Every now and then I see incorrect statements about Poly Styrene's career and I yearn to put them right. Statements that X-Ray Spex only made one album and that Poly only did two solo albums, both incorrect. So, for my own peace of mind, I'm laying down what I think is Poly's full discography - I'm sure I'll miss something out or not know of some musical foray some place - so please feel free to add to this post if you know of something I've missed.
Silly Billy/What A Way [Single 1976]
Poly's first single was under her own (shortened) name of Mari Elliott. 'Silly Billy' is a pop reggae song about a girl who falls pregnant by a lad called Billy Smith who vanishes to Kingston. "Billy you silly to mess with this filly" isn't one of Poly's best lyrics but I always like the inventiveness of using an unplanned pregnancy as the theme for her first foray into the music biz. 'What A Way' was the 'b' side of the single and it's laid back, almost jazzy Caribbean reggae sunshine sound reminds me of the sound of Poly's first solo album, 'Translucence'.
Little Mari Elliott then emerged later in 1976, fully formed as the magnificent Poly Styrene with her anthem, 'Oh Bondage Up Yours!'
Oh Bondage Up Yours/I Am A Cliche [Single 1977]
The first X-Ray Spex single screamed into our lives with the spoken introduction, "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, But I think OH BONDAGE UP YOURS! 1-2-3-4!" before the drums and guitar started and then the unique sax joined the fray. It still sounds young and frantic, challenging and full of energy. In one of her last interviews Poly commented that this is the song she'll probably be remembered for - her first in some ways - and that's true. But what a song!
The Day The World Turned Day-Glo/I Am A Poseur [Single 1978]
A threat and a promise, this was Poly in future-proofing mode, singing in 1978 about things we still haven't solved 35 years later. Consumerism, waste, the environment, greed - it's all in there in a powerful set of lyrics and thundering sound, dragging you along and into the song whether you want it or not. I loved seeing the Spex on 'Top Of The Pops' with this blasting out from the screen, Poly dressed to the nines.
It had that iconic day-glo world on the cover of the single. My copy of the single is on bright orange vinyl. What colour is yours?
Identity/Let's Submerge [Single 1978]
A great song about confused teenagers of any age, people modelling themselves on others and not being themselves. It's just as valid today with the celeb culture taking over the news and magazines. "When you look in the mirror do you see yourself? Do you see yourself on the TV screen?'.
Germ-Free Adolescents/Age [Single 1978]
A slower song for the Spex this time but still with a burning message about leaving humanity behind and becoming artificial through excessive use of cleanliness and beauty products. Be who you are. "Her phobia is infection, she needs one to survive."
Germ-Free Adolescents [Album 1978]
The three Spex singles all appear on the classic album, 'Germ-Free Adolescents'. This is the crowning glory of X-Ray Spex and certainly one of the top 50 best albums of all time in my view. It's been released various times, usually with an expanded track listing to include 'Oh Bondage' and 'I Am A Cliche' but the original track listing was:
Side1: 'Art-I-Ficial', 'Obsessed With You', 'Warrior In Woolworths', 'Let's Submerge', 'I Can't Do Anything' and 'Identity'.
Side 2: 'Genetic Engineering', 'I Live Off You', 'I Am A Poseur', 'Germ-Free Adolescents'', 'Plastic Bag' and 'The Day The World Turned Day-Glo'.
I know that's the right track listing because I've copied it from my original copy of the album. The edges of the cover may be a bit worn but it's from love, not neglect. Have I mentioned that this blog is named after Poly's song on side 2 of the record?
Highly Inflammable/Warrior In Woolworths [Single 1979]
The final single from the Spex, a mid-tempo song with the sax clearly in the lead with a staccato riff and with some early keyboard synth sounds in the background. This is a far cry from the savage sax and guitar of the early singles and makes me wonder where Poly and the Spex would've gone next if they'd stayed together.
Talk In Toytown/Sub Tropical [Single 1980]
The lead single from Poly's first solo album, 'Translucence'. It features early synth sounds with a sort of gentle reggae rhythm. Gossip isn't cool, kids.
Translucence [Album 1980]
This offers a very different sound for Poly, with gentle rhythms, calypso and reggae, jazzy in places. This is an album for lounging in the garden on a sunny Sunday afternoon rather than bouncing round the room in your day-glo socks. All new songs except for a re-recorded version of 'Age'.
The track listing is: 'Dreaming'. 'Talk In Toytown', Skydive', 'The Day That Time Forgot', 'Shades, 'Essence', 'Hip City Hip', 'Bicycle Song', 'Sub Tropical', 'Translucence'. 'Age' and 'Goodbye'.
Gods & Godesses [EP 1986] &
Trick Of The Witch/Paramatma [Single 1986]
A four-track 12" ep, with the first track also being released as a single. The songs are: 'Trick Of The Witch', 'Paramatma', 'Sacred Temple' and 'Big Boy Big Toy'. I love 'Trick Of The Witch' with it's hard chugging guitar, synths and killer beats - why wasn't it a hit? "It's just a trick of the witch, she flicks the on-off switch...".
Love (by The Dream Academy) [Single 1990]
This songs is by The Dream Academy, a cover of the John Lennon song and sounds very much of its time, but Poly is there right up front in the mix chanting away. She also featured in the
video.
Poly is also credited sometimes for arranging the chanting on Boy George's 'Bow Down Mister' but I don't know if that's true. Is it?
Live At The Roxy [Album 1991]
A short album of X-Ray Spex playing live at The Roxy in London in 1978, with 'Oh Bondage' featuring twice in best punk tradition of just keeping on playing your songs again and again until you fall off the stage . It's a live album and not particularly well recorded but it's a solid dose of real punk. This album is more for completists since the tracks have appeared elsewhere, most recently on the 'Let's Submerge' compilation album.
The track listing is: 'Oh Bondage Up Yours!', 'Identity', 'Let's Submerge', 'Plastic Bag', 'I Live Off You', 'I Am A Cliche', 'I Cant Do Anything', 'Oh Bondage Up Yours'.
Conscious Consumer [Album 1995]
This was an X-Ray Spex reunion record of sorts, with both Lora Logic and Paul Dean joining Poly and new musicians to make what I think is a great pop record. It doesn't have the raucous vocals and wild music of the first album but, after an 18 year break, why would it? The world had moved on by then and so had Poly and the band. It includes some great songs, some of which Poly played at the Spex reunion gig at the Roundhouse in 2008.
The songs are all on familiar themes for Poly - consumerism (of course), identity, her spiritualism, peace, vegetarianism, it's all there. My favourite song from the album is the final track, 'Party', that tells the tale of Poly going to a party and meeting all sorts of people. I love the chorus that has Poly in desperately honest mood: "Did you enjoy the party you went to the other night?/No, not really not really, no not really at all/I was bored stiff all night!" She then goes on to tell us about the boy who wanted to 'make love' to her, Prima who wanted to have a sex change and a guy wearing a tee shirt with the slogan 'destroy' (Mr Lydon or Mr Vicious anyone?). It's a classic three minute bouncy pop song and you must love it.
The track listing is: 'Cigarettes', 'Junk Food Junkie', 'Crystal Clear', 'India', 'Dog In Sweden', Hi Chaperone', 'Good Time Girl', 'Melancholy', 'Sophia', 'Peace Meal', 'Prayer For Peace', 'Party'.
Flower Aeroplane [Album 2004]
Poly describes this album as 'Mantra with muscle' on the back of the CD case. Half the songs are new and in dance-beats mode, the other half being re-recorded from 'Translucence'. As I wrote when I first got hold of the album through the X-Ray Spex website,
It's described as, 'An eclectic mix of soothing transcendent sounds with a metal edge' on the Spex site and as 'Mantra with muscle' on the back of the CD. The overall sound is calming and inspiring as Poly takes the listener on a trip on her flower aeroplane while singing a love song to Govinda. The album opens with the gentle dance beats of 'Atomic Rainbow' before moving on to the first of several songs re-recorded from her 'Translucence' album from 1980, repeating the jazzy-calypso feel that engulfs you in tropical sunshine. It works very well, the mixing of styles, a melange of journeys with Poly occasionally reciting Sanskrit prayers. And, in context, it works excellently. I was entranced on my first listen.
The track listing is: 'Atomic Rainbow', 'Essence', 'Beautiful', 'Spring', 'Shades', 'Sub-Tropical', 'Nice', 'B-Conscious', 'Airplane', 'Dreaming', 'Pink', Bi-Cycle', Earth Mantra'.
Let's Submerge - The Anthology [Album 2006]
There have been various collections of X-Ray Spex but this is my collection of choice since it has (as far as I know) everything from the '70s on it. It's a two disc set that includes all the singles and 'Germ-Free Adolescents', a few backing tracks, John Peel sessions, 'Live At The Roxy' and a bundle of demo tracks for the singles and album. It also includes Poly's solo version of 'Age' and the two songs released in 1976 as Mari Elliott.
Eye Witness (by The Brian James Gang ft Poly Styrene) [Album Track 2007]
Poly duetted with Brian James on this song on his self-titled album. It's very different for both of them, a slow acoustic duet.
City Of Christmas Ghosts (by Goldblade ft Poly Styrene) [Single 2008]
This song came out of the blue, a few months after Poly's triumphant X-Ray Spex gig at the Roundhouse in September 2008. Goldblade were the support band that night so they clearly hit it off. It's terrifically simple and bouncy, just what you need from a punk Christmas single. It includes the phrase that made me tear up when I heard it last Christmas, "Raise a toast to the ghosts of the friends we lost last year". That was the first time I'd heard it since Poly left us and I did raise a glass.
Live At The Roundhouse London 2008 [Album 2009 + DVD]
This is the CD and DVD package of the live gig at The Roundhouse in 2008. It's a lovely package with a good booklet inside full of photos and lyrics. It's particularly special to me since
I was there that night and saw and heard Poly for the first and only time. It was a great privilege to see her on that stage a the Roundhouse, somewhere she last played in 1978. It was very lucky for me since I was going into hospital the following day for an operation so I went with great memories.
The songs included all the hits and bright lights from 'Germ-Free Adolescents', a few from 'Conscious Consumer' and a new song, 'Bloody War'. 'Bloody War' includes the refrain, 'Code pink, code pink, code pink yeah' and must be a relative of the very different 'Code Pink Dub' on 'Generation Indigo'.
Black Christmas [Single 2010]
Another single out of the blue that announced that Poly was back and there was an album to follow. It was given away free when you signed up to her mailing list and I did - I would've anyway! It's in punky reggae 70s style and it was great seeing Poly in the video with her daughter Celeste (who looks just like her mum). Needless to say, I play it endlessly each Christmas.
Virtual Boyfriend [Single 2011]
The first single from the album, 'Generation Indigo', downloaded as soon as it was available. Naturally. It was accompanied by remixes from Creep and from Leigh Dickson
Generation Indigo [Album 2011]
The long awaited album from Poly, 'Generation Indigo' was released on 25 March, just four weeks before Poly left us. It received universal critical acclaim and is full of perfect three-minute pop songs. As I said at the time:
This isn't an old punx last throw of the dice, this is a vibrant album full of hope and positive messages, written by someone who's experienced life and still believes in love and a higher spirituality.
One of my favourites (well, they're all favourites) is 'Electric Blue Monsoon' which I hear as a love-song to Krishna, although you might hear it as something else. I love 'No Rockefeller', an upbeat reggae skank reminding us that the majority of the world lives in poverty. I love 'L.U.V.' that tells us that love is all that really matters. I love 'Code Pink Dub' that tells us there must be a return of love and light and we need peace. I love 'White Gold' in which Poly wishes she could fly a plane of ice cubes to the desert. I love 'Thrash City', Poly's response to the madness that is modern London. I love the whole album. And so should you.
That says it all, really.
The track listing is: 'I Luv Ur Sneakers', 'Virtual Boyfriend', 'Generation Indigo', 'Kitsch', 'White Gold', 'L.U.V.', 'Ghoulish', 'Code Pink Dub', 'Colour Blind', 'Thrash City', 'No Rockefeller', 'Electric Blue Monsoon'.
The iTunes download edition includes a bonus track, 'Virtual Boyfriend (Youth Dance Mix)'. An early version of 'Code Pink Dub' has also surfaced on Youtube. There may be more in the vaults, songs that didn't make it onto the album for whatever reason.
Ghoulish [Single 2011]
This was a posthumous single and was released with a remix by Hercules & Love Affair. It was announced with the release of a great video to the song depicting a casting for a Michael Jackson look-alike. The video was made with love and ends with the words 'We *heart* Poly'. Which we do.
No Rockefeller (Wass N Burls Remix)/Black Christmas [Single 2011]
This final single was the result of a remix competition for 'No Rockefeller' and was released with the 'Black Christmas' single plus a remix of 'Black Christmas' by Khan. It was billed as the Somali Refugee Appeal single with all monies going to that charity.
And there you have it. As far as I know, this is the complete Poly Styrene - unless you know that I've missed something out. Have I?
Wouldn't it be great if someone pulled all this music together into a box set, remastered, re-packaged and high production values. How do you lobby for a box-set?
Poly Styrene would've been 57 today. Marianne Elliott-Said won her battle to move to a higher life in 2011 just a short while after her last album, the magnificent 'Generation Indigo', was released. I regret not having the chance to see Poly sing those songs live but I still listen to them. I'm listening to them at the moment. I treasure the memories of seeing Poly sing live - at last - at the X-Ray Spex reunion gig in 2008 at the Roundhouse, the evening before I went into hospital for an operation (phew! good timing!).
