wild gift

X came back faster, harder, and stronger with this tightly wrapped package of punked out rockabilly, blues, pop, latin grooves, surf rock, and hardcore. Many of the songs on 'Wild Gift' were written earlier and were part of their live set for years; so that when they got in the studio to record them they were well-rehearsed. John Doe and Exene Cervenka trade off vocals with cheeky humor and gritty howls while Billy Zoom's guitar licks and DJ Bonebrake's drumming make everything swing through thirteen tales of love, lust, desperation, and dedication in just thirty three minutes. The album sold very well for an indie release, leading to a major label deal, and was named 'Album of the Year' by Rolling Stone.





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The punk classic 'We're Desperate' was originally the B-side to their first single on Dangerhouse Records in 1978 before they made the move to Slash Records. This live version is from the Penelope Spheeris documentary 'Decline of Western Civilization' about the Los Angeles punk scene.

"I play too hard when I ought to go to sleep

They pick on me because I really got the beat

Some people give me the creeps"

'White Girl' is allegedly about John Doe's affair with Germs bassist Lorna Doom.

"I'll replace your drunk old man

Sit in the parking lot and hold your hand"

The tale of marital strife 'Beyond and Back' got its title from a bible tract.

"I'll go somewhere else

I'll move to the couch

It's darker in the dark

It's darker in the day"

'The Once Over Twice' deals with bitterness over sexual mindgames with a singer from another band.

"I died a thousand times

Maybe you don't but I do

Got a hole in my heart

Size of my heart"

'Wild Gift'
full album:





All tracks written by John Doe and Exene Cervenka.


Side one
"The Once Over Twice" – 2:31
"We're Desperate" – 2:00
"Adult Books" – 3:19
"Universal Corner" – 4:33
"I'm Coming Over" – 1:14
"It's Who You Know" – 2:17
Side two
"In This House That I Call Home" – 3:34
"Some Other Time" – 2:17
"White Girl" – 3:27
"Beyond and Back" – 2:49
"Back 2 the Base" – 1:33
"When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch" – 1:57
"Year 1" – 1:18