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Beyond and Back: The X Anthology
Punk · 1997 · 47 tracks

Beyond and Back: The X Anthology

X

A sprawling 47-track journey through the dark heart of LA punk, blending jagged rockabilly rhythms with Exene and John Doe’s haunting, off-kilter vocal harmonies.

October 28, 1997 · Injection Records

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Beyond and Back: The X Anthology is a visceral, comprehensive map of the most important band to ever emerge from the Los Angeles punk scene. It captures a specific kind of West Coast noir: a sound that is equal parts Raymond Chandler and The Ramones. The album’s brilliance lies in its duality, pairing the aggressive, serrated edge of Billy Zoom’s guitar work with the strangely beautiful, often dissonant vocal harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka. It feels like a midnight drive through a city that is both beautiful and terrifying.

Tracklist · 47 Tracks
01
The New World
3:38
01
Los Angeles
2:23
02
The World's a Mess; It's in My Kiss
3:54
02
Breathless
2:17
03
Poor Girl
2:54
03
Yr Ignition
2:58
04
Year One
1:18
04
What's Wrong with Me
3:44
05
Hungry Wolf
3:49
05
How I (Learned My Lesson)
2:21
06
The Have Nots
4:46
06
We're Desperate
2:00
07
Beyond & Back
2:45
07
Someone Like You
3:04
08
The Stage
3:57
08
Back 2 the Base
1:30
09
See How We Are
3:32
09
Blue Spark
2:12
10
Surprise Surprise
2:52
10
Some Other Time
2:23
11
4th of July
3:19
11
Sex and Dying in High Society
2:18
12
Arms For Hostages/Country at War
1:54
12
Motel Room in My Bed
2:42
13
Wild Thing
3:32
13
Heater
2:33
14
The Once over Twice
2:54
14
Burning House of Love
3:44
15
Because I Do
2:25
15
Devil Doll
3:13
16
True Love
2:15
16
In This House That I Call Home
3:36
17
Call of the Wreckin' Ball
2:56
17
Soul Kitchen
2:34
18
In The Time It Takes
3:07
18
Universal Corner
4:09
19
I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts
5:38
19
Delta 88
1:26
20
Hungry Wolf (instrumental)
3:47
20
Real Child of Hell
3:00
21
I'm Coming Over
1:22
22
White Girl
3:28
23
Nausea
3:05
24
Johny Hit and Run Paulene
2:57
25
Your Phone’s off the Hook, but You’re Not
2:26
26
Riding with Mary
4:00
27
Nausea (Spoken Word - End of Show Recording)
2:00
Moments Worth Listening For
the moment the live version of Nausea captures the chaotic energy of a 1980 basement show
hearing the stripped-back demo of Adult Books reveal the song's melodic skeleton
the seamless transition between the frantic punk of Los Angeles and the country-tinged White Girl
the way the unreleased demo of Blue Spark highlights the eerie vocal blend of Doe and Cervenka
Reviews
AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Beyond and Back: The X Anthology sound next to the rest of X's catalogue?

Harmonies+1.2σ

The vocals lean notably further into harmonies than the rest of the catalogue.

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