X
Beyond and Back: The X Anthology (Elektra)
by Nik Rainey
With Beyond and Back: The X Anthology, Elektra pay homage to the most important combo to bop mythically outta L.A. since the Doors (hell, Ray Manzarek even managed to pull a rep beyond pal-of-dead-guy by producing their best records and shepherding them onto Elektra). X was the greatest of all ’80s American punk bands because they curbed all genre-eric dogma – their definition of the form encompassed Woody Guthrie, Chuck Berry, Chuck Bukowski and doomed musical marrieds from George Jones and Tammy Wynette to Richard and Linda Thompson as much as Sid, Darby, and Henry, and the two discs that make up this collection make for a documentary of the ups and downs of these benighted pilgrims every bit as dramatic and revealing as the seldom-seen X-pic The Unheard Music. Rarities, obscurities, alternate mixes and live tapes abound – only a dozen tunes are culled from the studio LPs – providing a kinda audio-verité spin through the confused undergrowth of Hollywood low-life and domestic non-bliss.
Disc one (the “X” disc) shows John, Exene, Billy, and D.J. on the way up, including raw early stuff (the original “We’re Desperate” single, demos of rare numbers like “Delta 88” and the proto-Blues Explosion “Yr Ignition”), and a whole lotta deathless classics (the haunting “White Girl,” the pounding “Hungry Wolf,” etc., etc.), taking them through to ’82 when their reputation was such that they seemed mere inches from ruling the rock universe.
Disc two (the “13” disc) reeks of tragedy, skimming over their slow, painful drift into dissolutions both personal (John and Exene’s breakup) and professional (Billy Zoom leaves, the band makes several ill-advised stabs at the mainstream – yes, “Wild Thing” is here) and still, through careful song choices and programming, making it sound like some kind of triumph, plucking out the scattered gems from their later releases and winding up with their ruefully funny take on the state of the band in the Brit-heavy ’80s pop landscape “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” (“Will the last American band to get played on the radio please bring the flag?”). An absolute must for fans and an invaluable education for the rest of us – rumors place them on the road this year with the long-absent Zoom in tow, so bone up now before you miss out. Looking back is nice, as the best of these releases demonstrate, but it’s even better when it helps map out the hope of a bright future.
