X-Ray Spex – Obsessed With You (The Early Years)

X-Ray Spex – Obsessed With You (The Early Years) is an essential archival release documenting the formative demo recordings that would evolve into the band’s landmark debut Germ Free Adolescents. Captured in 1977 and now reissued with updated notes from Paul Dean and Lora Logic, this collection offers a rare and unfiltered view of one of punk’s most original, confrontational and influential groups.

These recordings reveal just how fully formed X-Ray Spex already were in their earliest phase. Poly Styrene’s unmistakable vocal presence sounds even more raw and immediate here, charged with urgency, humour and defiance. Early versions of key songs such as Oh Bondage, Up Yours!, I Am A Cliché and Germ Free Adolescence capture the instinctive power of the band before studio refinement, while also hinting at experimental possibilities they might have explored further.

The presence of original saxophonist Lora Logic is central to the release, adding sharp melodic tension and helping define the band’s singular sound. There are moments of abrasive punk energy, but also flashes of electronic colour and art-school imagination that underline why X-Ray Spex remain such a touchstone for later generations of alternative and feminist music.

Presented in limited ‘Day-Glo’ coloured vinyl editions with artwork based on original Poly Styrene designs, Obsessed With You (The Early Years) is a major document of late-70s UK punk and an important collector’s piece for anyone interested in the roots of post-punk, DIY culture and riotous, intelligent songwriting.