AMG Review of Live at the Paris Theatre, 1978 & 1981

Dave Thompson
All Music Guide

Two raucous performances recorded live for the BBC, this disc reminds listeners just what a towering presence Generation X could have been, had they not become so wrapped up in their own iconography. Arguably nothing Generation X did once past their debut album truly lived up to all that they originally promised, and the first show here, recorded with that debut still fresh on the shelves, is a mighty roar of adrenalin, shot through with some of the finest anthems of the age. Shift forward three years, however, and two further albums' worth of less than amazing music had dented both the audience's faith in the band and the band's belief in itself. And it shows. The end, and the emergence of Billy Idol Solo Star, was already in the air. You can taste the despair.