Billy Idol
ListenYour Generation · 1977
Generation X — Your Generation, 1977 demo recording.
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1977 · Self-released
Your Generation / Listen
Before Billy Idol became a solo star, he sang in Generation X. This plain white-label single paired two of the young band’s earliest songs, putting its demos into circulation shortly before the first Chrysalis single in 1977. [1] [3]
| Accession | OMMA-0143 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Generation X |
| Release | 1977 · United Kingdom |
| Label | Self-released · GX 101 |
| Format | 7-inch vinyl single · 45 rpm |
| Issue | Original UK white-label issue |
| Runouts | Not documented |
| Recorded grade | NM · generic sleeve |
Release history and significance
Guitarist Bob “Derwood” Andrews recalled learning Generation X’s first set at the Roxy before the club had opened. He borrowed Idol’s black guitar and amplifier and took a week away from his day job to rehearse. “Your Generation” and “Listen” were already among the songs. After his first show with the band, he quit the job. [2]
Demo versions of “Your Generation” and “Listen” circulated by August 1977 on the band’s own GX 101 single, with little printed information to identify them. A new recording of “Your Generation,” backed with “Day by Day,” followed on Chrysalis in September and reached number 36 in the UK. [3] [4]
The handwritten white labels capture Generation X at that first point of contact with an audience beyond its gigs. The pairing also preserves a different version and B-side from the Chrysalis hit that soon introduced Idol’s voice more widely. [1] [3]
Market context
GX 101 is collected as Generation X’s self-released first single, distinct from the later Chrysalis recording. Omega Auctions sold a copy for £120 hammer on 2 July 2024. It was described as Ex+, with clean white labels and release information handwritten on its plain paper sleeve. [5]
Physical Description
Black vinyl with plain paper labels. On this copy, the cream-colored “Your Generation” label is inscribed in black ink: “Generation X with their astounding song “YOUR GENERATION””. The words circle the label, with a curved arrow beside the spindle hole. The reverse has a plain white label with “Listen” written in the same hand.
The edition was issued in an unmarked white paper sleeve; some other copies bear a Generation X rubber stamp. [1]
Condition
The seller graded the vinyl Near Mint. The handwritten inscription remains clearly legible.
Provenance
Acquired from a Swedish seller through Discogs on 21 August 2026.
Sources
- Discogs, Generation X – Your Generation, release 2153758. Original GX 101 issue, label configurations and release identifiers.
- Bob Derwood Andrews, Generation X: excerpt from Loud Guitarist. The guitarist’s account of joining the band and its first rehearsals.
- Punk Rock Profiles, Generation X discography. The contemporary NME review of the white-label recording and the subsequent Chrysalis single.
- Bob Derwood Andrews, discography. The white-label debut, Chrysalis release and chart position.
- Omega Auctions, Vinyl and Memorabilia Showcase, lot 94. GX 101 copy, Ex+; £120 hammer, 2 July 2024.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.