Play X-Ray Spex Radio
X-Ray Spex
1,035,860 plays (94,880 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
X-Ray Spex Buy- Download Album
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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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- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy 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
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| 7 |
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I Live Off You
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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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sasaki164
Listening now
to Germfree Adolescents -
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to Oh Bondage (Up Yours) -
ivan_denisovich
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Vanuch
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Recent Activity
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ectoplasmic tagged X-Ray Spex with ‘77 punk’. 6 hours ago
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ConnlaOlethros, Perniciotti, shaferr and 2 other people added X-Ray Spex to their libraries. yesterday evening
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screwfacexxx tagged X-Ray Spex with ‘punk rock’. Monday afternoon
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emmmy-lou, easyprey33, pablobitu and 1 other person added X-Ray Spex to their libraries. Monday morning
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GirlxGerms wrote about X-Ray Spex – Oh Bondage! Up Yours! in Top 20 Riot Grrrl Songs Ever no particular order. Monday morning
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enahte, dropthat, LunaLunac200 and 3 other people added X-Ray Spex to their libraries. Sunday morning
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enahte tagged X-Ray Spex with ‘punk’. Sunday morning
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fabnana tagged X-Ray Spex with ‘punk’. Friday evening
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crass12340 added X-Ray Spex to crass12340’s library. Friday evening
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RedjMusic connected X-Ray Spex to the group early goth yrs. Friday evening
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