X “Los Angeles” released 40 years ago today, April 26th 1980. Slash Records. One of the greatest punk records ever by one of the most enduring and endearing punk bands of all-time (still together and just released a new album with the original lineup like 2 days ago). The Doors’ Ray Manzarek produced Los Angeles which probably explains why it sounds so much better than X’s contemporary west coast punks (well that, and they actually could play their instruments). Manzarek also plays organ on several of the tracks, including an all-out freak-jam on “The World’s A Mess; It’s In My Kiss.” X covers The Doors’ “Soul Kitchen” on Los Angeles and improve it by a mile. My favorite tracks are the rockabilly/punk “Johny Hit and Run Paulene” and the menacing “Nausea” which were both featured in the Penelope Spheeris 1981 documentary of the west coast punk scene, Decline of Western Civilization; I  think that was my first exposure to X (by way of the Germs, also in the movie and the soundtrack and my motivation to see/listen to the film and its soundtrack). I also love the title track “Los Angeles,” the opening track “Your Phone’s Off the Hook But You’re Not,” “Sex and Dying in the High Society”….pretty much the entire album from start to finish is a punk masterpiece.

We have seen X play several times and were supposed to see them again at the end of May, along with Milwaukee local hero punks Violent Femmes. Sadly, yet another show that has fallen victim to the tsunami of concert cancellations.