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Mar 11, 2012 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

Re-issued for the 25^th anniversary of its initial release in 1986, X’s The Unheard Music is an inside look at the seminal L.A. punk band. Live performance clips are set alongside interviews, black-and-white historical clips, and various informative oddities, like Billy Zoom playing the clarinet or John Doe showing off the brown X the band got from an old Ex-Lax building that was being demolished. The Unheard Music is a unique and uniquely personal DIY documentary of a band that embodied such an important scene. The history runs from the band’s beginnings through its fourth album, 1983’s More Fun in the New World. The early live performances sound like punk rock slam dancing with Chuck Berry, and X’s signing to major label Elektra is presented as a piss take at the band’s rising success, with video of records being pressed interspersed with images of eggs being sorted on conveyor belts and a clip of a record executive saying he doesn’t hear a Top 40 hit. The DVD is augmented by new interviews with Doe and Exene Cervenka, which provide historical context and fond remembrance that perfectly rounds out the work. If you haven’t seen The Unheard Music, now’s the time. (xtheband.com)

Author rating: 7/10