OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0143

Artist

Billy Idol (with Generation X)

Title

“Your Generation / Listen”

Release Details

Self-released by the band in August, 1977, as a promotional single, this 7″ white-label record (some of which featured the band name stamped on the label and hand-written song tracks) preceded the band’s contract with the Chrysalis label and their first Chrysalis release by about a month. The songs, “Your Generation” on Side A and “Listen” on Side B, were recorded at the band’s demo sessions at De Lane Lea Studios the previous February

Edition & Variant Identification

Generation X’s first physically issued record and the earliest commercial recording featuring Billy Idol. The band produced this record (GX 101) as a promo before the group’s Chrysalis debut. It was distributed on plain white labels in an unmarked white paper sleeve, with identifying information added by hand or, on some reported copies, by rubber stamp. Band histories report an total pressing of 750 copies.

Matrix & Pressing Data

Side A runout: GX-101-A1 PRE

Side B runout: GX-101-B1 BEEP BEEP

Physical Description

Seven-inch black-vinyl 45 rpm record with plain white labels on which the song titles are handwritten.

Condition Report

Near Mint viny rarely if ever played.

Provenance

Acquired through Swedish Discogs seller inforogerreinholdse on 21 August 2026.

Market Context & Historical Notes

British schoolboy William Broad received a tepid evaluation from one of his teachers one day: “William is idle,” but he wasn’t idle when it came to his musical tastes. As a member of the so-called Bromley Contingent, an informal group of young Sex Pistols followers who attended the band’s earliest performances, Broad helped create punk’s visual identity before forming his own band, Generation X, with Tony James and John Towe and adopting his stage name from his teacher’s comment. This record, GX 101, was pressed from the band’s February 1977 De Lane Lea demos and circulated that August. As Generation X’s first physical record, it is the first released recording of Idol’s voice.

Generation X signed with Chrysalis in July 1977 and re-recorded “Your Generation” for commercial release that September. The single reached the UK Top 40, followed by a debut album, regular appearances on Top of the Pops, and the 1979 single “King Rocker,” which reached No. 11. Unlike most British punk at the time, the band drew freely from 1960s pop, mod culture, glam rock, and dance music. Their emphasis on hooks, style, and popular reach established the approach Idol would carry into his solo work, including “Dancing with Myself,” first recorded by the band.

After Generation X dissolved, Idol moved to New York in 1981 and eventually resulted in the multiplatinum Rebel Yell and making Idol one of the most successful artists to emerge from Britain’s original punk movement. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.

Canonical Status in OMMA

OMMA recognizes “Your Generation” / “Listen” as the earliest released recording featuring Idol.

References and Source Documentation

Discogs, “Generation X – Your Generation”.

45cat, “Generation X – Your Generation / Listen”.

Punk Rock Profiles, “Generation X Discography”.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, “Billy Idol”.