X / Los Angeles

Four decades after their inception, one thing is clear: X was not only one of the most influential bands to crash out of the punk movement of the late '70s, but the group's music continues to be sonically groundbreaking today. Songs written during the group's inception are as relevant and inventive today as they were in 1977. The band's early albums, Los Angeles, produced by Ray Manzarek of the Doors, Wild Gift, and Under the Big Black Sun explored dark love and an even darker L.A. with the unflinching eye of a Raymond Chandler novel. Subsequent efforts like More Fun in the New World found the band continuing to grow musically and politically, fearlessly mixing genres without ever losing it's center. "The quintessential L.A. punk band made the first great West Coast punk album with it's debut. Los Angeles is best known for it's city-defining anthem and the torrid "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene"; produced by Ray Manzarek of the Doors, it also shows that punk and classic rock can be occasional friends" - No. 287 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.