Germ Free Adolescents

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Probably the best release from all the first wave of UK punk bands (and I'm including the Clash and the Pistols in that), this is a blistering set of classic tunes that really epitomise the mood of the time. There are tons of great riffs and clanging rhythms, underpinned by some incessant sax lines that provide a slyly melodic counterpoint to all the noise going on around them. Poly Styrene's harsh, shrill, almost atonal vocals set it all off brilliantly, and the lyrics - taking pot-shots at consumerism and the difficulty of creating personal, alternative identities in what was/is fundamentally a conservative and conformist society - are bang on the money. X-Ray Spex weren’t revolutionary fellow travelers like the Sandinista fans in The Clash, nor were they indiscriminate nihilists like the Sex Pistols. X-Ray Spex were political in the way that Marshall McLuhan was political, less concerned with whoever’s in power at the moment than the capitalist system, and the insidious ways it controls ordinary peoples’ lives. This dystopian, almost sci-fi streak is most prevalent on “The Day The World Turned Dayglo”; opening with chugging power chords and a wailing sax riff, the song lives up to its B-movie title with Poly’s vision of a world where even the trees are artificial: “The X-rays were penetrating / Through the latex breeze / Synthetic fiber see-thru leaves / Fell from the rayon trees.” Murray, Charles Shaar (1978). "No Pop, No Style Poly Styrene is Still Strictly Roots". NME (published 13 May 1978). Archived from the original on 27 October 2009 . Retrieved 19 January 2008.

During their first incarnation (1976–1979), X-Ray Spex released five singles and one album. [1] Their 1977 single " Oh Bondage Up Yours!" and 1978 debut album Germfree Adolescents are widely acclaimed as classic punk releases. [sources 1] The band has briefly reformed several times in the 1990s and 2000s. Despite her relatively short stint with the band, Styrene's overt feminism and mixed-race heritage marked her out among her punk contemporaries and won her legions of fans for generations to come. Beth Ditto, singer with Gossip, said: "Poly Styrene [was] so ahead of her time. She recreated punk."

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The album was not a large commercial success, and never charted, however it was critically praised, with the prolific Robert Christgau of the Village Voice regretting the fact that Poly Styrene’s “irresistible color” was not released in the US, rather released only in Britain by label EMI. The album was also produced by Falcon Stuart, who also housed all the band’s members, advertised, and even photographed for them. Stuart would also go on to spawn Adam Ant’s career, and others. X-Ray Spex: Germfree Adolescents". Mojo. p.131. The band's entire studio output in just over an hour... NOFX – Germ Free Adolescents (X-Ray Spex cover) Lyrics – SongMeanings". SongMeanings . Retrieved 4 July 2018.

On 28 April 2008, Poly Styrene gave a performance of "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" in front of more than 10,000 people at the Love Music Hate Racism free concert in Victoria Park, East London. [ citation needed] The moment I heard that Marianne Elliott-Said, AKA Poly Styrene, had died, I was at band practice. We put on X-Ray Spex and jumped around, screaming along to Identity, Oh Bondage Up Yours! and Germ Free Adolescents. On that day in 2011 we lost one of punk’s greatest heroes and one of the few who really looked and sounded like me. She broke the mould of UK punk stereotypes. She was brown, chubby, weirdly dressed and had braces on her teeth. Even in an era when quirky, abrasive style was all the rage, she stood out. Staunton, Terry (May 2009). "X-Ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents: Deluxe Edition". Record Collector. No.362 . Retrieved 5 September 2016. X-Ray Spex played at 'Front Row Festival', a three-week event at the Hope and Anchor, Islington in late November and early December 1977. [24] This resulted in the band's inclusion, alongside the likes of Wilko Johnson, 999, The Only Ones, the Saints, The Stranglers, and XTC, on a double album of recordings from the festival. Then, in February 1978, before the release of their second single, X-Ray Spex recorded the first of two sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1. [31] Their profile was further enhanced by playing a fortnight's residency at New York's CBGB's, even though the album Germ Free Adolescents was not released in America until 1992.Larkin, Colin (1994). All Time Top 1000 Albums . Enfield: Guinness Publishing. p.236. A colourful explosion of sound Poly Styrene died of spinal and breast cancer on 25 April 2011 in East Sussex, England, at the age of 53. [38] Documentary and biography [ edit ] Of course, it could still be argued that embarking on a project like this is increasingly difficult in an era of streaming and fragmented taste. But that was part of what made rebooting the RS 500 fascinating and fun; 86 of the albums on the list are from this century, and 154 are new additions that weren’t on the 2003 or 2012 versions. The classics are still the classics, but the canon keeps getting bigger and better. Written By a b Larkin, Colin (2002). Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music . London: Virgin Books. p.503. ISBN 1-85227-947-8. Without Styrene, the group lost its momentum and split up. Hurding and Airport went on to form Classix Nouveaux, while Paul Dean and Rudi Thompson went on to form Agent Orange with Anthony "Tex" Doughty, who would later become a founding member of Transvision Vamp.

The album’s focus on feminism, identity issues, and mass consumerism is prophetic in the issues discussed in the 2010s, with the song “Identity” being a particular heavy hitter with lyrics such as Germfree Adolescents (November 1978: EMI International, INT 3023) – No. 30 UK Albums Chart, [41] No. 56 AUS [42] The Day the World Turned Day-Glo" / "I Am a Poseur" (March 1978: EMI International, INT 553) – No.23 UK Singles Chart [41]

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A spokesperson for Styrene confirmed her death this morning, saying everyone around her was saddened by the news. A full statement is expected later today. The same reviewer in The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music sums up the band's 1970s contribution as "one of the most inventive, original and genuinely exciting groups to emerge during the punk era". [33] Reformation [ edit ] Strong, M.C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography . Edinburgh: Canongate. p.184. ISBN 1-84195-335-0. Dolan, Jon (May 2001). "The 50 Most Essential Punk Records – 5. X-Ray Spex: Germfree Adolescents". Spin. Vol.17, no.5. p.108 . Retrieved 23 October 2020. Christgau, Robert (26 February 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved 23 October 2020.