Disc of the day
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Magnificent late-'50s singles round-up that keeps on giving.
Features Disc of the day
X
Under The Big Black Sun
(Elektra, 1982)
LA's noir-wavers' bereaved masterpiece. MOJO messageboarder raves...
Amongst the thrash and vitriol of the late '70s/early '80s LA punk scene, X distinguished themselves early. Their sound was a distinctive tug of war between the white-lightnin' rockabilly speed of Billy Zoom's riffs, DJ Bonebrake's surf-smash drums, and the anti-harmonies of bass player John Doe and his poet paramour, Exene Cervenka. Their first two albums were produced by ex-Door Ray Manzarek, and X toured relentlessly behind them, waiting for the inevitable fame to hit like an atom bomb.
But, by 1982, the band hovered still on the cusp of mainstream success. Their third album, Under the Big Black Sun, is the sonic equivalent of a bruise; black and blue and tender to the touch. Sun finds our heroes road-weary and shell-shocked, Cervenka reeling from the death of her sister, Mirielle, who was killed in a car accident on her way to an X show. After the propulsive John Doe-penned opener, The Hungry Wolf, the album is handed over to Cervenka, who swiftly proves she's no Cleopatra-eyed gimmick. Her songs seethe with heartbreak and rage that reach far beyond the typical punk rock "up yours" manifestos of the time. The side one transition from Come Back to Me, a yearning ballad of loss, to the epic, dervish-like title track is one of the truest expressions of bereavement ever committed to vinyl. Side two's Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, a song Cervenka discovered on a Leadbelly album, confirms the band's fascination with "the old, weird America" but also proves apt tribute. "Dancing with tears in my eyes," Exene sings, "because the girl in my arms isn't you."
The Have Nots rounds out the album with weary humour, a road band exhausted with the road, buoyed by Billy Zoom's country-surf Gretsch groove. After two more albums (and Doe and Cervenka's divorce), Zoom would leave the band. His replacement, Lone Justice's Tony Gilkyson, would last one album before the group decided to call it quits.
As the title suggests, Under The Big Black Sun is the darkest of X's albums, but it splinters all the while with vicious brightness. Listening is akin to opening the door in that after-hours bar and shielding your eyes against the realization that last night has already become today. So you raise your glass, Exene's wry words on your lips: "Good morning, midnight..."
Meagan Brothers
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 15/06/2009
Further Listening
X – Los Angeles (Slash, 1980)
X – Wild Gift (Slash, 1981)
X – Unclogged (Infidelity, 1995)
Previous Disc of the day
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Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Magnificent late-'50s singles round-up that keeps on giving.
6:00 AM GMT 20/11/2009
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Isley Brothers - The Brothers: Isley
The Cincinnati siblings bed into their heavy period.
6:00 AM GMT 18/11/2009
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Lee Morgan - Search For The New Land
The trumpeter's most soulful excursion entrances MOJO messageboarder.
6:00 AM GMT 16/11/2009
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