Generation X – In Concert at The Paris Theatre, London 1978 – BBC Radio 1 In Concert Series –
Generation X in concert. Starting just as Punk was getting started, Generation X was the first band to play the legendary Roxy Club – the legendary nightspot responsible for launching the careers of a number of Punk artists in the late 1970s. With three albums to their credit and a string of singles before they packed it in and called it a night, Generation X has come to be best remembered by many as the band that got Billy Idol started. Right after the demise of Generation X, Billy Idol emerged and became a household name as a solo artist – it also helped that MTV was just getting rolling in 1981 and Billy Idol became a mainstay.
This concert captures them early on – recorded at the BBC‘s Paris Theatre in London by Radio 1’s In Concert series in 1978. A lot of energy, but most of the vocals are painfully off-key. Not that it seemed to bother anybody at the time, but in retrospect and listening to it before posting it, had me climbing the walls. But that’s my problem.
At any rate. Generation X were a band just as much a part of the Punk Movement and just as visible as the others who made a mark for themselves during that frantic time. It’s interesting to compare them during this concert and how they evolved by the time they released Dancing With Myself in 1980 – the single that got huge airplay on KROQ in Los Angeles and pretty much established them over here. But even by 1980 the music was going through further changes and morphing into other things.
If you remember Generation X at the time, this concert may ring a few bells. If you missed them completely – they are part of history and you need to know about them.
Class dismissed.
