The third album by Los Angeles band X is said to be Exene Cervenka's favorite. Much of the material, including the album's title track, was written in the aftermath of the tragic death of Cervenka's sister (Mary) in an automobile accident. The stark black & white cover art was also a reflection of the mood of the band, particularly Ms. Cervenka, during this difficult and painful time.
The overall sound of the record, produced by Ray Manzarek, still contains the hard-edged, fast paced punk rock that became the band's trademark, but a more country and blues sound had also emerged from the mournful period. The album even contains a rare X soft song, "Come Back to Me," done in a 1950s "doo-wop" style that is, once again, a tribute to Mary Cervenka. A fast-paced version of Lead Belly's song "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" done in a country-swing style was also a tribute to Mary.
The album opens with the great "The Hungry Wolf," features Waist High favorites "Blue Spark" and "How I (Learned My Lesson)," and closes with "The Have Nots," which was played on a jukebox tavern in a season 4 episode of The X Files titled Never Again.
X is one of Los Angeles native Waist High's all time favorite bands and an important band to the city of Los Angeles. X are widely considered one of the most accessible and tuneful of Los Angeles' many punk bands, and their landmark 1980 record Los Angeles resonated so loudly with the artisans of the city it is named after, that the band received an Official Certificate of Recognition from the City of Los Angeles in acknowledgment of their important contributions to Los Angeles music and culture.
Material: wikipedia.org
