My favourite none NMA album,,,,
Generation-X by Generation-X 1978
Yes I know, Billy Idol, some cringe worthy videos in the 1980s but, he was there at the birth of the first generation of punk in 1977 being a member of the Bromley Contingent.
Generation-X 1st album was their only real punk album. Like all good punk albums, recorded in just a few days. Has a very raw and rough sound to it. The lyrics quite good for punk, Idol talking of teenage angst. The best feature of the album, thee guitar work of Derwood. Very raw with loads of screeching feedback which he seemed to be able to get a tune out of. The critics at the time said it was as much a rock album than a punk album. But, that's punk-rock.
Best song on the album, called Listen. ere, av a listen --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwUik0qGxMQalso, 100 punks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59C7VJESeqMand for Derwoods screaming feedback guitar, towards the end of the song,, Promises
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrrc0SqXT3AAfter that it went a bit tits up with their next album, Valley of the Dolls, 1978, Produced by Ian Hunter who wanted a more Rock feel to it. King Rocker the most well know from it.
Then there third and last, 1981, Kiss me deadly by which time they had done a Bolan and reduced the name of the band to Gen-X and gone Pop. That said, Dancing with myself, a good pop song.
Then Idol went to the States and became a pop Princes, and Tony James left planet earth to form zig zig Sputnick.
When I was 17 - 18, I used to listen to that 1st album every night, in bed with my massive head phones on with the album spinning around on my 1970s second hand music centre. I can still listen to it today and enjoy it just as much.