Catalog Number: ED-5232

Record Grading: Near Mint (NM or M-), Sleeve Grading: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Condition Details:

WHITE-LABEL PROMO, with promo text on label. Vinyl plays nicely (play-graded). 12" Single. Cover looks good; a few creases near edges; moderate scuffing, tiny surface abrasions, discoloration spots, and surface impressions (front/back); more noticeable surface abrasions near right on back. Inner-sleeve is original (generic white). Spine is easy-to-read with wear. Shelf-wear along top/bottom-edge and corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and divots. (Notch in top-left.)

Tracks:

• 4th Of July (Vocal / LP Version)
• 4th Of July (Vocal / LP Version)

About The Record:

Fourth of July, by X, is a single from their album See How We Are. 4th of July appeared on the TV show The Sopranos, where it was played in the end credits to the 2006 episode Live Free or Die. 4th of July retains some of that early-punk rock energy, but what we hear is a grown-up X, still playing and singing passionately, but in a more straightforward pop/rock/twang style. And as the music seemed more focused, the lyrical matter matured a bit as well. 4th of July takes a look at an adult relationship falling to pieces -- a blue-collar guy getting home after work to a loveless home: "She gives me her cheek when I want her lips." He appeals to his woman to try to find the love that once burned fiercely -- all against the context of the summer holiday. This is the twist: there are plenty of such Christmas songs, you know, "let's keep love alive, this is the holiday season, time to be merry," and so on. But the Alvin variation on the theme actually works brilliantly, with evocative images: "On the stairs and smoke a cigarette alone/Mexican kids out shooting fireworks below/Hey baby, it's the fourth of July." But this couple, in this dark apartment, gave up trying a long time ago. "Dry your eyes and walk outside," the narrator asks. You feel like there might be hope, particularly with the legendary harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka jubilantly singing "hey baby" repeatedly at the song's end. But just as fans of the band were saddened when the two singers got divorced, listeners of the song cannot help but remain cynical that the couple in the song will reclaim that long-lost fire once the bottle rockets dim and fade into the California night.