X-Ray Spex were an English punk band from London that formed in 1976. During their first incarnation (1976–79), X-Ray Spex only managed to release five singles and one album. Nevertheless, their first single, "Oh Bondage Up Yours!", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and the album, Germfree Adolescents, is widely acclaimed as a classic album of the punk rock genre. After Poly Styrene (Mari Elliot), the lead singer of the band left in 1979, they renamed themselves Classix Nouveaux with a new singer named Sal Solo and the group radically changed their musical style to a synth pop sound. Classix Nouveaux became fairly successful in many countries, playing to crowds of up to 25,000 people. Their final appearances came in 1985 after which they split up, with Sal Solo going on to start a solo career. In 1991 X-Ray Spex re-formed for a short while and then again in 1995 with performances every now and then until 2011 when Poly Styrene died of cancer at the age of 53.
Links To Peel[]
In 1977 Peel ranked "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" as one of his favourite tracks of the year in his personal 1977 Festive Fifty. The group later did two sessions for Peel's show in 1978; the first was recorded before the band released their second single.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1977 Festive Fifty: Oh Bondage Up Yours! #38
Sessions[]
Available on Let's Submerge: The Anthology 2xCD, 2006 (Sanctuary, 02182-36271-2). In 2022, the first session placed #42 in a Guardian list of the 100 Greatest BBC Music Performances, marking the centenary of the BBC.[1]
1. Recorded: 1978-02-20. Broadcast: 06 March 1978. Repeated: 21 March 1978, 09 May 1978, 27 December 1978, 11 August 1980
- Genetic Engineering / Artificial / I Am A Poser / Identity
2. Recorded: 1978-11-06. Broadcast: 13 November 1978. Repeated: 27 November 1978, 31 January 1979.
- Germ Free Adolescents / Warrior / Age
Other Shows Played[]
- 1977
X-Ray Spex - Oh Bondage! Up Yours!-1
Oh Bondage, Up Yours!, #38 in the 1977 Festive Fifty
- 30 September 1977: Oh Bondage Up Yours! (7") Virgin VS 189
- 07 October 1977: Oh Bondage Up Yours! (7") Virgin VS 189
- 28 October 1977: Oh Bondage Up Yours! (7") Virgin VS 189
- 23 December 1977: Oh Bondage Up Yours! (7") Virgin VS 189 FF #38
- 1978
- 06 April 1978: The Day the World Turned Day-Glo (7") EMI International INT 553
- 11 April 1978: I Am A Poser
- 05 May 1978: The Day The World Turned Day-glo (7") EMI International INT 553
- 07 July 1978: Identity (7") (Virgin)
- 17 August 1978: The Day the World Turned Day-Glo (7") EMI International INT 553 (Ripped & Torn Chart #08)
- 21 November 1978: Let's Submerge (LP - Germ Free Adolescents) EMI
- 29 November 1978: Oh Bondage Up Yours! (single) Virgin
- 04 December 1978: Germ Free Adolescents (7") EMI
- 11 December 1978: Germ Free Adolescents (7") EMI INT 573
- 1979
- 25 April 1979: Highly Inflammable (7") EMI International
- 16 August 1979: Oh Bondage! Up Yours (single) Virgin
- 1980
- 09 September 1980: Oh Bondage! Up Yours (unknown EMI Compilation album)
- 1981
- 23 April 1981 (BFBS): Oh Bondage! Up Yours
- 1982
- 14 November 1982 (BFBS): The Day The World Turned Day-Glo
- 22 May 1983 (BFBS): Oh Bondage Up Yours! (7") Virgin VS 189
- 1988
- 11 July 1988: Identity (LP - Germfree Adolescents) EMI
- 1989
- 04 November 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 122 (BFBS)): 'Genetic Engineering (LP-Germfree Adolescents)' (EMI) (JP: 'Never did understand how she [Poly Styrene] got tied up with the Hare Krishna lot: I live in mortal fear of having a religious experience meself, I have to confess.')
- Others
- Punk Fiction: Oh Bondage, Up Yours!