After making two of the finest albums ever released (Los Angeles and Wild Gift), the Los Angeles band X signed to a major label. With The Doors’ Ray Manzarek again producing and protecting, X recorded yet another peerless album. The commercial music scene was so at odds with genuine rock ‘n’ roll that the band eventually found a home in the underground alternative scene, which had sprung up partly due to bands such as X. “The Hungry Wolf,” an excellent representation of what X did best, became a mild hit and raised the band's profile accordingly. The death of lead singer Exene Cervenka’s sister haunts a good chunk of the lyrics, and X shows greater depth in its playing. The band established itself among the earliest Americana practitioners on “The Have Nots.” The bonus tracks on the deluxe edition include brutal live versions of “Universal Corner” and “How I (Learned My Lesson),” single mixes of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Breathless” and “Riding with Mary,” and an instrumental mix of “Because I Do.”