X is:  John Doe (bass, vocals), Exene Cervenka (vocals), Billy Zoom (guitar) and D.J. Bonebrake (drums)

August 2nd marked the release of a new, and final album by the band X.  The band, in addition to making it known that this would be the last record they would make, also announced a final tour.  Being a massive fan of the band, I will see them in Falls Church, VA on September 28th.  X formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1977.  They are undeniably one of the best punk-rock bands to have emerged from that era.  Their legacy of excellence and longevity is impressive.  They are very high on my personal rock n roll hall of fame list.  I will get to all of their records and a recounting of a few of their shows that I had the good fortune of seeing, but let’s get to this new record first.

THE NEW RECORD

Smoke & Fiction is the first new music from X since the unannounced, surprise release of the excellent Alphabetland in 2020.  The four-year gap is nothing compared to the 27 years between Alphabetland and Hey Zeus!  The record came out more traditionally this time, with an advance announcement and the release of two songs prior to the full release.  It is a 10-song, 29-minute blast of the X that I love and have loved since 1980.  I would say it is a throwback to early X more so than anything else.  And that is not a criticism, it is the highest of compliments.  To me, the production is a little fuzzy.  I could use a little sharper, crisper sound, but I don’t know squat about production, so don’t listen to me.  For this review, let’s just stroll through the track list song-by-song.

1.      “Ruby Church” 

This was the second of two songs released early.  It could fit very nicely on Under the Big Black Sun.  It’s a good start, but I probably wouldn’t have made it the first track. 

2.      “Sweet Til The Bitter End” 

And this track would fit well on More Fun in the New World.  This track, and every single one of them really, has that great vocal interplay back & forth with Exene and Doe. 

3.      “The Way It Is” 

This song grabbed me right away.  It is slower.  The vibe is a little haunting and it’s classic X, but it’s not scary enough to have been on Los Angeles.  Nevertheless, this is one my favorites on the record. 

4.      “Flipside” 

Four songs in and you start to realize how good this record is going to be.  There’s just nothing to criticize so far. 

5.      “Big Black X” 

This was the first song to drop.  It would have been track one for me, and it would have made a good title track.  This is another highlight on the record.  If someone who had never heard the band were to ask me what X sounds like, I would play them this song.  It’s got the vocal interplay and that awesome Billy Zoom guitar front and center. 

6.      “Smoke & Fiction” 

Obviously, this is the title track.  I like the song and the lyrics, but the drums on this are a repetitive, 1-2 hardcore beat that grates on me a little.  One of my least favorite on the record. 

7.      “Struggle”  

The guitar riff that starts this song off reminds me of “Somethin’ Else” by Eddie Cochran.  Billy Zoom just has that great knack for sounding like the punk-rock Chuck Berry.  I really like this tune but don’t love the lyrics.  “The struggle is real” sounds too millennial for me. 

8.      “Winding Up The Time” 

This song reminds me of “Real Child of Hell” from Under the Big Black Sun.  Nothing at all wrong with that. 

9.      “Face In The Moon” 

Now this sounds like it could fit on Los Angeles.  That’s high praise.  Might be my favorite track. 

10. “Baby & All” 

A strong finish to the record with Billy Zoom dripping all over it.  Nice.

Well, there you have it.  I would give it four and a half out of five stars.  Since I dialed up a few references to past X records, I thought I would throw out my personal ranking of the nine studio records released by the band over their 47 years in existence. 

RANKING THE STUDIO RELEASES

1.      Los Angeles  The debut record from 1980 blew me away and I still love it.  To me it has a feeling of danger and a palpable edginess to it.  The keyboards added by producer and former member of The Doors, Ray Manzarek, are breathtaking.  Killer punk-rock, and much like the newest release, it clocks in just under 30 minutes.  That’s my wheelhouse for perfection. 

2.      Wild Gift  The second release from the band came quickly, in 1981.  No sophomore slump here, the album contains two of my favorite X songs, “Adult Books” and “White Girl.”  It’s eleven songs in 27 minutes and every track is a winner. 

(NOTE FROM JCE: Numbers three through six on this list are almost interchangeable.  My top two and bottom three are pretty settled, but it’s tough in the middle to decide on a ranking.)   

3.      Smoke & Fiction  I can hardly believe it myself.  Can this final 2024 record really be third on my list?  Maybe it’s just a hyperbolic fit of passion for new material and falling in love with this band all over.  It could easily slip as far as number six in the coming years, but no lower than that. 

4.      Under the Big Black Sun  This 1982 record seemed like a slight departure from the first two records, but not at all in a bad way.  “Riding With Mary” is outstanding, as are several other tracks.  Billy Zoom was hitting a stride on this one.  

5.      Alphabetland   This absolute gift from the band in 2020 was totally unexpected and so surprising, not only because it came out of nowhere, but because it so good.  “Strange Life” is a brilliant song, as is “Water & Wine.” 

6.      More Fun in the New World  The fourth X record is sixth on my list, which feels way too low.  This one is from 1983, and much like Under the Big Black Sun, it seems to reflect the further growth of the band, being for me quite different than the first two records.  “The New World,” “We’re Having Much More Fun” and “Drunk in My Past” are highlights for me.   

7.      Hey Zeus!  It should come as no surprise that two out of three of the lowest ranking records on my list are the two that did not include Billy Zoom on guitar.  Still, this record is actually pretty good.  I am confident I would be in the minority with this opinion, but despite being more alternative rock-sounding and much different from any other X record, it has some strong material and is very consistent.  It came out in 1993 and was a reunion of sorts, but without Zoom. 

8.      Ain’t Love Grand  This 1985 record was a bit of a departure from prior X records, and maybe not in the best way.  It’s a decent record, but not stellar.  It was a bit of a shot at larger success, and “Burning House of Love” charted, but it was no smash hit, and Billy Zoom departed after this one. 

9.      See How We Are  This thing sounds a little roots rock-oriented to me, at least in places.  It’s from 1987 and features Dave Alvin (Blasters) on guitar.  I have a really hard time ranking albums, but landing this one in the last place slot is something I’m pretty comfortable with. 

X has several live records, including the acoustic Unclogged record.  Those are not ranked, as I have opted to include only the studio releases in my list above.

 LIVE SHOWS

1.      When the Los Angeles record came out in 1980 on Slash Records, I got a copy right away.  We had a killer store called RTX (Record & Tape Exchange) and I’m sure I heard it there, or maybe on WHFS.  Wild Gift came out in 1981. Soon after, I saw the band at the old 9:30 Club.  It was fantastic.  It was punk rock.  Exene got kicked by a stage diver and the music halted briefly, but not for long.

2.      I saw a great X show at the Ontario Theater in D.C.  The movie about L.A. punk called Urgh! was screened, and then the band played live.  They were brilliant.  This was on July 9, 1982, just three days after the release of Under the Big Black Sun.

3.      Again at the old 9:30 Club, I saw the tour for the record Unclogged.  This was an acoustic effort, playing established songs in a much different format.  It was a good time and I like the record, but I’m a loud electric rock n roll guy through and through, so I’m glad this was a one-time endeavor for the band.

4.      I got a chance to see X at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA on a tour promoting the excellent documentary called The Unheard Music.  The film was screened, and then the band played the Los Angeles record in its entirety followed by a bunch of other great songs.  The Birchmere has a big stage in a room with tables and then a very small stage in a room with no seating.  For this show, they played the small stage.  My wife and I were only a few feet from the band.  While I admit we were taken aback by how old everyone looked, they sounded fantastic.  It may actually be my favorite time I have ever seen them.

5.      I saw X play at the State Theater in Falls Church, VA about eight years ago.  They again sounded great.  We were further from the stage for this show—actually the furthest I have ever been from the band at an X show.  They played well and the set list was solid.  Billy Zoom was in the midst of his major health issues and had to be seated during their set.

6.      Stay tuned for number six.  The band will return to the State Theater in September.  And Billy Zoom will be on his feet!

That’s my deep dive into a band that I truly love.  It’s tough to accept that they are hanging it up for good, but it’s also good for a band to know when it’s time.  Just last year, my beloved Kix called it quits.  It has to happen eventually.  X departs with a spectacular farewell record for sure.

JCE, or John to his friends, is 61 years old and lives happily in rural VA about an hour and half outside of D.C.  His wife of 33 years says he’ll never grow up, and she’s exactly right.  He attributes that to his lifelong love affair with all things rock n roll.  Starting with 45 rpm Monkees records at a very early age to his present massive collection of vinyl, cd’s and a digital library of God knows how many songs, he’s a rock n roll lifer.  Oh, and he has an ever-growing collection of about 150 vintage skateboards.