X-Ray Spex - The Day The World Turned Day-Glo 7"

Artist: X-Ray Spex
Album: The Day The World Turned Day-Glo 7"
Release: 1978
Label: EMI

Tracklist:

1. The Day The World Turned Day-Glo
2. Iama Poseur

I saw White Lung play recently on their tour with Pollution and the moment they started their awesome set, the vocals immediately reminded me of Poly Styrene's in X-Ray Spex, which leads us to this post, as the latter has been my most played band of the past two weeks for me, along with My Dad Is Dead. "Where's Our Reason Now? is such a good song!

With the blistering, feminist-tinged single of "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!," it's easy to see why X-Ray Spex's lone album Germ Free Adolescents is often one of the first albums for whom many young, female punks find themselves attached. Or so I'm told. I wouldn't REALLY know. All-man here. Still, I find myself mad obsessed with that album and their previous singles, always! The CD reissue of that LP (which includes their early, classic singles) is one of the first U.K. punk albums I ever got into and it's held a secure place in my heart ever since. The band's two unique strong points lie in the powerful, caterwauling vocals of Styrene (Somalia represent!) and Rudi Thomson's tasteful saxophone flourishes, making the album standout amongst its peers.

Yes, the aforementioned single is one of the defining moments of that era, but I find myself more enamored with their sophomore single, The Day The World Turned Day-Glo/Iama Poseur, than the first. With their first single, it was apparent that the band was clearly able to churn out high-octane, punk anthems, and "The Day The World Turned Day-Glo" is a perfect example of that. The song features one of Styrene's most powerful (or, on the flipside, annoying) vocal performances atop squelching sax and quality rock 'n' roll. It's one of the band's most well-known songs, but I actually prefer the b-side of this single to it.

"Iama Poseur" is one of the few X-Ray Spex songs in which I would say the guitar plays as important of a role as the saxophone, thanks to Jak Airport's most driving guitar work. All of this is a perfect match for Styrene's howling. Styrene's lyrical content on these two songs (as well as a huge majority of X-Ray Spex songs), which centers around what she saw as a vapid and overly commercialized Britain (and British punk scene) at the time, is both still very much real and relevant, while also (in 2010) seems to feel a bit outdated and romanticized.

I just can't get these two songs out of my head! I'm sure most of you have heard this stuff before, but for those who haven't, I hope it's as magical for you as it is for me. Big ups to Thatcher for making this band possible! Or something. I won't pretend to understand the U.K.

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-Adam