencing Sleater-Kinney, the Beastie Boys and many others. (Rated No. 20 in 40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time.)
Additional Notes
The original LP was never officially released in the US, although some copies were exported there: these are identical pressings to the UK version except they had a "Jem Records Import" sticker on the cover. The single CD version is listed for those of you who actually prefer their CD reissues without bonus tracks. The downside is that it's a basic digipak without liner notes or lyrics and the sleeve information refers to tracks 13-23 when there are only 12 tracks on the disc.
Regarding the actual music, according to Punk 77 the backing tracks for the LP were probably recorded in November 1977 and Ted Bunting played saxophone on some (if not many) of the songs.
Images
UK LP 1978 (EMI International - INS 3023). Click here for more
UK CD 2006 (Sanctuary Midline - SMBCD378). Digipak. Click here for more
UK 2xCD 2009 (Sanctuary - 1785728) - Deluxe Edition. Digipak. Click here for more
