Puneet Varma (Editor)

Wild Gift

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Released
  
May 1981

Artist
  
X

Label
  
Slash Records

Length
  
33:02

Release date
  
May 1981

Producer
  
Ray Manzarek

Wild Gift httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumb4

Recorded
  
March 1981, Clover Recorders, Los Angeles, Golden Sound Studios, Hollywood

Wild Gift (1981)
  
Under the Big Black Sun (1982)

Genres
  
Punk rock, Hardcore punk, Psychobilly

Similar
  
X albums, Punk rock albums

Wild Gift is the second album by the American punk rock band X, released in 1981. It was very well received critically, and was voted #2 for the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. In 2003, the album was ranked number 333 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Contents

In 1988, Slash released Los Angeles and Wild Gift jointly on a single CD. Wild Gift was remastered and reissued in 2001 by Rhino Records, with seven bonus tracks.

The track "White Girl" was sampled by The Red Hot Chili Peppers on their 1989 album Mother's Milk during the song "Good Time Boys". Ensuing lyrics mention John Doe specifically, "whose voice is made of gold".

X the once over twice


Critical reception

In a review published in his "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau gave Wild Gift a rare A+ rating, writing that "hippies couldn't understand jealousy because they believed in universal love; punks can't understand it because they believe sex is a doomed reflex of existentially discrete monads. As X-Catholics obsessed with a guilt they can't accept and committed to a subculture that gives them no peace, Exene and John Doe are prey to both misconceptions, and their struggle with them is thrilling and edifying...Who knows whether the insightful ministrations of their guitarist will prove as therapeutic for them as for you and me, but I say trust a bohemian bearing gifts. How often do we get a great love album and a great punk album in the same package?" Christgau later ranked the album third on his 'Personal Best' list for the 80's, the highest placing of any rock album.

When The Village Voice held their Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1981, Wild Gift was ranked at #2, behind Sandinista! by the Clash. It was listed at #334 in Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums list in 2003.

Track listing

All tracks written by John Doe and Exene Cervenka.

Side one

  1. "The Once Over Twice" – 2:31
  2. "We're Desperate" – 2:00
  3. "Adult Books" – 3:19
  4. "Universal Corner" – 4:33
  5. "I'm Coming Over" – 1:14
  6. "It's Who You Know" – 2:17

Side two

  1. "In This House That I Call Home" – 3:34
  2. "Some Other Time" – 2:17
  3. "White Girl" – 3:27
  4. "Beyond and Back" – 2:49
  5. "Back 2 the Base" – 1:33
  6. "When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch" – 1:57
  7. "Year 1" – 1:18

Bonus tracks (2001 reissue)

  1. "Beyond and Back" (Live) – 2:48
  2. "Blue Spark" (Demo) – 2:04
  3. "We're Desperate" (Single version) – 2:01
  4. "Back 2 the Base" (Live) – 1:40
  5. "Heater" (Rehearsal) (Doe) – 2:32
  6. "White Girl" (Single mix) – 3:29
  7. "The Once Over Twice" (Unissued single mix) – 2:35

Personnel

  • John Doe – bass, vocals
  • Exene – vocals
  • Billy Zoom – guitar
  • D.J. Bonebrake – drums
  • Charts

    Album

    Songs

    1The Once Over Twice2:31
    2We're Desperate2:00
    3Adult Books3:19

    References

    Wild Gift Wikipedia