Search - X. :: Best: Make the Music Go Bang (Dig)

Finally! A general overview of a great band!

Wilson Ng | Guam USA | 07/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the perfect way to introduce one of the most important bands come from the L.A. punk scene to influence the rest of the world. Critics have acknowledged X's influence on the rest of the music scene during their heyday and this is a great way to honor X!



This 2-CD set serves as a general overview for people who want to dabble in the punk rockabilly rock of X. Exene's off-key voice harmonizes with John Doe to make a truly unique sound. Billy Zoom and DJ Bonebrake create a backbeat to further cement X as truly a sonically unique band that broke new ground.



The first compilation from X was called "Beyond & Back: The X Anthology" serves a lot of B-Sides, rarities, and alternate takes from the X catalog. Beyond & Back is a great companion piece to "Make The Music Go Bang". Casual listeners and newcomers would do well to get "Make the Music Go Bang" first and then "Beyond & Back".



"Make the Music Go Bang" serves up some of the best slices of X that you'll hear. Heck, you might even want to finish off and get the rest of the X discography after this introduction.



"

X hits the spot

C. Boerger | Columbus, OH USA | 01/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Actually, it's five stars for the first disc, three stars for the second.



For the uninitiated, or for nostalgists such as myself, this compilation serves as either a great introduction or a great recap of one of the finest careers ever in the punk/pop genre. In case you don't already know, X were a Los Angeles band that combined fast guitar riffs, country and rockabilly attitude, lovely harmonies and sensitive lyrics to create a totally original rock and roll package. They were a band in the truest sense of the word, with each member making a strong contribution, and are as vital now as they were then.



The first disc captures the most illustrious part of their career, which encompasses their first four albums, the striking debut Los Angeles followed by three undeniable classics, Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun(their best album) and More Fun in the New World. The song selection is uncannily savvy, almost invariably picking the very best cuts from these albums. My only argument is with the quality of some of the demos(the album version of Adult Books is much better) and with some of the selections from More Fun in the New World. For instance, why call the album Make the Music Go Bang, and then fail to include that song, one of the band's best? I also would have preferred Painting the Town Blue, Drunk in My Past and I See Red over some of the other cuts, but this is a minor grumbling. The chance to hear Your Phone's Off the Hook(But You're Not), In This House That I Call Home, I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts, Blue Spark, Riding With Mary, White Girl, Breathless, Motel Room in My Bed, We're Having Much More Fun, The Unheard Music, Some Other Time, Hungry Wolf and Universal Corner all on the same disc is an indescribably euphoric listening experience.



The second disc shows a serious drop in quality. I've never heard the album Ain't Love Grand in its entirety, but based on the selections here I'm not missing much. See How We Are is a vast improvement, but its watered down roots rock sound doesn't hold up as well today as it did when the album was released, perhaps because, in this format, it is presented side by side with their far superior earlier music. The best part of the second disc is the live tracks(I saw X in concert once and still have fond memories of that evening, one of the best shows I've seen), and some of the later studio tracks that close the album. Good stuff overall, but not up to the quality of the first disc.



My first recommendation would be to get X's first four albums, especially 2-4, in order to get a clear sense of just how great a band they were, to really experience the songwriting talents of Exene Cervenka and John Doe. But as compilations go, it's hard to ask for much more than what this set delivers."

A very good overview of a great band

Nicholas C. Carlson | Fairfield, CA United States | 11/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"But there are 5 songs missing (mostly from their first four seminal albums) They are(in chronological order:)1.Sex and Dying In High Society 2.Year 1 3.Come Back To Me 4. Dancing With Tears In my Eyes (Both from "Big Black Sun" and nice change of pace tunes) and (probably the most egregious omission) 5. True Love Part 2. You could make a case for including the first two albums in toto (if not the next two). The Go-Go's and Los Lobos will get more RnR Hall consideration, but I feel X is just as deserving..."