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X-Ray Spex
1,037,039 plays (95,047 listeners)
(1976 – 1979, 2008 – present)
X-Ray Spex are a UK punk band formed in 1976. The band featured singer Poly Styrene (born Marion Elliot) on vocals, Jak Airport (Jack Stafford) on guitars, Paul Dean on bass, Paul ‘B. P.’ Hurding on Drums, and Lora Logic (born Susan Whitby) on saxophone. This latter instrument was an atypical addition to the standard punk instrumental line-up, and became one of the group’s most distinctive features.
X-Ray Spex’s other distinctive musical element was Poly Styrene’s voice, which has been variously described as “effervescently discordant” and “powerful enough to drill holes through sheet metal”. As Mari Elliot, Poly had released a reggae single for GTO Records in 1976, “Silly Billy”, which had not charted. Born in 1957 in Brixton, London, of Somali-English parentage, Poly Styrene became the group’s public face, and remains one of the most memorable front-women to emerge from the punk movement. Not conventionally attractive, she wore braces on her teeth and once stated that “If anybody tried to make me a sex symbol I would shave my head tomorrow”.
X-Ray Spex existed from mid-1976 to 1979, during which time they released five singles - “Oh Bondage, Up Yours”, “
Identity”, “The Day The World Turned Day-Glo”, “Germ Free Adolescents”, and “Highly Inflammable” - and one album, Germ Free Adolescents. The album and title single reached 30 and 19 in their respective charts, although “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” is regarded as their most enduring artifact, both as a piece of music and as a phrase.
X-Ray Spex’s other distinctive musical element was Poly Styrene’s voice, which has been variously described as “effervescently discordant” and “powerful enough to drill holes through sheet metal”. As Mari Elliot, Poly had released a reggae single for GTO Records in 1976, “Silly Billy”, which had not charted. Born in 1957 in Brixton, London, of Somali-English parentage, Poly Styrene became the group’s public face, and remains one of the most memorable front-women to emerge from the punk movement. Not conventionally attractive, she wore braces on her teeth and once stated that “If anybody tried to make me a sex symbol I would shave my head tomorrow”.
X-Ray Spex existed from mid-1976 to 1979, during which time they released five singles - “Oh Bondage, Up Yours”, “
Identity”, “The Day The World Turned Day-Glo”, “Germ Free Adolescents”, and “Highly Inflammable” - and one album, Germ Free Adolescents. The album and title single reached 30 and 19 in their respective charts, although “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” is regarded as their most enduring artifact, both as a piece of music and as a phrase.
Top Albums
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Germfree Adolescents
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Germ Free Adolescents
X-Ray Spex Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $55.98
- eBay Search
-
Nag Nag Nag
X-Ray Spex Buy- Download Album
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Germ Free Adolescents - The Anthology
X-Ray Spex Buy- Download Album
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Top Tracks
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Identity
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| 2 |
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Oh Bondage Up Yours!
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| 3 |
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I Am A Poseur
full track
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| 4 |
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Obsessed With You
full track
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| 5 |
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Art-i-ficial
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| 6 |
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I Can't Do Anything
full track
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| 7 |
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I Live Off You
full track
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| 8 |
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Genetic Engineering
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| 9 |
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Let's Submerge
full track
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| 10 |
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Warrior In Woolworths
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| 11 |
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The Day The World Turned Day-Glo
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| 12 |
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I Am A Cliche
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| 13 |
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Highly Inflammable
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| 14 |
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Plastic Bag
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| 15 |
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Age
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Shoutbox
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cremiver wrote:
SO COOL i love it
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seeofsoundfan wrote:
New X-Ray Spex CD/DVD Live @ The Roundhouse London 2008. Available now at seeofsound.com. Watch a clip! http://www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=FNM11
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hallofmirrors wrote:
Sooooo underrated.
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benxander wrote:
Germ Free Adolescents is one of the greatest punk-rock albums of all time, if not one of the best albums of all time.
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ninjaWHUT wrote:
Makes me happy inside
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Owen47 wrote:
The live DVD/CD from the Roundhouse gig last year is released on 9 November. http://www.myspace.com/xrayspexrealofficialpage
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anarcoholico wrote:
eehhh!! loco!!! aguante los X Ray Spex!! No sabia que volvieron el 2008. a ver si bajan al sur un dia de estos.... Oh, Bondage!! Tu vieja!!
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uzpurne wrote:
AND I DON'T CARE
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qryakus wrote:
ммм аррива)) хорошая банда)
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James_Hartley wrote:
I am a Poseur
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sm0th3rl0v3 wrote:
One of my favorites
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Etheno wrote:
Ahhh! Love them!
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shitflying wrote:
oh,screaaam
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vagrant-deadman wrote:
cool band
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valerie_red wrote:
great band ^^
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karlkandinsky wrote:
harrah one of the gr8est bands in the world
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brodyerky wrote:
Cheers
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DAVERUIZ wrote:
!
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buntyvsbeano wrote:
I saw them back in Septemer, was such a fun gig :)
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virgiltexas wrote:
I like iy So much.! There is not other woman like she!!! Its from these bands where the counting on the start was born.! uno, dos, tres, cuatro! one, two, three, four!
Videos
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Listeners
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Crassetine
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riderimpala64
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Recent Activity
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Llizzieisatreee, motorrrbreath, octobercity and 6 other people added X-Ray Spex to their libraries. 8 hours ago
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Gilaventi wrote about X-Ray Spex in New Artist Voting for the British Rock Artists League!. Thursday afternoon
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Gilaventi wrote about X-Ray Spex in a deleted journal. Thursday afternoon
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DandelionRadio wrote about X-Ray Spex in Dandelion Radio - January 2010 shows. Wednesday evening
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hitodeman and OrangeBlossom77 added X-Ray Spex to their libraries. Wednesday evening
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kak-to_tak tagged X-Ray Spex with post-punk, new wave, female vocalists and 2 other tags. Wednesday afternoon
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NeuRoseX added X-Ray Spex to NeuRoseX’s library. Wednesday morning
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ectoplasmic tagged X-Ray Spex with ‘77 punk’. Wednesday morning
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ConnlaOlethros, Perniciotti, shaferr and 2 other people added X-Ray Spex to their libraries. Tuesday evening
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screwfacexxx tagged X-Ray Spex with ‘punk rock’. Monday afternoon
Related Journals
-
New Artist Voting for the British Rock Artists League!
by Gilaventi |
31 Dec 2009 | Add comment
-
Dandelion Radio - January 2010 shows
by DandelionRadio |
30 Dec 2009 | Add comment
-
Favourite In-Some-Way-Punk Bands.
by aaronWHAT |
4 Dec 2009 | 1 comment
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