more X in the new world

I mentioned X in my last post so here we go:
This original german pressing of their 4th LP is one of three records I brought back home from my last trip to Hamburg where we went to see Quicksand and old friends. Good times. Good scores. Perfect!


X - more fun in the new world LP - 1983 Elektra ‎– 96-0283-1

X always were more on the rock side than their contemporaries.

Not surprisingly 'los angeles', having been released in 1980, was the most punk with rock influences getting stronger over the years. So you kinda know what to expect here. Then again it's right in-between 1982's "under the big black sun" which can still be considered a punk record and 1985's "ain't love grand" which is more of a rock type thing.
While both of those are good records I prefer the earlier and was hoping that "more fun..." tipped the scale in favor of that one. Guess what... it did.

This shouldn't be missing from any self respecting punk collection (or at least be on the want list).
If you have a soft spot for rock ('n'roll) that is. But I'd say you need that for anything X anyway so make sure to pick this up sooner or later.

Legal weapon of love

At the same time & place I picked up the Kris & Rita LP I picked up this german pressing:


Legal Weapon - life sentence of love LP - 1988 MCA Records 255 618-1

Their early material is full on, great hardcore punk but this one is a lot more on the rock side of things. I'd say it's just one way of a natural progression for any band that doesn't want to record the same song over and over. Which as you know I respect. I guess I would not have bought this release if it was just a bad replica of their first record.

Some people see 'strong rock influences' as a bad thing period. To me however it is not that one dimensional. Sure. Rock is also a pretty dirty word in my book as in 70s rock or blues rock but I consider Punk Rock pretty damn great so I like not to discard a record right away because it has strong rock influences. And in this case again I was right to do so. Of course it's nothing extraordinary but definitely worth taking home at the price I paid. It even reminds me of later X at times and that's never bad.

I'll definitely keep my eyes open for the rest of their later catalogue.

Kris & Rita

Here we have something most of you probably don't like at all. In fact I do only know one person besides me who is into 70s Country. Sure a lot of people claim to like Country but on further inspection it turns out they are into Johnny Cash's american recordings but don't know shit about anything else. Now those are great records but they are not exactly Country records. And then there are the real Country lovers who like the good old twangy, hillbilly type Country but even a lot of them, at least in my experience, don't care about the softer and more mellow 70s stuff. Admittedly it's not that easy to find good 70s Country records because, let's face it, most of it really does suck but there is the occasional raw diamond to be found hidden on full length albums I bought but wouldn't listen to in full again for money. Anyways...


Kris & Rita - breakaway LP - 1974 Monument ‎– MNT 80547

Kris Kristofferson is one of the best known representatives of 70s Country. Maybe because Travis Bickle aka the Taxi Driver liked his album 'the silver-tongued devil and I' so much. Of course I do own a copy of that record among others of his too.
I would love to see this guy perform live as he is still on the horse. Unfortunately it didn't work out yet. I guess I have to hurry.

Rita Coolidge on the other hand although also one the better known later Country recording artists could not place a single one of her own LPs in my collection. Not quite sure why. Maybe I should change that as she is doing a hell of a job together with Kris

The above pictured record is a UK first press of the 2nd album out of 3 they did together. I found it in a local comic book store that also has a used vinyl section. I hardly ever go there but on the same street is a great little vegan cafe that I was to meet my wife at after work and because I was early I went hunting. Glad I did. Glad I was. Especially because it completes this little collection. As you can see below.

There's just something about finding an original pressing of a record that is older than you yourself. Especially if it's in such good shape at 40 years of age. Thanks to whoever took good care of it before me. I'll treat it well until someone will come to pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Alright! All three LPs they did together pictured above.
Top Left is an original UK pressing of their first effort from 1974.
The one on the bottom is a copy of a UK repress of their last album together from sometime around 1986 probably that was originally released in 1978. I might have to track down an original pressing of that one too. Preferably a UK one.