Biography: One of the great English punk bands of the late '70s, there is only one thing wrong with the careers of X-Ray Spex and lead singer Poly Styrene -- they didn't record enough music. Formed in 1976 by school friends Marion Elliot (Styrene) and Susan Whitby (saxophonist Lora Logic), X-Ray Spex exploded onto the punk scene with one of the era's great singles, the feminist punk rallying cry "Oh Bondage, Up Yours." With Logic's sax stating the melody semi-tunefully and Jak Airport's guitar laying down a wash of distorted chords, Styrene's vocal, especially on the chorus, is a marvel. Along with the early Sex Pistols and Clash singles, this was one of punk rock's great moments. So, too, was X-Ray Spex's debut LP, Germ Free Adolescents, which was great in spite of "Oh Bondage" not being on it (a situation that would be rectified with the 1993 CD reissue). Lora Logic was gone (to form Essential Logic), but her replacement, Rudi Thompson, played in as rudimentary a fashion, but stayed in tune a little more. The songs were guitar-driven punk-pop that combined outrage and aggression with a sense of alienation and disenfranchisement about rampant commercialism and an increasingly sterile and artificial world. Styrene's songs were more likely to be about drowning in a sea of corporate-designed consumer fantasies than straight-out attacks against the government. This didn't mean the songs were any less political; they simply attacked the zeitgeist from a different vantage point. Tragically, there was no immediate second X-Ray Spex record. But there was Poly Styrene's only full-length solo record, Translucence. Abandoning completely the loud guitars of X-Ray Spex, Translucence is quiet and jazzy in a way that anticipates the work of Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn in Everything But the Girl. It's a bit of a shock coming after Germ Free Adolescents, but it's a beautiful album, and Styrene's singing, though not as exciting and unhinged, is frequently stunning. Consistent with her career up to this point, Poly Styrene dropped out of music entirely shortly after the release of Translucence and joined a London-based Hare Krishna sect. She emerged from "retirement" in 1986 with a wonderful EP titled Gods and Goddesses. In late-2006, the Spex got deluxe treatment from Sanctuary Records with the release of Let's Submerge: The Anthology, a two-disc collection that features pretty much the band's entire recorded output and then some.
allmusic, music reviews, new releases, artists biography Biography. Discography. Songs. Credits. Charts & Awards. X-Ray Spex. wrong person? more matches HERE Get X-Ray Spex biography information. immediate second X-Ray Spex record. completely the loud guitars of X-Ray Spex, Translucence is quiet and jazzy in Party. New for 2008. PolyStyrene's X-Ray Spex at the Roundhouse, London Biography, Diary & History of X-ray Spex Publishing, Film, Sound, Photographic Poly Styrene's Biography By Celeste Bell from x-ray spex official site X-Ray Spex Official Site. Pictures of Poly Styrene at CBGB's, New York, 1978 Contains biography, photos, lyrics, and clips.MySpace music profile for X-Ray Spex with tour dates, songs, videos, pictures, blogs, band So, too, was X-Ray Spex's debut LP, Germ Free Contains press releases, bio, audio clips, and recipes by Poly Styrene.Promising penetrating insight, delivering cheap cardboard glasses. X-Ray Spex; an essentially identical product is sold under the name X-Ray Gogs. Their name was used as the inspiration for the UK punk band The X-Ray Spex. xray spex from documentary punk in london 1977 put up another xray spex video 5 months ago Fucking love this song, thank the lord for x-ray spex. =O) Listen to X-Ray Spex (Oh Bondage Up Yours!, Identity & more) X-Ray Spex's Radio (show all 10) Play X-Ray Spex's Similar Artists Including: The Adverts, The New for 2008 PolyStyrene's X-Ray Spex at the Roundhouse, London 6th September Flyer for more details. It was in the hot summer of 1976 that Poly Styrene placed This article is about the punk band. For other meanings, see X-Ray Specs . X-Ray Spex was a first-wave UK punk band formed in 1976 . X-Ray Specs are an American novelty item, purported to allow the user to see through or into solid objects. Instead, though, the glasses merely create an optical illusion; no X Yahoo! Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for Compare prices for X-Ray Spex - Rock Music > Punk and Hardcore Rock Music. Compare products, compare prices, read reviews One of the great English punk bands of the late '70s, there is only one thing wrong with the careers of X-Ray Spex and lead singer Poly Styrene -- they didn't record enough music.1970's punk band. Site includes history, profiles, and discography.do I want this action figure based on the Frank Quitely version currently saving the world in ALL-STAR SUPERMAN:In the pop world they were truly subversive - A know all kid in a world of grown ups" Mark P 'And God Created Punk' Formed in January '77 and appeared on the Roxy Amazon Kindle — Amazon's revolutionary wireless reading device. The world's best newspapers, magazines, blogs and over 90,000 books auto-delivered to you wirelessly on a
