Before I get to the next studio album in the Billy Idol series, I thought I would throw in a bonus Generation X Bootleg album out of Italy. This 2LP Set is called the BBC Transcription Disc Series No. 126 – 1978. It is live show from December 8th, 1978 out of Sheffield, England. It is an unofficial release so therefore, a bootleg. And it is fantastic.
I was in New York at this great little record store in Greenwich Village and came across this disc. I was talking with the clerk asking about any Generation X on vinyl and he told me I needed this one and man he was right.
Generation X was criticized on their studio albums for trying to be more commercial than Punk. Well, the live album shows they were a real Punk band. I find this live show to really show off what this band was all about. You can hear the attitude in the guitar playing and the drumming. And of course, Billy’s snarling and attitude is pure punk with a big FU to everyone.
I have to say I think I like the live stuff better than the studio albums. It has more heart and although it is rough around the edges, that is also the charm to it all. Songs that I thought were just okay on the records, stand out here. I really enjoyed “English Dream”, “Night of the Cadillacs” and “Paradise West” more here than the albums.
They played a bunch of their popular songs like “King Rocker”, “Kiss Me Deadly”, “Day by Day” and “100 Punks” all with more energy and more style. A real big standout was the Rock medley at the end of Side Four. It contained the songs “Say Mama” (Gene Vincent), “Can’t Explain” (The Who), “Little Bit of Love” (Free), “Wishing Well” (Free) and “Let There Be Rock” (AC/DC) and shows they can kick some ass live.
Set List:
- “Ready Steady Go” opener into “From the Heart”
- “English Dream”
- “Night of the Cadillacs”
- “Paradise West”
- “No-No-No”
- “Love Like Fire”
- “King Rocker”
- “Kiss Me Deadly”
- “Promises, Promises”
- “Day by Day”
- “100 Punks/Kleenex” (Medley)
- “Your Generation”
- “Shaking All Over”
- “Rock & Roll Medley”
- “Listen”
I also love the colored vinyl. One disc is brown and the other is a translucent orange. There are versions with Red & Blue as well as a Green & Black one. I won’t be trying to get each, but there are few out there worth checking out.
If you get a chance to grab a copy it is worth picking up to get a part of punk history as Generation X were slap dab in the middle of the huge British Punk scene in the late 70’s. I would give this a 4.0 out 5.0 Stars for its attitude and the fact I enjoyed it more than their studio albums. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the band. Plus, it is great to hear Billy Idol perform before he was really famous and to see how far he has grown as a singer and performer. Really great stuff.
If you want to check out the other reviews I have done so far for the Billy Idol Series, click the links below:
- Generation X – ‘Generation X’
- Generation X – ‘Valley of the Dolls’
- Gen X – ‘Kiss Me Deadly’
- Generation X – ‘The BBC Transcription Disc Series No. 126 1978’
- Billy Idol – Don’t Stop E.P.
- Billy Idol – Billy Idol
- Billy Idol – Rebel Yell
- Billy Idol – Whiplash Smile
- Billy Idol – Vital Idol
- Billy Idol – Charmed Life
- Billy Idol – Cyberpunk
- Billy Idol – “Speed” (song from the Speed Soundtrack)
- Generation X – K.M.D. Sweet Revenge
- Billy Idol – VH1 Storytellers (Live)
- Billy Idol – Devil’s Playground
- Billy Idol – Happy Holidays
- Billy Idol – The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself
- Billy Idol – Kings & Queens of the Underground
- Billy Idol – BFI Live (#RSD 2019)
- Billy Idol – Revitalized
- Generation X – Your Generation (7″ Record Store Day Release)
- Billy Idol – The Albums Ranked From Worst to First
Up next will be Billy Idol’s ‘Don’t Stop’ E.P.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 
Cool looking vinyl yet again John!
You Sire are a true fan of these guys!
You going to see Idol/Stevens unplugged show…?
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More so of Billy, but after diving into them I am a fan now. It was fun going through the Gen X stuff and finding something I liked and didn’t know I would. Now on to Billy Idol reviews. Got one in the can already and working on another.
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Cool look forward to Rebel Yell!
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That one will be a month or so. Two before that one.
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And I would love to see that show. It isn’t coming to close to me. I thought about going to Vegas to see their show there.
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Ha…I meant to call you Sir not Sire! hahaha…early AM typing hahaha
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I forgot to say that Sire is what I prefer. Do not call me Sir…my Dad was Sir…I am Sire!!
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I saw @TheWiggles in concert 9 times
❤️ 💛 💜 💙
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Holy mackerel, in all these years I’ve never heard live Gen X! That’s a gorgeous set, and look at that cover! They’re babies! Hahaha, pure brilliant. I’m on it.
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They are babies. They were just teenagers at the time. Their albums unfortunately never truly captured who they were the way a live album did. I like them more now because of the live album.
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I love when this happens. You’ve stoked a new fire!
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Sometimes bootlegs are genuinely brilliant… the bands and labels miss a trick not releasing some of that stuff, eh? Sounds like the store guy gave you a good steer with this one!
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Yes, he did. I m ready to go back to New York and find some more.
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Always encouraging when it’s even better live!
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