Generation X was an English rock band sprung from the first wave of UK punk, noted for the songs “Your Generation,” “Ready Steady Go,” “King Rocker,” and the original “Dancing With Myself.” They released the 1978–81 albums Generation X, Valley of the Dolls, and Kiss Me Deadly. Singer Billy Idol became an Eighties rock icon.

Members: Billy Idol (vocals), Tony James (bass), John Towe (drums, 1976-77), Bob Andrews [aka Derwood Andrews] (guitar, 1976-80), Mark Laff (drums, 1977-80), Terry Chimes (drums, 1980-81), James Stevenson (guitar, 1980-81)

Background

Generation X took root in a musical partnership between singer William Broad and bassist Tony James, who met in the summer of 1976 through a network centered around the Sex Pistols and their management.

James played briefly in the rehearsal act London S.S. along with future Clash guitarist Mick Jones and eventual Damned members Brian James and Rat Scabies. Broad was part of the Bromley Contingent, an early group of Pistols followers that also included future Siouxsie and the Banshees members Janet Ballion (aka Siouxsie Sioux) and Steven Bailey (later “Havoc” and ultimately “Severin.”)

With Broad on guitar and James on bass, the two formed Chelsea with drummer John Towe and vocalist Gene October, a leather model for Acme Attractions, the upstreet rival of SEX, the King’s Road S&M/punk boutique run by Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. After a series of gigs in the fall of 1976 — including an opening slot at the infamous COUM Transmissions event under the moniker “LSD” — October quit over a personality clash with Broad. October retained the name Chelsea for his subsequent band.

Broad and James renamed their band Generation X, a term Broad took from a 1964 book on British youth culture by journalists Jane Deverson and Charles Hamblett. Broad became the singer under his new stagename, Billy Idol. They hired guitarist Bob ‘Derwood’ Andrews (then 17), who Idol spotted in the Fulham metal band Paradox. Andrews cited guitarists Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Paul Kossoff (Free), and Rory Gallagher as influences.

Generation X made their live debut on December 14, 1976: the opening night of the Roxy Club in Convent Garden. In the coming months, this served as the breeding ground for London’s upstart rockers.

1977

On April 12, 1977, Generation X cut their first session for BBC Radio One DJ John Peel, whose 4/20 broadcast aired rough takes of two eventual single sides (“Your Generation,” “Day By Day”) and two cuts earmarked for their first album (“Youth Youth Youth,” “Listen!”). They drafted Subway Sect drummer Mark Laff (then 18) to replace John Towe, who surfaced in Alternative TV.

In July 1977, Generation X signed with Chrysalis, a label established in the late-sixties with an array of legacy rock and folk acts (Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Ten Years After, Procol Harum, Steeleye Span, Robin Trower) and a growing list of newer acts (The Babys, Blondie, Split Enz). They first cut an acetate of the live staple “Your Generation,” backed with “Change Our World,” both Idol/James co-writes.

On July 12, they entered the BBC’s Maida Vale studio, where producer Jeff Griffin taped their second Peel session for the DJ’s 7/21 broadcast, which aired one future album track (“From the Heart”), an eventual b-side (“No No No”), an exclusive Gary Glitter cover (“Rock On”), and the John Lennon cover “Gimme Some Truth,” a clarion call originated on the ex-Beatles‘ 1971 second solo album, Imagine.

“Your Generation”

On September 2, 1977, Generation X released “Your Generation,” a brisk lampoon of the 1965 mod anthem “My Generation” by The Who.

A. “Your Generation” (3:14)
B. “Day By Day” (2:05)

Generation X cut the single with Phil Wainman, a onetime Yardbirds soundman who produced recent sides for Sweet and the Bay City Rollers. UK copies appeared in a sleeve by Hawkwind illustrator Barney Bubbles, who designed a red/white/black set of letters and shapes that spell “GENERATION X 45” in the style of 1910s Russian Constructivism.

Generation X mimed “Your Generation” amid glowing arches and light rings for the September 15 broadcast of the BBC music program Top of the Pops, which also featured in-studio numbers by Dr. Feelgood (“She’s a Wind Up”), Elkie Brooks (“Sunshine After The Rain”), and videos by Patsy Gallant (“From New York to L.A.”), Yvonne Elliman (“I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind”), and Starsky & Hutch actor David Soul (“Silver Lady”). The band sported drainpipe trousers and rip-sleeve shirts emblazoned with blocks and targets for their appearance, where Idol sported his now-trademark platinum spiky hairdo.

One week before their TotP appearance, Generation X performed “Your Generation” for Marc, a summer ’77 ITV series hosted by T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan. Their segment appeared in the sixth and final episode, aired on September 28, twelve days after Bolan’s death in a roadside accident.

“Wild Youth”

On November 18, Generation X released “Wild Youth,” a mid-tempo rocker in the T. Rex vein backed with a dub version.

A. “Wild Youth” (2:52)

Wainman produced “Wild Youth,” which appeared in a sleeve with treated photos of each member by Peter Kodick, also credited on 1977 sleeves for Chelsea, Penetration, Screwdriver, The Rings, and the first Damned album. A brief misspress replaced “Wild Dub” with “No, No, No,” a subsequent b-side.

Idol sported neck-to-toe leather and a frazzled mane for their December 8 TotP appearance, where Generation X mimed “Wild Youth” amid slanted red-lit cross beams, followed with in-studio numbers by The Banned (“Little Girl”), Bonnie Tyler (“It’s a Heartache”), Graham Parker & The Rumour (“New York Shuffle”), Hot Chocolate (“Put Your Love In Me”), and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (“California”).

In late autumn, Generation X recorded their first album at TW Studios, Fulham, with producer Martin Rushent, a soundman on early Seventies classics by Curved Air, Gentle Giant, Groundhogs, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and recent titles by Danny Kirwan, David Essex, Roderick Falconer, The Strangers, and Zzebra.

1978

Generation X

Generation X released their self-titled debut album on March 17, 1978, on Chrysalis. The original UK release features eleven originals by Billy Idol and Tony James.

Musically, Generation X ranges from the brash angularity of “From the Heart” and “One Hundred Punks” to the expressionistic abandon of “Youth Youth Youth,” where Bob Andrews flexes his McPhee-esque chops over a lengthy post-vocal playout.

Elsewhere, they show harmonized cohesion on the Beat-inflected “Ready Steady Go.” The album’s two epics — the long-unfolding “Promises Promises” and the explosion/crescendo-laden “Kiss Me Deadly” — exhibit James’ ambitious songcraft and Idol’s narrative storytelling.

A1. “From the Heart” (2:08)
A2. “One Hundred Punks” (3:08)
A3. “Listen” (3:24)
A4. “Ready Steady Go” (2:58) is named after a British Beat music series that aired from August 1963 to December 1966 on ITV.
A5. “Kleenex” (2:06)
A6. “Promises Promises” (5:18)

B1. “Day by Day” (2:05)
B2. “The Invisible Man” (2:56)
B3. “Kiss Me Deadly” (4:24) lifts its title from a 1952 book by American crime novelist Mickey Spillane; the sixth installment in his Mike Hammer detective pulp series (adopted into a 1955 noir film starring Ralph Meeker).
B4. “Too Personal” (2:17)
B5. “Youth Youth Youth” (6:07)

Sessions occurred in November/December 1977 at TW with Rushent, who produced Generation X and the Buzzcocks‘ debut (Another Music In a Different Kitchen) between the second and third Stranglers albums, No More Heroes and Black and White.

Rattus Norvegicus soundman Alan Winstanley engineered Generation X in tandem with the first 999 album.

At TW, Generation X filmed an in-studio video of “Kiss Me Deadly” that appears in D.O.A.: A Right of Passage, a 1981 punk docu-film that chronicles the Sex Pistols’ January 1978 US tour.

Generation X sports an angled group shot by Gered Mankowitz, a veteran rock photojournalist with credits on Sixties albums by the Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Spooky Tooth, Traffic, and recent titles by Dirty Tricks, Easy Street, The Jam, Mr. Big, Pat Travers, Sad Cafe, Slade, and Ultravox.

Chrysalis promoted the album with “Ready Steady Go,” released as a February single with “No No No,” a non-album TW outtake.

B. “No No No”

Generation X mimed “Ready Steady Go” for the March 9, 1978, TotP broadcast, which also featured in-studio numbers by The Jam (“News of the World”), Tina Charles (“I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me”), and a re-airing of the debut Kate Bush single “Wuthering Heights,” which reached No. 1 that week.

Generation X reached No. 29 on the UK Albums Chart.

In the US, Chrysalis issued the album in April 1978 with a revised tracklist that drops three tracks (“Listen,” “The Invisible Man,” “Too Personal”) for the single sides “Your Generation,” “Wild Youth,” “Wild Dub,” and the BBC Lennon cover “Gimme Some Truth.” Idol promoted the US release with a two-week press tour. On May, he performed at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco with local punks The Offs.

In late November 1978, Generation X embarked on a five-date UK tour with newcomers The Cure. They ended the month at the Great British Music Festival, a three-day weekend event at Wembley Stadium with sets by Bandit, Chris Rea, Frankie Miller, John Miles, Lindisfarne, The Movies, and The Real Thing. Generation X performed on Day One (Friday the 29th), which also featured Slade, The Jam, The Pirates, The Dickies, punk poet Patrik Fitzgerald, and future Gillan guitarist Bernie Tormé.

1979

On January 15, 1979, Generation X cut their first third Peel session for the DJ’s 1/29 broadcast, which aired Maida Vale renditions of four songs from their second album: “Paradise West,” “Love Like Fire,” “Night of the Cadillacs,” and “English Dream.” The air date coincided with the album’s release.

Valley of the Dolls

Generation X released their second album, Valley of the Dolls, on January 29, 1979, on Chrysalis. It features ten originals by Billy Idol and Tony James, including the hit title-track and their Top 20 lead single, “King Rocker.” This is the second of two albums by the classic lineup with guitarist Bob Andrews and drummer Mark Laff.

On Valley of the Dolls, Generation X embraced a polished studio sound with producer Ian Hunter, the onetime frontman of Mott the Hoople, a key influence. Andrews co-wrote the opening track, “Running with the Boss Sound.” Side B concludes with the two-part epic “The Prime of Kenny Silvers.”

Musically, Valley of the Dolls reconciles their pre-punk roots in Fifties rockabilly, Sixties Beat, and Seventies hard rock. The album’s title comes from a 1966 dramatic best-seller by actress/novelist Jacqueline Susann.

1. “Running with the Boss Sound” (5:03)
2. “Night of the Cadillacs” (3:20)
3. “Paradise West” (5:28)
4. “Fridays Angels” (3:19)
5. “King Rocker” (2:16)

1. “Valley of the Dolls” (3:34)
2. “English Dream” (4:57)
3. “Love Like Fire” (3:02)
4. “The Prime of Kenny Silvers (Part One)” (3:55)
5. “The Prime of Kenny Silvers (Part Two)” (3:22)

Chrysalis previewed the album with “King Rocker,” released as a single on January 5 with the Lennon cover “Gimme Some Truth.”

Generation X mimed “King Rocker” for that week’s broadcast of TotP, which thrice aired the song amid winter hits by Driver 67 (“Car 67”), Elton John (“Song for Guy”), Lene Lovich (“Lucky Number”), The Members (“The Sound of the Suburbs”), Nazareth (“May the Sun Shine”), Pointer Sisters (“Everybody Is a Star”), The Pretenders (“Stop Your Sobbing”), Sally Oldfield (“Mirrors”), Skids (“Into the Valley”), and Three Degrees (“Woman In Love”).

“King Rocker” reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart. UK copies came in four different picture sleeves, one for each member as the font subject, each with a different vinyl color: red (Idol), pink (James), orange (Andrews), and yellow (Laff).

Sessions took place in North London at Wessex Sound Studios, where Hunter produced Valley of the Dolls in sequence with the unreleased third Mr. Big album, the second David Werner album, and the debut by early Meat Loaf sidewoman Ellen Foley. Hunter enlisted Aviator drummer Clive Bunker (an original member of Chrysalis labelmates Jethro Tull) as a supplement for Laff.

Wessex staffer Gary Edwards engineered Valley amid work with Fischer-Z, Rainbow, Clive Langer & The Boxes, and ex-Moon frontman Noel McCalla.

Chrysalis visual art director Peter Wagg oversaw the Valley of the Dolls album cover, which shows a Generation X poster on the open door to a room where a lingerie-clad woman lies unconscious. The album’s working title was Intercourse (Old Meets New).

In late March, they lifted “Valley of the Dolls” as the second single backed with “Shakin’ All Over,” a non-album cover of the UK 1960 hit by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates (popularized in the US by a 1965 cover by Canadian rockers The Guess Who).

Idol donned a white button-up (popped collar), vest and slacks for the April 5 TotP, where Generation X mimed amid green-lit V fixtures in a lineup that included Chic (“I Want Your Love”), The Jam (“Strange Town”), M (“Pop Muzik”), and Squeeze (“Cool For Cats”). They mimed “Valley of the Dolls” a second time amid flashing lights and jagged red fiberglass for the April 26 TotP, which also featured in-studios by Eruption (“One Way Ticket”), The Monks (“Nice Legs Shame About Her Face”), and videos by Siouxsie & The Banshees (“The Staircase (Mystery)”) and Supertramp (“The Logical Song”).

“Valley of the Dolls” reached No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

In mid-June, Chrysalis lifted “Fridays Angels” as the third single, backed with two outtakes from the 1977 TW sessions: “Trying for Kicks” and “This Heat.” The single appeared on red vinyl (paper label) and black (injection-mold label). Meanwhile, Generation X embarked on a four-date tour of Japan.

B1. “Trying for Kicks”
B2. “This Heat”

Sweet Revenge Sessions

In mid-1979, Generation X demoed material for a third album at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. They recorded ten new Idol/James originals, including the first version of “Dancing with Myself,” a dance rocker inspired by their visit to a Tokyo nightclub where patrons danced before their own reflections in the mirror walls.

1. “Dancing with Myself” (4:56)
2. “Modern Boys” (3:23)
3. “Stars Look Down” (4:33)
4. “Triumph” (5:09)
5. “Girls Girls Girls” (3:03)
6. “Anna Smiles” (2:28)
7. “Flash as Hell” (2:33)
8. “Psycho Beat” (3:35)
9. “Cathy Come Home” (3:49) takes its title from a 1966 BBC television play about a homeless young mother, which also inspired a title-sake 1967 single by Aussie beatsters The Twilights.
10. “Revenge” (5:17)
11. “Dancing with My Wealth” (5:38)

The Sweet Revenge sessions escalated tensions between the songwriting team and Bob Andrews, whose newfound post-punk leanings fell at odds with the band’s rock-based stance. Moreover, Billy Idol and Tony James rejected Andrews’ songwriting efforts. Meanwhile, Mark Laff felt slighted by Bunker’s presence during the Valley sessions.

In late November, Generation X played their final round of UK shows, including an 11/24 Liverpool date at Eric’s Club, the epicenter of the Merseyside renaissance (Echo & The Bunnymen, Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark, Teardrop Explodes, Wah! Heat).

Andrews and Laff formed Empire, a post-punk trio that made the 1981 indie album Expensive Sound. With Generation X in stasis, Sweet Revenge remained vaulted until its 1998 bootleg release on Empty Records.

1980

By March 1980, Billy Idol and Tony James secured a new drummer, Terry Chimes, and the management services of Bill Aucoin, the businessman behind American rockers Kiss. Chimes played in the original Clash lineup (credited on their first album as Tory Crimes) and drummed recently for Cowboys International, a synthpop band led by new wave journeyman Ken Lockie.

Idol shortened the band’s name to Gen X and further cultivated his neo-Fifties rock crooner stance, influenced by the colorful figures groomed by early UK rock Svengali Larry Parnes, who managed the pre-Beatles teen sensations Billy Fury, Dickie Pride, Duffy Power, Marty Wilde, Tommy Steele, and Vince Eager. Aucoin took early note of Idol’s solo star potential. (Aucoin’s concurrent client, American rocker Billy Squier, recently went solo after two albums as the frontman of Piper.)

Gen X commenced sessions with ex-Rich Kids guitarist Steve New, who Idol and James favored as Andrews’ replacement until drug issues nixed the idea. Sessions continued with three additional guitarists: ex-Pistol Steve Jones, Magazine/Visage virtuoso John McGeoch, and journeyman Danny Kustow, a Tom Robinson Band alumnus who cut two 1980 singles with The Spectres, the post-Rich Kids vehicle of (original Pistols) bassist Glen Matlock.

“Dancing with Myself”

In October 1980, Gen X released “Dancing with Myself,” an advance single from their upcoming album backed with “Ugly Rash,” an Idol/James exclusive substituted on the 12″ with “Loopy Dub” and “Ugly Dub,” both third=credited to Chimes.

A. “Dancing with Myself” (3:30)
B. “Ugly Rash” (4:30)

B1. “Loopy Dub” (5:08)
B2. “Ugly Dub” (3:05)

Chrysalis first issued “Dancing with Myself” in a controversial sleeve with a young school girl pictured before the tinted green-screen image of a leering Idol. In mid-January 1981, Chrysalis repacked the single as 4, a clear-vinyl maxi-7″ with “Dancing with Myself” and another upcoming album track (“Untouchables”), plus the earlier “King Rocker” and the 1977 Maida Vale rarity “Rock On,” a 1972 album track by Gary Glitter. The 12″ contains an extended “Dancing With Myself” (6:05).

“Dancing with Myself” was produced by Keith Forsey, a veteran British session drummer with ties to the early Seventies Krautrock scene (Amon Duul II, Niagara, Ralf Nowy) and recent credits in the Munich disco auspices of Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellote (Boney M, Claudja Barry, Donna Summer, Roberta Kelly).

1981

Kiss Me Deadly

Gen X released their third album, Kiss Me Deadly, on January 23, 1981, on Chrysalis. The title comes from the 1978 Generation X song (itself lifted from a 1952 Mike Hammer novel).

Kiss Me Deadly contains the pre-released “Dancing with Myself” and five additional Idol/James originals, including “Poison” and the re-recorded Sweet Revenge songs “Revenge” and “Stars Look Down.” Terry Chimes co-wrote the closing track, “Oh Mother.” Billy Idol submitted three solo compositions: “Heavens Inside” “Triumph” and the recent b-side “Untouchables.”

Gen X recorded the first two songs with dual guitar-work by Steve Jones and Steve New. (Danny Kustow added extra layers to “Dancing with Myself.”) John McGoech played guitar on the remaining tracks, all recorded as he left Magazine for Siouxsie & The Banshees. After sessions wrapped, Gen X hired ex-Chelsea guitarist James Stevenson, who appears on the cover despite his absence from the recording.

A1. “Dancing with Myself” (3:45)
A2. “Untouchables” (3:37)
A3. “Happy People” (4:28)
A4. “Heavens Inside” (2:56)
A5. “Triumph” (3:24)

B1. “Revenge” (4:19)
B2. “Stars Look Down” (4:39)
B3. “What Do You Want” (4:04)
B4. “Poison” (2:59)
B5. “Oh Mother” (3:33)

Sessions occurred through 1980 at AIR Studios, London, with Keith Forsey and staff engineer Nigel Walker, a recent Japan and UFO soundman. Idol bonded musically with Forsey, whose slickness alienated James.

Kiss Me Deadly and the corresponding 4 EP feature tinted two-tone photographs by Brian Aris, whose imagery also appears on 1980/81 sleeves for Dramatis, Duran Duran, Human League, Judie Tzuke, Sheena Easton, and Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry.

Gen X folded in February 1981, weeks after Kiss Me Deadly hit shelves.

Discography: