Live in Los Angeles
Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the release of X's blistering debut,Los Angeles, this 21 song live set shows the quartet to be as undiminished a force as ever. Sticking to fan favorites (their few stabs at chart success came after their initial burst and, having not aged as well, are passed over here), all of the essential elements are in place: D.J. Bonebrake's pile-driving wallop, Billy Zoom's nuclear rockabilly guitar, and John Doe and Exene Cervenka's tandem vocals. Now with all members blowing out candles on either side of the fifty year mark, it's remarkable that they sound as incendiary as they did in their twenties. They've not done anything to equal their first four albums, but it's a potent legacy worth celebrating.--David Greenberger