Punk

X: “Beyond and Back” and “Hot House”

Editors Note: This appreciate of the band X was submitted to the site by Morrie Bee, a visitor and newsletter subscriber. Bee sent several links. Above is “Beyond and Back” and below is “Hot House.”

Many forms of music are about protest. Punk is loud, aggressive protest – it fights. Fighting against what feels to me like a lack of hope, control and loss. (Although I will agree some is just no-talent, fast bs.)

So why do I still listen to 1980s punk like X or DK really loud? To feel the rage, and the fight against that lack of hope, loss and control.

I follow the saying “Don’t worry about what you have no control.” Faced with a parent with Alzheimer’s, I say “We can’t fix it, but we can have fun today.”

But there’s no control over Alzheimer’s, it won’t get better. I want to aggressively rage, fight and protest – so my punk gets turned up loud.

Punk — no other genre fits when you need to fight back.

Wikipedia reports that X was formed Los Angeles in 1977. It released seven albums from 1880 to 1993. The band broke up for a while and reunited in the early 2000s. It still is together and touring. The band has had remarkably consistent consistent personnel over the years. Essentially, X is four people: Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoon and D.J. Bonebreak. Somebody not familiar with punk music may be surprised — perhaps pleasantly — to learn that the band was influenced by country music.

The profile says the band influenced punk and folk rock. Two of its albums – Los Angeles and Wild Gift – were ranked by Rolling Stone as among the top 500 albums of all time. Wild gift was ranked 91 on Pitchforks top 100 albums of the 1980s. It was even recognized by the city.

Here is the band’s website. X is in the middle of an arudous tour. Not bad for a band that has been around for 40 years.

(Homepage photo: Laura Alice Watt)

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

Our Music

--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

--Radiohead to ZZ Top (R to Z)

Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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