x-ray spex
X-Ray Spex, ‘Germ Free Adolescents’, 1978. Led by Poly Styrene this was sharp, poppy punk. With saxophone. Poly had a wail of a voice. Mixed race, bipolar and female, (with teeth braces). Not the usual Rock, Punk, or anything really, front person. In 1978 she freaked people out. She was a true one off. Dressed in charity shop garb she looked unique. She designed all the graphics for the band’s posters and record sleeves. Her lyrics spoke about identity, genetic engineering, the media and consumerism, often namechecking real products like Kleenex, but sugared the pill with infectious tunes, usually in under 3 minutes – classic pop. This wasn’t Clash rant.
The guitar is almost Black Sabbath riffage, the saxophone adds an extra layer of punch, but it’s Poly’s voice that seals the deal. Songs like ‘I Am Poseur’ and ‘Art-I-ficial’ look at image and media scrutiny. ‘Plastic Bag’ goes from slow to fast with big guitar whilst Poly describes her confusion at the world (“I dreamed I was Hitler”). ‘The Day the World Turned Day-Glo’ with a crunching riff, a proto Environmental protest about modern life and the rubbish it creates. ‘Warrior in Woolworths’ almost ska, sings about shopping and rebellion. ‘Let’s Submerge’ another riff about going underground and dropping out. ‘I Can’t Do Anything’ with handclaps and Glitter Band stomp about being useless in the eyes of the world. ‘Identity’ another heavy riff about, well, identity and media manipulation – every Media Studies student should be made to listen to it. ‘Genetic Engineering’ about, yes, you guessed it. This is years before Monsanto and cloning and Dolly the sheep, mind. ‘I Live Off You’ almost poppy about exploitation, with the best ‘la-la-la-la’ in Rock History, ever. ‘Germ Free Adolescents, the single, is slow with brooding sax, locking into teenage fear of their bodies and not fitting in.
Some of these songs cracked the Top 30 and the band made ‘Top of the Pops’, which was a big deal. Despite the lyrical content the songs smuggled in more punk thought and feeling than, say, a Sham 69. Poly Styrene sadly died of cancer aged 53 but, you wait, her stock will rise again as kids find her on Youtube. She looks and sounds like nothing else before or since. She helped shape the modern world just by being herself.
x-ray spex
X-Ray Spex, ‘Germ Free Adolescents’, 1978. Led by Poly Styrene this was sharp, poppy punk. With saxophone. Poly had a wail of a voice. Mixed race, bipolar and female, (with teeth braces). Not the usual Rock, Punk, or anything really, front person. In 1978 she freaked people out. She was a true one off. Dressed in charity shop garb she looked unique. She designed all the graphics for the band’s posters and record sleeves. Her lyrics spoke about identity, genetic engineering, the media and consumerism, often namechecking real products like Kleenex, but sugared the pill with infectious tunes, usually in under 3 minutes – classic pop. This wasn’t Clash rant.
The guitar is almost Black Sabbath riffage, the saxophone adds an extra layer of punch, but it’s Poly’s voice that seals the deal. Songs like ‘I Am Poseur’ and ‘Art-I-ficial’ look at image and media scrutiny. ‘Plastic Bag’ goes from slow to fast with big guitar whilst Poly describes her confusion at the world (“I dreamed I was Hitler”). ‘The Day the World Turned Day-Glo’ with a crunching riff, a proto Environmental protest about modern life and the rubbish it creates. ‘Warrior in Woolworths’ almost ska, sings about shopping and rebellion. ‘Let’s Submerge’ another riff about going underground and dropping out. ‘I Can’t Do Anything’ with handclaps and Glitter Band stomp about being useless in the eyes of the world. ‘Identity’ another heavy riff about, well, identity and media manipulation – every Media Studies student should be made to listen to it. ‘Genetic Engineering’ about, yes, you guessed it. This is years before Monsanto and cloning and Dolly the sheep, mind. ‘I Live Off You’ almost poppy about exploitation, with the best ‘la-la-la-la’ in Rock History, ever. ‘Germ Free Adolescents, the single, is slow with brooding sax, locking into teenage fear of their bodies and not fitting in.
Some of these songs cracked the Top 30 and the band made ‘Top of the Pops’, which was a big deal. Despite the lyrical content the songs smuggled in more punk thought and feeling than, say, a Sham 69. Poly Styrene sadly died of cancer aged 53 but, you wait, her stock will rise again as kids find her on Youtube. She looks and sounds like nothing else before or since. She helped shape the modern world just by being herself.