Generation X is a British rock band formed in London , England in 1976 by former Chelsea members Billy Idol , Tony James and John Towie, and considered one of the leading bands in the first wave of British punk rock . The name Generation X was taken from the book by Jane Deverson, who talked about clashes between fashion and rockers in the 1960s [1] . The band released two studio albums and several singles, of which “King Rocker” (# 11, 1979) had the greatest success [2] .
| Generation x | |
|---|---|
| Genres | punk rock pop punk |
| Years | 1976-1981 |
| A country |  Great Britain |
| From where | London , England |
| Label | Chrysalis Records |
| Composition | Billy Idol Tony james Bob andrews John taui Mark Luff (1977–1980) Terry Chimes (1980–1981) James Stephenson (1980–1981) |
Content
Group History
The history of the Generation X group began in 1976, with the formation of the punk band Chelsea. After retiring from vocalist Gene Oktober, the group changed its name to Generation X - in honor of the title of Jane Deverson’s book “Generation X” (1965), which Billy Idall’s mother had [3] . Idol (previously only playing the guitar) took over vocal functions, and Bob Andrews (Bob "Derwood" Andrews) was invited to take the place of the guitarist, before that - a member of the Fulham band Paradox (where famous local musicians of that time played Gary Claydon and Chris McCulloch). Generation X played their first gig on December 21, 1976 at The Roxy , becoming the first band to perform here [3] .
Despite the fact that Billy Idol in his early texts quite convincingly painted the life of street punk, the group joined the “lightweight” (with the Buzzcocks at the head), without surprising anyone with its quick appearance in the program Top of the Pops . The inclusion of Lennon's “Gimme Some Truth” as the first track in the debut album and the invitation of Ian Hunter ( Mott the Hoople ) to collaborate in the second also indicated some neglect of the group by the basic code of punk behavior.
| In essence, from the very beginning we wanted to be the most ordinary rock band and openly express our feelings ... Not a political group like The Clash, and not a comic-theatrical like The Damned, but just an honest rock group that likes to be on scene.Billy Idol , Zigzag74, July 1977. [3] |
After the collapse of Generation X, Tony James formed the glam pop punk band Sigue Sigue Sputnik , Andrews and Luff joined the Empire, Billy Idol moved to New York , where he began a successful solo career, becoming the star of the 80s stadium rock. .
In October 2018, Idol and James together with Steve Jones and Paul Cook ( Sex Pistols ) gave a concert at the Roxy club, West Hollywood , under the name “Generation Sex” [4] .
Discography
Studio Albums
- Generation X , 1978
- Valley of the Dolls , 1979
- Sweet Revenge , 1998 (recorded in 1979)
Gen X
- Kiss Me Deadly , 1981
Singles
- Your Generation, 1977 (UK # 36)
- Wild Youth, 1977
- Ready Steady Go, 1978 (UK # 47)
- King Rocker, 1978 (UK # 11)
- Valley Of The Dolls, 1979 (UK # 23)
- Friday's Angels, 1979 (UK # 62)
- Dancing With Myself, 1980 (as Gen X, UK # 62)
Collections
- Perfect Hits 1975-81 , 1985
- Radio 1 Sessions , 2002
- Anthology , 2003
- BBC Live: One Hundred Punks , 2003
- Live , 2005
Notes
- ↑ Greg Prato. Generation X . www.allmusic.com. The date of circulation is November 7, 2009. Archived March 1, 2012.
- ↑ Generation X (English) . - www.chartstats.com. The date of circulation is November 7, 2009. Archived March 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Generation X (English) . - www.punk77.co.uk. The date of circulation is November 7, 2009. Archived March 1, 2012.
- ↑ Generation Sex: King Rockers and Silly Things at the Roxy , LA Weekly . The appeal date is January 1, 2019.