This has not been a good week for the passing of notable people. French screen icon Marie-France Pisier left us yesterday. Singer Phoebe Snow left us this morning and Poly Styrene (aka: Marianne Elliot-Said) left in her sleep last night. All gone far too you young, and all leaving having made an impression on countless people during their time here. Each of them to be sorely missed.
One of those, the reason for the Roundtable Special tonight, is Punk pioneer Poly Styrene (aka: Marianne Elliot-Said) who fronted the band X-Ray Spex and who, in a short period of time, managed to influence an almost entire generation of women rockers and became a driving force in the Punk movement in the UK. Sadly, X-Ray Spex dissolved after a little over a year, having turned out a great album and several singles, including the anthem "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!". Styrene went solo for a while before packing it all in and landing in the Hare Krishna movement before re-emerging just recently. But it wasn't meant to happen as her long-time bout with breast and cervical Cancer won out and she left last night in her sleep at the age of 53.
So as a tribute to the spirit of the woman and what will be her lasting impression on the 1970's, here are two sessions X-Ray Spex did for the legendary John Peel at the BBC. I've included both Peel sessions. The first (top player) is from February 2, 1978:
1. Genetic Engineering
2. Artificial
3. I'm a Poseur
4. Identity
And the second (bottom player), is from their last session on November 6, 1978:
1. Germ-Free Adolescents
2. Warrior In Woolworths
3. Age
You can hear how the band developed over those nine months, but the infectious spirit is still there.
Thirty-four years later, it still is.
RIP Poly.
[gordon-donate]
