|
Punk band Generation X were formed by vocalist Billy Idol (William Broad), one of the 'Bromley Contingent' of Sex Pistols fans based in South London, along with ex-Chelsea members Tony James (bass) and John Towe (drums). After recruiting guitarist Bob Andrews, they debuted in December 1976, securing a regular spot at seminal London punk club The Roxy.
These were very hip beginnings but the band was always a little too rock'n'roll to find a place in the hearts of purist punks. Most bands were spat at out of 'respect': Generation X received the treatment because they were genuinely despised. Idol himself was a bleached-blond strutting peacock, spouting cod-hooligan lyrics about fights between punks and teds. The band's sound was no more endearing: a weedy commercialised form of punk that exhibited little of the menace of other bands on the circuit. In retrospect, the songs were enjoyable, well-played power pop, but in the context of punk rock's first wave, Generation X were simply too tame.
Still, almost from the beginning, they were wooed by the major labels, and in July 1977 they signed to Chrysalis and released their first single, "Your Generation". A minor UK chart hit, it was a typically supercharged adolescent rant about a war between young and old: 'The end must justify the means / Your generation don't mean a thing to me!'.
By now, the Idol-James songwriting partnership had become prolific, while Towe had been replaced by former Subway Sect drummer Mark Laff. Live, the band were improving dramatically, and a residency at London's Marquee saw them garnering a large, if mostly very young, following. Indeed, whereas many of their contemporaries proved unable to maintain their initial momentum, Generation X seemed to go from strength to strength, fitting smoothly into the less confrontational post-punk 'new wave' movement.
1978-79 were vintage years. The Generation X (1978)album charted, while the single "Ready Steady Go" confounded punk fans by eulogizing the 60s. An almost teenybop piece of fluff, it contained references to bands from the period, and a chorus celebrating the TV show hostess 'Cathy McGow-ow-ow-ow-an!'. The band's finest song from this period, "Kiss Me Deadly", was not a hit, but was a perfectly structured mix of vocal melodies and power chords, and demonstrated just how professional they had become since their Roxy days. (The song was also featured in Lech Kowalski's 1981 movie DOA.)
1979 also saw the band's biggest hit single, the banal "King Rocker", while the second album, Valley Of The Dolls (1979) was produced by Mott The Hoople's Ian Hunter. However, their fortunes began to wane in 1980, as they changed their name to Gen X - always the favoured moniker among their fan base. Despite releasing the excellent "Dancing With Myself", a lively pop tune with lyrics referring to masturbation, the single only scraped into the lower reaches of the charts.
Soon afterwards, Laff and Andrews quit, to be replaced by Terry Chimes (ex-Clash) and James Stephenson (another former Chelsea man). One last album, the less than brilliant Kiss Me Deadly (1981), disappeared almost immediately, and led to a bust-up between Idol and Chrysalis over creative control. In disgust, Idol left for the US and a solo career, Chimes rejoined the Clash, while Tony James re-emerged in 1985 with the over-hyped 'art-prank' band Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
Generation X Perfect Hits, 1975-1981 (1991; Chrysalis). With a track-listing thoughtfully selected by Idol and James, this compilation of the band's finest moments also features some unreleased treats, including a radio session version of "Day By Day" from 1977.
|
