GENERATION X has been re-released on EMI's The Gold Collection (52957) and retitled ORIGINAL DEBUT ALBUM. Generation X: Bob Andrews (vocals, guitars); Tony James (vocals, bass); Mark Laff (vocals, drums); Billy Idol (vocals). Recorded at TW Studios, Fulham, England. Originally released on Chrysalis (1169) under the title GENERATION X. Generation X: Bob Andrews (vocals, guitars); Tony James (vocals, bass); Mark Laff (vocals, drums); Billy Idol (vocals). Recorded at TW Studios, Fulham, England. Let's see, superior track sequence...check. One less vapid Billy Idol song...check. It looks like the U.K. edition of Generation X's debut album is just that little bit better than the American release, even if it's just because of a few small things. First of all, Idol's sometimes painful lyrics hadn't developed into the finely tuned commercial phrasing that he would develop, so the less he sings the better off the listener is. So leaving off "Wild Dub" was a good idea, no question. And guitarist Steve James ruled from moment one, so his poppy punk licks are not only a huge bonus, but have a more timeless sound than much of the British punk music surrounding them. Putting the superior "Invisible Man" and "Kiss Me Deadly" toward the end also helps the album build and leaves the listener feeling satisfied. And if nothing else, "One Hundred Punks" is a mind-blowing three minutes of perfect punk-pop that paved the way for countless other bands to make harmless punk rock. So in a way, you can also blame these guys for the decline in the genre's lyrical content through the years. But punk bands rarely followed through on their political boasts anyway; Generation X just happened to avoid that aspect of the genre altogether. With a handful of great melodies and a guitarist who could go for miles, Generation X is a minor classic that looks and sounds like typical British punk rock, but really comes closer to what the Southern California scene was doing in the mid-'90s than people might realize. ~ Bradley Torreano

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 4/26/2019